127 articles from WEDNESDAY 1.3.2023

Team publishes study of the brain of the Homo erectus fossil with the lowest cranial capacity

The paleoneurologist Emiliano Bruner and the archaeologist Sileshi Semaw, both from the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), have published a paper in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology about the 1.5 million-year-old cranium DAN5/P1, found at the Gona site in Ethiopia, whose cranial morphology indicates that it belongs to the species Homo erectus, and...

New method can provide rapid detection of food adulteration

University of Missouri scientist Colleen Ray can now add the job of "food detective" to her resumé. Recently, Ray and colleagues in the Department of Chemistry developed a novel method—using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy—to detect whether food products have been modified or adulterated with fillers like vegetable oil.

Study shows promising results in using the sun's ultraviolet rays to decontaminate water at high altitudes

Research shows that solar water disinfection (SODIS) may be just as effective at decontaminating Escherichia coli (E coli) infected water at high altitudes as it is at low altitudes. The results of a new study appearing in the Wilderness Medical Society's official journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine show promise for improving global access to safe drinking water.

On a warming planet, these Arctic geese rapidly found (and shared) a new migratory route

As the planet warms, animals that breed in the Arctic are at particular risk. But a new study reported in Current Biology on March 1 offers some encouraging news: in an apparent reaction to pressures along their former migratory route, a population of Arctic geese has rapidly adjusted, forming a new migration route and breeding location almost 1,000 kilometers from their original stomping grounds.

The future of touch

Haptic holography promises to bring virtual reality to life, but a new study reveals a surprising physical obstacle that will need to be overcome.

Ultracool dwarf binary stars break records

Astrophysicists have discovered the tightest ultracool dwarf binary system ever observed. The two stars are so close that it takes them less than one Earth day to revolve around each other. In other words, each star's 'year' lasts just 17 hours.

High blood pressure during pregnancy linked to thinking problems later

High blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of thinking problems later in life, according to a study. Researchers found that those with these disorders had a higher risk of cognitive problems in later life than those who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy. They also found that those with preeclampsia, which is high blood pressure that...

Previously unknown mechanism in precision RNA cleaving by Dicer enzyme revealed

Researchers at the Center for RNA Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), in Seoul, have published a study with critical new insights into the structure and function of the Dicer enzyme. Dicer is an enzyme required for the biogenesis of miRNAs and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which in turn are drivers of RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulating of gene expression, one of the...

There’s a Bit of Truth To Some Climate Conspiracy Theories. But That Doesn’t Make Them Right

Having systematically colonized the ranks of government, academia, and media—including malleable-minded climate writers like yours truly—the dark legions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) have reportedly gotten around to their real work: employing their techno-fascist designs on traffic patterns in Oxford, U.K. Or that’s what some people on the internet are saying, anyway. A...

'Swarmalators' better envision synchronized microbots

Imagine a world with precision medicine, where a swarm of microrobots delivers a payload of medicine directly to ailing cells. Or one where aerial or marine drones can collectively survey an area while exchanging minimal information about their location.

SpaceX Dragon crew to blast off for ISS

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is to make a second attempt on Thursday to blast off for the International Space Station carrying two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and the second Emirati to voyage to space.

Rare quasar triplet forms one of the most massive objects in the universe

Ultra-massive black holes are the most massive objects in the universe. Their mass can reach millions and billions of solar masses. Supercomputer simulations on Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC)'s Frontera supercomputer have helped astrophysicists reveal the origin of ultra-massive black holes formed about 11 billion years ago.

Mulching time of forest meadows influences insect diversity

Mulching is a possible management method for forest meadows and is important to their upkeep. During the process, the meadow is cut and the cuttings are shredded and left on the meadow. Despite its significance, the effects of this method on insects living in this habitat has rarely been studied up to now.

UK now seen as ‘toxic’ for satellite launches, MPs told

After Virgin Orbit’s failed mission, Commons committee hears complaints about regulator Britain’s failed attempt to send satellites into orbit was a “disaster” and MPs are being urged to redirect funding to hospitals, with the country now seen as “toxic” for future launches.Senior figures at the Welsh company Space Forge, which lost a satellite when Virgin Orbit’s Start Me Up mission...