160 articles from TUESDAY 5.10.2021
The genetic basis of tail-loss evolution in humans and apes
NYU researchers at the Tandon School of Engineering and the Grossman School of Medicine are trying to understand an age-old question that bedeviled most of us at some point: Why do all the other animals have tails, but not me? The loss of the tail is one of the main anatomical evolutionary changes to have occurred along the lineage leading to humans and to the "anthropomorphous apes." The loss of...
How fees, fines and speeding tickets help to keep people in poverty
For some of us, an $80 speeding ticket is an unpleasant inconvenience. Yet for others, particularly those living in poverty, that same ticket can turn into a years-long nightmare of crushing debt and even the loss of their driver's license altogether.
Bat souvenir trade and risks to public health
Little is known about the global bat souvenir trade, its extent and impact on bat populations and forest ecosystems, and the potential risks posed to public health with bats known carriers of zoonotic diseases.
The fishy business of artificial reefs
UNSW scientists have uncovered why artificial reefs attract more small foraging fish, or baitfish, than natural reefs.
Late persistence of human ancestors at the margins of the monsoon in India
The longest lasting tool-making tradition in prehistory, known as the Acheulean, appears more than 1.5 million years ago in Africa and 1.2 million years ago in India, and mainly consists of stone handaxes and cleavers (Figure 1). New research led by the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History has re-examined a key Acheulean site at the margins of the monsoon zone in the Thar Desert,...
Can butterfly wings help detect COVID-19 faster?
An international team, led by Swinburne University of Technology and Australian National University (ANU), have made a breakthrough discovery that could potentially lead to faster, more accurate molecular or virus tests, including for COVID-19.
Soil microorganism provides clues into the breakdown of natural red dye
Although it is widely used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide, the breakdown of carminic acid (a natural red dye extracted from insects) in nature has remained unclear. Through a combination of biochemical and structural analyses, researchers from Japan have now provided insight into this puzzle.
Insights into a high-performance molecular glue holding DNA together
Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology propose a mechanism by which the protein protamine modulates the packaging of DNA in sperm cells. The findings could have implications for the development of vaccines for cancer and viral infections.
Convergence: Courage in a Crisis review – pandemic film dilutes the outrage
Nine stories from the Covid frontlines deliver emotional punch, but the documentary’s desire for a global message blunts its impact“I can’t breathe” went mainstream as a rallying cry during the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020, just as respiratory difficulties of a different kind were beginning to exact an increasingly frightening toll across the world. This panoramic and often...
Trio of scientists win Nobel prize for physics for climate work
Sykuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi share award for advancing climate knowledgeThree scientists have won the 2021 Nobel prize in physics for their groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems – including how humanity influences the Earth’s climate.The winners, Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi, will share the award, announced on...
Making sense of the census: In 2021, America is less racially segregated, but no less unequal
When data from the nation's 2020 census were released this summer, many asked John Logan: Is the country's segregation problem improving? His answer: It's complicated.
Disadvantaged mothers report high rates of job loss and stress during COVID-19 pandemic
A third of Australian mothers experiencing disadvantage have suffered job or income loss as well as high rates of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study has found.
Revealing the secrets of ground beetle wing casings
The striking colors of many creatures in nature result from their structures at a microscopic or even nanoscopic level. A good example of this is the metallic coloring of certain beetles. Researchers have paid increased attention to understanding what causes the effects found in nature, so that they can recreate these properties in so-called biomimetic materials. A team from The University of...
Innovative sensor specifically and precisely detects molecules
Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Technical University of Darmstadt have developed a novel sensor for gas molecules by combining a graphene transistor with a customized metal-organic coating. The innovative sensor specifically and precisely detects molecules and represents the prototype of an entirely new class of sensors. The ethanol sensor developed responds to neither...
Successful reintroduction of endangered Bonelli's eagle in Mallorca
Reintroducing species in new natural habitats is a strategy to help prevent the extinction of the most threatened organisms. However, this process is influenced by several factors—which are not much explored in the scientific bibliography—and its global success ratio is still low.
Seahorses are terrible swimmers but great predators
Seahorses are not exactly Olympic swimmers—in fact, they're considered to be particularly poor swimmers. Despite being relatively slow, however, they are adept at preying on small, quick-moving animals. In a new study conducted at Tel Aviv University, researchers have succeeded in characterizing the incredible preying capability of seahorses, discovering that they can move their head up at the...
Moth predicted to exist by Darwin and Wallace becomes a new species
A Madagascan hawkmoth, whose existence was predicted by Darwin and Wallace, has now been recognized as a new species.
Study: Growing potential for toxic algal blooms in the Alaskan Arctic
Changes in the northern Alaskan Arctic ocean environment have reached a point at which a previously rare phenomenon—widespread blooms of toxic algae—could become more commonplace, potentially threatening a wide range of marine wildlife and the people who rely on local marine resources for food. That is the conclusion of a new study about harmful algal blooms (HABs) of the toxic algae...
BLM movement engaged youth, with positive and negative effects
The police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020 unleashed an historic wave of activism across the United States, including an estimated 8,000 mass demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM).
New 'lost relative' of Triceratops found in New Mexico
A fossil found over twenty years ago on the ranch of CNN founder Ted Turner has been discovered to be a new species of horned dinosaur (ceratopsid) not previously found in North America.
Sounding rocket mission to offer snapshot of sun's magnetic field
Measuring a magnetic field isn't so hard if you're inside of it. Measuring a magnetic field remotely—whether from across a room, across a country, or 93 million miles away—is an entirely different story. But that's exactly what a team of NASA scientists and international collaborators aim to do with the CLASP2.1 mission: measure the magnetic field in a critical slice of the sun's atmosphere...
Invasive, disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito sterilized with bacteria and eradicated in large-scale trial
In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, researchers have shown a bacteria can successfully sterilize and eradicate the invasive, disease carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito which is responsible for spreading dengue, yellow fever and Zika. The breakthrough could support the suppression and potential eradication of Aedes aegypti worldwide.