138 articles from THURSDAY 4.5.2023

Converging ocean currents bring floating life and garbage together

The North Pacific "Garbage Patch" is home to an abundance of floating sea creatures, as well as the plastic waste it has become famous for, according to a study by Rebecca Helm from Georgetown University, U.S., and colleagues. The paper is published in the open access journal PLOS Biology.

Scientists revive Stone Age molecules

Breakthroughs in ancient genome reconstruction and biotechnology are now revealing the rich molecular secrets of Paleolithic microorganisms. In a new study published in Science, a transdisciplinary team of researchers led by the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and Harvard University reconstructed...

‘Lost’ microbial genes found in dental plaque of ancient humans

About 19,000 years ago, a woman died in northern Spain. Her body was deliberately buried with pieces of the natural pigment ochre and placed behind a block of limestone in a cave known as El Mirón. When her ochre-dyed bones were unearthed in 2010, archaeologists dubbed her the Red Lady. The careful treatment of her body provided scientists with insights into how people from the time...

Fine young cannibals: locust study could lead to better pest control

Discovery of ‘anti-cannibalism’ pheromone raises possibility of spraying crops with similar chemical as non-toxic insecticideLocusts are voracious eaters with appetites that extend to members of their own species. Now scientists have discovered an “anti-cannibalism” pheromone used by the insects to protect themselves in dense swarms, which could pave the way for novel pest control...

News at a glance: U.S. tallies old-growth forests, Canadian scientists march for higher pay, and condor poop reveals the birds’ ancient history

FOREST ECOLOGY U.S. boosts tally of old forests Last year, President Joe Biden surprised forest scientists when he ordered an inventory of the government’s holdings of mature and old-growth forests by this Earth Day. It triggered a scramble by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to create a formal definition of what...

Here comes the sun: New study shows how UK weather conditions influence music success in the markets

Music is an integral part of our daily lives, but what makes a song successful in the competitive music market remains a mystery to even the most experienced experts. A new study, led by researchers at the University of Oxford, suggests that environmental factors such as weather conditions and seasonal patterns can play a significant role in shaping listener preferences and choices, potentially...

Hubble spots energetic galaxy NGC 547

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals NGC 547, an elliptical galaxy that sits about 250 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cetus. NGC 547 shines just below the center of this image, with its companion galaxy NGC 545 near the upper left. Collectively, the pair is known as Arp 308.

How the health of your plants can affect bee pollination

University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers are investigating how farmers and gardeners can best support pollinator species such as bumble bees to help them out during growing season—and find insights on what might be causing them to veer away from certain plants or areas.

Irises of gannets that survive avian flu turn from blue to black, study finds

‘Fascinating’ discovery could prove a useful non-invasive diagnostic tool to apply to other species, say scientistsThe vivid blue irises of northern gannets turn black if they survive avian flu, according to a study which provides evidence that some wild birds are shaking off the deadly virus.Avian flu has killed wild and domestic birds for decades but the current strain (H5N1) severely...

How seaweed has been misleading scientists about reef health

For decades, scientists have used the amount of seaweed at the ocean's surface as a proxy for the health of coral reefs below. However, a new global study of more than 1,200 marine locations over a 16-year period reveals that this approach has been misleading -- and may even have hidden signs of reef stress.

Researchers develop an additive to efficiently improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) are a promising alternative to traditional silicon-based solar cells because of their high power-conversion efficiency and low cost. However, one of the major challenges in their development has been achieving long-term stability. Recently, a research team made a breakthrough by developing an innovative multifunctional and non-volatile additive which can improve the...

New Study of Uranus’ Large Moons Shows 4 May Hold Water

Portal origin URL: New Study of Uranus’ Large Moons Shows 4 May Hold Water Portal origin nid: 487020Published: Thursday, May 4, 2023 - 11:42Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: The work is based on new modeling and explores how oceans could exist in unlikely places in our solar system.Portal image: Uranus with a color-added view that uses data...

We test Celestron’s 10-inch StarSense Explorer

Perhaps nothing has revolutionized amateur astronomy more than go-to telescopes with motorized drives that find and track any of thousands of deep-sky objects. No longer must users rely on a celestial map to star-hop to the wonders of the sky. Some models, however, have proven a bit too complicated for beginners — and, as theContinue reading "We test Celestron’s 10-inch StarSense...

Happy worms have healthy eggs

Researchers have exposed roundworms (a well-established model organism in biological research) to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of drugs used for treating depression and anxiety. Surprisingly, this treatment improved the quality of aging females' egg cells.