348 articles from THURSDAY 14.5.2020

Genetic origins of hybrid dysfunction

Evolutionary biologists studying populations of hybrid fish have found two genes that contribute to melanoma - only the second time people have identified specific genes associated with dysfunction in hybrid vertebrates.

Saving livestock by thinking like a predator

Humans have struggled to reduce the loss of livestock to carnivores for thousands of years, and yet, solutions remain elusive. According to a new study, solving this ancient puzzle requires going back to Ecology 101. Simply put, getting in the mind of predators -- considering how they hunt, how their prey behaves and the landscape -- will help wildlife managers discourage wild carnivores from...

Largest and hottest shield volcano on Earth

Researchers revealed the largest and hottest shield volcano on Earth. A team of volcanologists and ocean explorers used several lines of evidence to determine P?h?honu, a volcano within the Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument now holds this distinction.

Spacewatch: US military spaceplane poised for liftoff

Boeing X-37B to study impact of radiation and other space effects on seeds and other materialsThe US’s uncrewed X-37B military spaceplane is expected to launch from Cape Canaveral air force station, in Florida, on 16 May.The Boeing craft will be carried into orbit by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. This will be its sixth launch, and the first to be the responsibility of the...

A lost world and extinct ecosystem

Archaeological sites on the far southern shores of South Africa hold the world's richest records for the behavioral and cultural origins of our species. At this location, scientists have discovered the earliest evidence for symbolic behavior, complex pyrotechnology, projectile weapons and the first use of foods from the sea.

Researchers reveal largest and hottest shield volcano on Earth

In a recently published study, researchers from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology revealed the largest and hottest shield volcano on Earth. A team of volcanologists and ocean explorers used several lines of evidence to determine Pūhāhonu, a volcano within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument now holds this distinction.

Space station leaves 'microbial fingerprint' on astronauts

We all carry around our own microbiome, a world of microorganisms that live on our skin and in our bodies, playing important roles in maintaining health as we interact with the rest of the world. Everywhere we go, our microbiome interacts with the microbiomes of new environments and of the people we meet (see Microbiology 101: Where People Go, Microbes Follow).