Human ancestry has been shaped by mixing and matching alleles, show two recent studies
The course of human history has been marked by complex patterns of migration, isolation, and admixture, the latter a term that refers to gene flow between individuals from different populations. Admixture results in a blending of genetic lineages, leading to increased genetic diversity within populations. In addition to admixture among modern human populations, ancient humans reproduced with other...
Examining puppeteer fungus' targeted takeover of zombie flies
In a new study published in eLife, lead author Carolyn Elya, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, reveals the molecular and cellular underpinnings behind the parasitic fungus, Entomophthora muscae's (E. muscae), ability to manipulate the behavior of fruit flies.
New images released by Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope
The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope released eight new images of the sun, previewing the exciting science underway at the world's most powerful ground-based solar telescope. The images feature a variety of sunspots and quiet regions of the sun obtained by the Visible-Broadband Imager (VBI), one of the telescope's first-generation instruments.
Study shows accuracy of genetically based disease predictions varies from individual to individual
Polygenic scores—estimates of an individual's predisposition for complex traits and diseases—hold promise for identifying patients at risk of disease and guiding early, personalized treatments, but UCLA experts found the scores fail to account for the wide range of genetic diversity across individuals in all ancestries.
Radiant protostars and shadowy clouds clash in stellar nursery
The massive, star-forming interstellar cloud Lupus 3 is captured with the 570-megapixel US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera at NSF's NOIRLab's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The dazzling central region of this sprawling cloud reveals a pair of infant stars bursting from their natal cocoons of dust and gas to illuminate the reflection nebula known as Bernes 149....
Uncovering the mechanism of photoexcited nucleobases: Is decay fast or suppressed?
The nucleobase molecules carrying the genetic codes are the most important ingredients for life, but they are also very vulnerable. When the ultraviolet component in the sunlight irradiates these molecules, the electrons in the molecules will be excited, and the excited nucleobase molecules may result in irreversible changes or even damages to the DNA and RNA chains, leading to the "sunburn" of...
A guide through the genome of crops
Plants show enormous variety in traits relevant to breeding, such as plant height, yield and resistance to pests. One of the greatest challenges in modern plant research is to identify the differences in genetic information that are responsible for this variation.
NASA picks Bezos' Blue Origin to build lunar landers for moonwalkers
Jeff Bezos' rocket company has won a NASA contract to land astronauts on the moon, two years after it lost out to SpaceX.
Italy's deadly floods just latest example of climate change's all-or-nothing weather extremes
The floods that sent rivers of mud tearing through towns in Italy's northeast are another drenching dose of climate change's all-or-nothing weather extremes, something that has been happening around the globe, scientists say.
'Mini kangaroos' hop back in South Australia
The brush-tailed bettong—a rare, very cute marsupial resembling a rabbit-sized kangaroo—is bouncing back on the South Australian mainland, more than 100 years after disappearing from the region.
7.7 magnitude earthquake causes small tsunami on South Pacific islands
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake caused a small tsunami to wash ashore on South Pacific islands Friday. No damage has been reported, and the threat passed in a few hours.
Mapping the shallow seabed of the Mediterranean coast using satellite images
Satellite-derived bathymetry continues to advance and improve rapidly. A recent study has confirmed the effectiveness of a methodology developed to obtain bathymetric data from satellite images in the Western Mediterranean. The results of this research, published in the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, reaffirm the value of this tool for monitoring coastal...
Red tide toxin sent them to the hospital. See what happened to a pair of Florida turtles
A crowd of beachgoers cheered and hollered on Tuesday as they watched Mote Marine staff release two loggerhead sea turtles, named Lilly and Farmer, into the water at Lido Beach in Sarasota.
Wild horses spent the harsh winter at California's Mono Lake. Now they're turning up dead
Several wild horse carcasses have been discovered this spring on the southwestern shores of Mono Lake, after California endured a cold and snowy winter.
Even weak traffic noise has a negative impact on work performance, finds Swedish research
As Swedish cities are densified at a fast pace, there is now construction very close to roads and thoroughfares—land that was considered unthinkable for development just a decade ago.
Extended-range forecasts to be recast in next model upgrade
In the next upgrade of ECMWF's Integrated Forecasting System (IFS), extended-range forecasts will have 101 instead of 51 ensemble members and will run more frequently than before, at a consistent horizontal resolution of 36 km.
A simple way to improve employee well-being without denting productivity
During the coronavirus lockdowns, 50% of European workers were estimated to engage in some form of smart working—smart working at its worst, though, because it was unplanned and in many cases full-time, with a strong potential to create a sense of social isolation. The flip side of the coin is that this experience revealed that smart working is feasible both for routine and for non-routine...
Could NASA resurrect the Spitzer space telescope?
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope served the astronomy community well for 16 years. From its launch in 2003 to the end of its operations in January 2020, its infrared observations fueled scientific discoveries too numerous to list.
Fatty acids might exist in space
A team of physicists have discovered that the environment of a molecular cloud in interstellar space can support the existence of fatty acids, a key component of life on Earth.
Bees can do so much more than you think—from dancing to being little art critics
Bees are among the most important insects on Earth—vital pollinators of our crops and significant contributors to human societies for thousands of years.
From bird feces frogs to alligator snapping turtles—here are nature's masters of deception
In nature, there are winners and losers. The winners gain survival and reproduction, while the losers generally die. To gain an advantage, winners may adopt strategies that involve elements of dishonesty or deception.
Did life evolve more than once? Researchers are closing in on an answer
From its humble origin(s), life has infected the entire planet with endless beautiful forms. The genesis of life is the oldest biological event, so old that no clear evidence was left behind other than the existence of life itself. This leaves many questions open, and one of the most tantalizing is how many times life magically emerged from non-living elements.
Saving humanity: Here's a radical approach to building a sustainable and just society
Collectively, we are driving Earth and civilization towards collapse. Human activities have exceeded planetary boundaries. We are changing the climate, losing biodiversity, degrading land, contaminating freshwater, and damaging the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles upon which we all depend.
Report: Climate change set to breach 1.5 C limit for first time by 2027
The world is rapidly running out of time on climate change.
Theoretical study offers proof that one parallel world cannot be extremely different from the other
Theoretical string theory in theoretical physics predicts the existence of parallel worlds (mirror symmetry prediction). These two worlds (A-side and B-side) are supposed to differ in terms of the six-dimensional spaces (A and B) hidden in each world.