NASA selects new instruments for priority Artemis science on moon
Adding to the growing list of commercial deliveries slated to explore more of the moon than ever before under Artemis, NASA has selected two new science instrument suites, including one that will study the mysterious Gruithuisen Domes for the first time.
Studying schizophrenia in plants? Researchers are giving it a shot
What if scientists could study human psychiatric illness in plants? Yale researchers think it's possible and they've taken an important first step. In a study published June 2 in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, they investigated a gene very similar in both plants and mammals and looked at how it affects behavior in each.
NASA's DAVINCI mission to take the plunge through massive atmosphere of Venus
In a paper recently published in The Planetary Science Journal, NASA scientists and engineers give new details about the agency's Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) mission, which will descend through the layered Venus atmosphere to the surface of the planet in mid-2031. DAVINCI is the first mission to study Venus using both spacecraft flybys and a...
NASA moon mission set to break record in navigation signal test
As the Artemis missions journey to the moon and NASA plans for the long voyage to Mars, new navigation capabilities will be key to science, discovery, and human exploration.
Fish cannibalism is rare in the wild, study finds
Mosquitofish and guppies, though known to be cannibalistic in captivity, are extremely unlikely to be cannibals in wild settings, and the rare instances of cannibalism in these fish are likely due to strong competition for food. The findings, from a new Ecology and Evolution study led by U.S. and U.K. researchers, could have implications not only for fish enthusiasts and scientists who use...
Salt may be the key to life on Earth and beyond
The composition of the atmosphere, especially the abundance of greenhouse gases, influences Earth's climate. Researchers at Purdue University, led by Stephanie Olson, assistant professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, have recently found that the presence of salt in seawater can also have a major impact on the habitability of Earth and other planets. The team used a climate model...
This parasite will self-destruct: Researchers discover new weapon against drug-resistant malaria
A new method to combat malaria, which sees the disease turn against itself, could offer an effective treatment for the hundreds of millions of people infected globally each year as the efficacy of current antimalarial drugs weakens.
Study finds groundwater depletion causes California farmland to sink, suggests countermeasures
The floor of California's arid Central Valley is sinking as groundwater pumping for agriculture and drinking water depletes aquifers. A new remote sensing study from Stanford University shows land sinking—or subsidence—will likely continue for decades to centuries if underground water levels merely stop declining. To stop the sinking, water levels will need to rise.
Tear down academic silos: Take an 'undisciplinary' approach
Solving societal problems such as climate change could require dismantling rigid academic boundaries, so that researchers from varying disciplines could work together collaboratively—through an "undisciplinary" approach, a new Cornell study suggests.
Using advanced microscopy to nanoengineer new materials for computing and electronics
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Korea's Sungkyunkwan University are using advanced microscopy to nanoengineer promising materials for computing and electronics in a beyond-Moore era.
Researchers working to recover rare-earth elements and secure critical materials for clean energy technologies
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using state-of-the-art methods to shed light on chemical separations needed to recover rare-earth elements and secure critical materials for clean energy technologies.
Decoding the language of immune responses
Fever, cough, sore throat—symptoms in the spotlight in the era of COVID-19—are just some of the telltale signs of our body's immune system kicking into action against an unwanted intruder. Whether triggered by an infection, an allergen, or a vaccine, immune responses are driven by a complex array of cellular processes that can play out over several days or even weeks.
Study suggests sectarian identity in Middle East tied to domestic matters, not a larger, transnational religious split
As the old adage has it, all politics is local. That might seem a quaint idea in an age of social media and global connectivity. And yet, as a study co-led by an MIT political scientist finds, it may describe Middle East politics more accurately than many people realize.
Canada ranks third worldwide in permeable landscapes for wildlife
Canada ranks third in the world for animal movement between protected areas, finds new UBC research.
At least 44% of Earth's land requires conservation to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services
New research published in the June 3, 2022 journal Science reveals that 44% of Earth's land area—some 64 million square kilometers (24.7 million square miles) requires conservation to safeguard biodiversity.
Designing the perfect membrane for clean separation of gases
Selective removal of detrimental gases, e.g., hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural gas (CH4) could become simpler and highly effective using a new class of oriented mixed-matrix metal-organic framework (MMMOF) membrane developed at KAUST that may enable better use of this cleaner fossil fuel.
Developing a block copolymer that could enable safer, more stable batteries
New polymer materials under development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory could enable safer, more stable batteries needed for electric vehicles and grid energy storage.
Salmonella vaccine for poultry contributed to rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
An investigation into the evolution of Salmonella bacteria infecting Brazilian poultry shows that the introduction of a Salmonella vaccine, combined with increasing antibiotic usage by Brazilian farmers, has led to the rise of strains that are more antibiotic-resistant, but less likely to cause disease in humans. Andrea Micke Moreno of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and Alison Mather of...
Strange fossil solves giraffe evolutionary mystery
Fossils of a strange early giraffoid have revealed the key driving forces in giraffe evolution, according to a study led by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
How glyphosate affects brood care in bumblebees
Bumblebee colonies exposed to glyphosate are significantly affected in times of resource scarcity. Dr. Anja Weidenmüller, biologist at the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior at the University of Konstanz, describes this finding in a study published in the journal Science.
The consequences of climate change in the Alps are visible from space
Global warming has a particularly pronounced impact on the Alpine region. Like the Arctic, this European mountain range is becoming greener. Writing in the journal Science, researchers from the University of Lausanne and the University of Basel have now used satellite data to show that vegetation above the tree line has increased in nearly 80% of the Alps. Snow cover is also decreasing, albeit so...
NYC estuary is a dolphin dining hotspot during summer and autumn months for bottlenose dolphins
They click. They whistle. They love seafood. They are New York City's nearshore bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that return to feed in local waters from spring to fall each year, and a team of scientists led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is tracking them.
The non-coding 7S RNA regulates gene expression in human mitochondria
A new study published in the journal Cell shows that a non-coding RNA molecule regulates mitochondrial gene expression in human cells. The work results from a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg and Karolinska Institutet, both Sweden, and the University of Cologne, Germany.
NOAA forecasts average-size Gulf of Mexico summer 'dead zone'
A team of scientists including a University of Michigan aquatic ecologist is forecasting a summer "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico of 5,364 square miles, about average for the 35-year history of the measurements.
Probing the crucial charge carrier transfer processes and dynamics within perovskite active layers
A new publication from Opto-Electronic Science reviews the crucial charge carrier transfer processes and dynamics within perovskite active layers by means of time-resolved ultrafast laser spectroscopy.