If endangered primates disappear, so will their parasites. That's actually a problem
We put "save the chimps" on t-shirts and posters. But you'll never see anyone walking around in a shirt that says "save the chimpanzee lice." People seem to be more aware of the plight of endangered gorillas than of the gorillas' gut worms, or are understandably more enamored with mouse lemurs than their mites.
Higher levels of organic pollutants found in homes located near natural gas wells, study finds
A University of Toronto study has found that those living close to natural gas wells are exposed to higher levels of certain organic pollutants in their homes.
NASA satellites show how clouds respond to Arctic sea ice change
Clouds are one of the biggest wildcards in predictions of how much and how fast the Arctic will continue to warm in the future. Depending on the time of the year and the changing environment in which they form and exist, clouds can both act to warm and cool the surface below them.
Telescope in Chile captures a doomed galaxy falling into the heart of the Fornax Cluster
The Fornax Cluster—which, as the name suggests, lies primarily in the constellation Fornax (the Furnace)—is a relatively nearby galaxy cluster, only about 60 million light-years from Earth. This means that it looms large in the night sky, stretching across an area more than 100 times larger than the full moon. With over 600 member galaxies, the Fornax Cluster is the second "richest" (most...
Elon Musk says Inspiration4 crew had 'challenges' with toilet, vows for bathroom upgrades
The private space flight, SpaceX, completed a historic mission with the first all-civilian flight crew last weekend. The four members of the Inspiration4 crew raised $200 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and helped prove SpaceX founder Elon Musk's belief that non-professional astronauts can venture into space in regularity.
Dual action: RNA binding protein also binds DNA and acts as a damage sensor across the genome
Cancer is a devastating disease and is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. One of the hallmarks of cancer is genomic instability, or the tendency to accumulate mutations and damage to the DNA that leads to genome alterations during cell division. DNA mutations can arise from exposure to ultraviolet or X-ray radiation or from certain chemicals known as carcinogens; however, our cells have...
Earliest evidence of human activity found in the Americas
Footprints found at White Sands National Park in New Mexico provide the earliest unequivocal evidence of human activity in the Americas and offer insight into life over 23,000 years ago.
Ancient DNA analysis sheds light on a dark event in medieval Spain
An international team of researchers led by the University of Huddersfield's Archaeogenetics Research Group, including geneticists, archeological scientists, and archeologists, has published the genome sequence of a unique individual from Islamic medieval Spain—al-Andalus—the results of which have shed light on a brutal event that took place in medieval Spain.
Researchers develop algorithm to map words to colors across languages
No language has words for all the blues of a wind-churned sea or the greens and golds of a wildflower meadow in late summer. Globally, different languages have divvied up the world of color using their own set of labels, from just a few to dozens.
New cereal box-sized satellite to explore alien planets
A new miniature satellite designed and built at CU Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is providing proof that "cute" things can take on big scientific challenges.
Laser treatment shows potential for reducing industrial chemical processing for vehicles
Long-lasting protection from corrosion is essential for materials used for vehicles and aircraft to ensure structural integrity amid extreme operating conditions. Two chemical pre-treatment processes are widely used in industrial settings to prepare for coating adhesion and protect aluminum alloy surfaces against corrosion. While highly regulated, both processes use large quantities of hazardous...
Times we didn't act like ourselves can be helpful in the long run, study finds
When we reflect on our past behavior and decisions, we can normally identify both occasions where we have been true to ourselves, i.e. acted authentically, as well as times when we have done things in a way that doesn't align with who we believe we are. However, how do these recollections translate onto the story of who we are that we tell ourselves every day?
Team proposes microprinting a fiber-tip polymer clamped-beam probe for high-sensitivity nanoforce measurements
The control and measurement of asserted forces on small objects are frequently seen in micromanipulation, material science, and biological and medical applications. Researchers in China have proposed for the first time the microprinting of a novel fiber-tip-polymer clamped-beam probe micro-force sensor for the examination of biological samples. This approach opens new avenues towards the...
Chinese scientists report starch synthesis from carbon dioxide
Chinese scientists recently reported a de novo route for artificial starch synthesis from carbon dioxide (CO2) for the first time. Relevant results were published in Science on Sept. 24.
Decoding birds' brain signals into syllables of song
Researchers can predict what syllables a bird will sing—and when it will sing them—by reading electrical signals in its brain, reports a new study from the University of California San Diego.
Vampire bats may coordinate with 'friends' over a bite to eat
Vampire bats that form bonds in captivity and continue those "friendships" in the wild also hunt together, meeting up over a meal after independent departures from the roost, according to a new study.
Mapping of magnetic stripes to discover how fast ocean crust is created
Two University of Wyoming researchers are part of the first-ever mapping of magnetic stripes—one of the foundations of plate tectonics—within the lower gabbroic section of fast-spreading oceanic crust.
Common-path off-axis digital holography: Towards high stable optical instrument manufacturing
High stable common-path digital holographic interferometers can be widely applied in long-term time-lapsing interferometric measurements, three-dimensional imaging, and quantitative phase imaging. Scientists in China reviewed the common-path off-axis digital holography and categorized the common-path models into lateral shearing, point diffraction and other types, and summarized the progress of...
Carbon dioxide reactor makes Martian fuel
Engineers at the University of Cincinnati are developing new ways to convert greenhouse gases to fuel to address climate change and get astronauts home from Mars.
More support needed for pollination services in agriculture
The global decline of pollinators threatens the reproductive success of 90 per cent of all wild plants globally and the yield of 85 per cent of the world's most important crops. Pollinators—mainly bees and other insects—contribute to 35 per cent of the world's food production. The service provided by pollinators is particularly important for securing food produced by the more than two billion...
Grabbing magic tin by the tail
Atomic nuclei have only two ingredients, protons and neutrons, but the relative number of these ingredients makes a radical difference in their properties. Certain configurations of protons and neutrons, with "magic numbers" of protons or neutrons arranged into filled shells within the nucleus, are more strongly bound than others. The rare nuclei with complete proton and neutron shells, which are...
The defensive arsenal of plant roots
Plants adapt to their nutritional needs by modifying the permeability of their roots through the production or degradation of a cork-like layer called suberin. By studying the regulation of this protective layer in Arabidopsis thaliana, an international team, led by scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has discovered four molecular factors responsible for the genetic...
A 15-user quantum secure direct communication network
Quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) based on entanglement can directly transmit confidential information. Scientist in China explored a QSDC network based on time-energy entanglement and sum-frequency generation. The results show that when any two users are performing QSDC over 40 kilometers of optical fiber, and the rate of information transmission can be maintained at 1Kbp/s. Our result...
New York waters may be an important, additional feeding area for large whales
A new study finds that that some large whale species (humpback, fin and minke whales) use the waters off New York and New Jersey as a supplemental feeding area feasting on two different types of prey species.
Cloud-spotting on a distant exoplanet
An international team of astronomers has not only detected clouds on the distant exoplanet WASP-127b, but also measured their altitude with unprecedented precision. A presentation by Dr. Romain Allart at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2021 shows how, by combining data from a space- and a ground-based telescope, the team has been able to reveal the upper structure of the planet's...