Exploring the source of stars and planets in a laboratory
A new method for verifying a widely held but unproven theoretical explanation of the formation of stars and planets has been proposed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). The method grows from simulation of the Princeton Magnetorotational Instability (MRI) Experiment, a unique laboratory device that aims to demonstrate the MRI process...
Fipronil, a common insecticide, disrupts aquatic communities in the US
The presence of insecticides in streams is increasingly a global concern, yet information on safe concentrations for aquatic ecosystems is sometimes sparse. In a new study led by Colorado State University's Janet Miller and researchers at the United States Geological Survey, the team found a common insecticide, fipronil, and related compounds were more toxic to stream communities than previous...
Elkhorn coral actively fighting off diseases on reef, study finds
As the world enters a next wave of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are aware now more than ever of the importance of a healthy immune system to protect ourselves from disease. This is not only true for humans but corals too, which are in an ongoing battle to ward off deadly diseases spreading on a reef.
Washington state discovers first 'murder hornet' nest in US
Scientists have discovered the first nest of so-called murder hornets in the United States and plan to wipe it out Saturday to protect native honeybees, officials in Washington state said.
Metal deposits from Chinese coal plants end up in the Pacific Ocean, research shows
Emissions from coal-fired power plants in China are fertilizing the North Pacific Ocean with a metal nutrient important for marine life, according to new findings from a USC-led research team.
Chemists develop framework to enable efficient synthesis of 'information-dense' molecules
A team led by scientists at Scripps Research has developed a theoretical approach that could ease the process of making highly complex, compact molecules.
Coastal permafrost more susceptible to climate change than previously thought
If you flew from the sea towards the land in the north slope of Alaska, you would cross from the water, over a narrow beach, and then to the tundra. From the air, that tundra would look like a landscape of room-sized polygonal shapes. Those shapes are the surface manifestations of the ice in the frozen ground below, a solidified earth known as permafrost.
New imaging method reveals HIV's sugary shield in unprecedented detail
Scientists from Scripps Research and Los Alamos National Laboratory have devised a method for mapping in unprecedented detail the thickets of slippery sugar molecules that help shield HIV from the immune system.
SPOTlight supercharges cell studies
Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a new method to isolate specific cells, and in the process found a more robust fluorescent protein.
Discovery of pH-dependent 'switch' in interaction between pair of protein molecules
All biological processes are in some way pH-dependent. Human bodies and those of other organisms need to maintain specific and constant pH regulation in order to function. Changes in pH can have serious biological consequences—or serious benefits, as researchers at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) found.
Seabird response to abrupt climate change 5,000 years ago transformed Falklands ecosystems: study
The Falkland Islands are a South Atlantic refuge for some of the world's most important seabird species, including five species of penguins, Great Shearwaters, and White-chinned Petrels. In recent years, their breeding grounds in the coastal tussac (Poa flabellata) grasslands have come under increasing pressure from sheep grazing and erosion. And unlike other regions of the globe, there has been...
Tools made by some of North America's earliest inhabitants were made only during a 300-year period
There is much debate surrounding the age of the Clovis—a prehistoric culture named for stone tools found near Clovis, New Mexico in the early 1930s—who once occupied North America during the end of the last Ice Age. New testing of bones and artifacts show that Clovis tools were made only during a brief, 300-year period from 13,050 to 12,750 years ago.
Crisis in the Galapagos: Chinese fishing fleets and COVID-19 threaten a natural wonder
Just south of the Galapagos' Marchena Island, there's a dive spot known by locals as the "fish arena."
New study details atmosphere on 'hot Neptune' 260 light years away that 'shouldn't exist'
A team led by an astronomer from the University of Kansas has crunched data from NASA's TESS and Spitzer space telescopes to portray for the first time the atmosphere of a highly unusual kind of exoplanet dubbed a "hot Neptune."
Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) exhibit extreme pulses
Extreme events occur in many observable contexts. Nature is a prolific source: rogue water waves surging high above the swell, monsoon rains, wildfire, etc. From climate science to optics, physicists have classified the characteristics of extreme events, extending the notion to their respective domains of expertise. For instance, extreme events can take place in telecommunication data streams. In...
Extruded grains may be better for pigs
Extrusion is the norm in the pet and aqua feed industries, yet it remains unusual for swine feed in the United States. But the technology can improve energy and protein digestibility in pigs, according to research from the University of Illinois.
Study finds field of forensic anthropology lacks diversity
The field of forensic anthropology is a relatively homogenous discipline in terms of diversity (people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with mental and physical disabilities, etc.) and this is highly problematic for the field of study and for most forensic anthropologists.
Slavery and trafficking occurs in 90% of recent wars and conflicts, new research shows
Research by the University of Nottingham's Rights Lab has identified that slavery and human trafficking are present in 90 per cent of modern wars.
Bioplastics contain substances that are as toxic as those in ordinary plastics
Conventional plastic is made from oil. The production of plastic is not sustainable, and it can contain substances we know are dangerous if ingested.
Endangered vaquita remain genetically healthy even in low numbers, new analysis shows
The critically endangered vaquita has survived in low numbers in its native Gulf of California for hundreds of thousands of years, a new genetic analysis has found. The study found little sign of inbreeding or other risks often associated with small populations.
Time crystals lead researchers to future computational work
Time crystals sound like something out of science fiction, but they may be the next major leap in quantum network research. A team based in Japan has proposed a method to use time crystals to simulate massive networks with very little computing power.
Scientists manage to improve metallic glasses
Researchers at National University of Science and Technology MISIS (NUST MISIS) have managed to develop a unique method to process bulk metallic glasses. According to the authors of the study, they have managed to find processing conditions that significantly improve the quality of this promising material. The research results were published in Journal of Alloys and Compounds.
New test method to standardize immunological evaluation of nucleic acid nanoparticles
Therapeutic nucleic acids—lab-created segments of DNA or RNA, designed be used to block or modify genes, control gene expression or regulate other cellular processes—are a promising but still emerging area of biomedical treatment, with several drugs already in use and many more in trials. Nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) are programmable assemblies made exclusively of nucleic acids with a...
Large tides may have been a key factor in the evolution of bony fish and tetrapods
Pioneering research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, into ancient tides during the Late Silurian—Devonian periods (420 million years ago—380 million years ago), suggests that large tides may have been a key environmental factor in the evolution of bony fish and early tetrapods, the first vertebrate land-dwellers.
Death of sea life off Russia peninsula 'caused by algae'
Blooming algae was behind a recent mass death of sea animals that saw octopuses and seals wash up on the shore off a Russian peninsula, scientists said on Friday in the final conclusion to their probe.