The scientist helping to develop the axolotl as a model
With its amazing capacity to regenerate tissues and organs, its ability to reproduce in a laboratory environment and the ease with which its genes can be manipulated, the Mexican salamander, or axolotl, holds enormous promise as a model for the study of regenerative medicine.
Young adults turn crushes into love, study suggests
The image of young adults living in a hookup culture with emotionally meaningless relationships might be a common theme in movies and daytime talk shows. But it does not seem to be the norm in real college life, suggests a new study from University of California, Davis, researchers.
Metal mayhem: New research finds toxic metals absorbed by Great Salt Lake plants and insects
Plants in Great Salt Lake wetland ecosystems are able to pull hazardous metal pollution from the lake and sometimes pass it up the food chain, according to work by a team of researchers from the Department of Watershed Sciences led by Edd Hammill. The study, coauthored by former master's student Maya Pendleton and current faculty Janice Brahney, Karin Kettenring, and Trisha Atwood, sampled three...
Researchers show that dynamic soaring isn't just for albatrosses
A new study shows how small seabirds have mastered the art of working smarter, not harder, when soaring at sea.
NASA awards two contracts for next generation spacesuits
NASA on Wednesday announced it has awarded contracts to two companies to develop the next generation of spacesuits for missions to the International Space Station and the Moon.
Discovery of mosquito survival tactics leaves room for new disease vector control tactics
The appendages that protrude from a mosquito's head hold the sensory systems that account for nearly all of its ability to detect and respond to a wide range of chemical signals that are critical for its reproduction and its survival. At the molecular level, these systems rely on genes that make up three families of chemosensory receptors. These genes include gustatory (taste) receptors,...
Study finds elk hoof disease may affect antlers
A disease in elk that causes deformed hooves and eventually leads to lameness and death is also associated with abnormal, asymmetrical antlers, a Washington State University-led study of hunter reports has found.
What the quest to image black holes could tell us about our universe
Not long ago, the idea of photographing a black hole was as quixotic as photographing a unicorn. Now, scientists have not one but two images of two different supermassive black holes—and they both look as magical as flaming doughnuts.
Researchers discover Archean continental rocks at the Southwest Indian Ridge
In between Earth's rigid tectonic plates above and its convecting mantle below is a hot and soft layer known as the asthenosphere. At mid-ocean ridges, upwelling of the hot asthenosphere to the surface of the seafloor forms new ocean crust.
Time-reversal asymmetry surpasses conversion efficiency limit for solar cells
Solar energy is a popular candidate for a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. A solar cell, or photovoltaic (PV) cell, converts sunlight directly into electricity. However, the conversion efficiency has not been enough to enable widespread applications of solar cells.
Disbanding police departments doesn't affect crime levels, says new report
Disbanding city police departments and shifting law enforcement responsibilities to county governments appears to have no effect on overall crime rates and leads to fewer police-related deaths, according to new Rice University research. But the same study indicates those communities may be less likely to report their crime statistics to the FBI.
Consumers embrace milk carton QR codes, may cut food waste
The "use-by" and "best-by" dates printed on milk cartons and gallon jugs may soon become a thing of the past, giving way to more accurate and informative QR codes. A new Cornell University study finds that consumers will use the QR codes to better depict how long the milk is drinkable and create substantially less agricultural and food waste.
New report advocates big increases in sustainable wood production
Increasing sustainable use of the world's forests would support economic recovery while providing environmentally friendly wood construction materials, according to a United Nations report co-authored by an Oregon State University researcher.
Physicists demonstrate novel mechanism that can prevent light waves from spreading freely
In collaboration with the group of Professor Mordechai Segev (Technion, Israel Institute of Technology), physicists from the group of Professor Alexander Szameit (University of Rostock) have demonstrated a novel type of mechanism that can prevent light waves from spreading freely. So far, the underlying physical effect had been considered far too weak to fully arrest wave expansion. In their...
Famous rock art cave in Spain was used by ancient humans for more than 50,000 years
A cave in southern Spain was used by ancient humans as a canvas for artwork and as a burial place for over 50,000 years, according to a study published June 1, 2022, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by José Ramos-Muñoz of the University of Cadiz, Spain, and colleagues.
The surprising musical dynamics of a lava lake on Kīlauea volcano
A lava lake in a crater of Kīlauea spent ten years sloshing and churning before the volcano gave a bigger belch.
How electric fish were able to evolve electric organs
Electric organs help electric fish, such as the electric eel, do all sorts of amazing things: They send and receive signals that are akin to bird songs, helping them to recognize other electric fish by species, sex and even individual. A new study in Science Advances explains how small genetic changes enabled electric fish to evolve electric organs. The finding might also help scientists pinpoint...
Bacteria-killing nano-drills get an upgrade: Visible light triggers molecular machines to treat infections
Molecular machines that kill infectious bacteria have been taught to see their mission in a new light.
Less air pollution leads to higher crop yields, study shows
Usually, increasing agricultural productivity depends on adding something, such as fertilizer or water. A new Stanford University-led study reveals that removing one thing in particular—a common air pollutant—could lead to dramatic gains in crop yields. The analysis, published June 1 in Science Advances, uses satellite images to reveal for the first time how nitrogen oxides—gases found in...
Did NASA find Hell? Scientists brace for first glimpse of world that constantly burns
Mankind's first look at conditions on a "super-Earth" 50 light years away is expected in coming weeks via the James Webb Space Telescope, and NASA is bracing to see the stuff of nightmares.
Rare 'orchid of the falls' species declared extinct in the wild
A team of botanists from Guinea and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK have sounded the death knell for a plant in the Saxicolella genus that is endemic to a single location in Guinea. The sad discovery was made by Kew botanist Dr. Martin Cheek who investigated the plant's last-known co-ordinates using Google Earth satellite scans, following a taxonomic review of the Saxicolella genus...
Looking ahead to Webb telescope's first images
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will release its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on 12 July 2022.
India's relic forests reveal a new species of leopard gecko
Deep in the forests of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in India lives a colorful gecko species that only now revealed its true identity. Meet Eublepharis pictus, also known as the Painted Leopard Gecko.
The persistent effects of colonialism in Caribbean science
Prior to the First World War, sprawling European empires collectively controlled roughly 80% of Earth's landmass. Following WWII, that percentage drastically shrank, as colonies and occupied territories successfully vied for their independence, leading many to assume that the colonial mindset of taking from smaller countries to support large nations had been relegated to the past.
Exploring novel slow-release organic copper fungicides
Copper fungicides have been widely used due to their wide sterilization spectrum, low cost and low drug resistance.