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168,089 articles from ScienceDaily

Previous unknown fossilized fox species found

Archeologists have discovered a two million year old fossil fox at the now renowned archaeological site of Malapa in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. The previously unknown species of fox has been named Vulpes Skinneri.

Nanoparticles digging the world's smallest tunnels

The world’s smallest tunnels have a width of a few nanometers only. Researchers have dug such tunnels into graphite samples. This will allow structuring of the interior of materials through self-organization in the nanometer range and tailoring of nanoporous graphite for applications in medicine and battery...

Self-assembling silica microwires may herald new generation of integrated optical devices

Silica microwires are the tiny and as yet underutilized cousins of optical fibers. If precisely manufactured, however, these hair-like slivers of silica could enable applications and technology not currently possible with comparatively bulky optical fiber. By carefully controlling the shape of water droplets with an ultraviolet laser, a team of researchers has found a way to coax silica...

Setting the Dark on Fire: Beautiful view of clouds of cosmic dust in region of Orion

In space, dense clouds of cosmic gas and dust are the birthplaces of new stars. In visible light, this dust is dark and obscuring, hiding the stars behind it. So much so that, when astronomer William Herschel observed one such cloud in the constellation of Scorpius in 1774, he thought it was a region empty of stars and is said to have exclaimed, "Truly there is a hole in the sky...

Benefits of social grooming: Hormone oxytocin facilitates cooperation

Animals which maintain cooperative relationships show gains in longevity and offspring survival. However, little is known about the cognitive or hormonal mechanisms involved in cooperation. Researchers have now found that cooperative relationships are facilitated by an endocrinological mechanism involving the hormone oxytocin, even when these are between...

How the purple and pink sunscreens of reef corals work

New research has found a mechanism as to how corals use their pink and purple hues as sunscreen to protect them against harmful sunlight. Many reef corals need light to survive, as they benefit from sugars and lipids that are produced by their light-dependent symbiotic algae. However, in the shallow water of coral reefs, light levels are often higher than required by the corals, so paradoxically,...

Quantum States Between Order and Disorder

With his research on quantum states in the realm between order and disorder, one professor's work has raised quite a stir; ultra cold atom clouds with a high degree of order approach a disordered thermal equilibrium. During this transition they spend some time in an astonishingly stable intermediate...

Slippery surface? Ice detector warns drivers in advance

New technology makes driving on black ice safer. Engineers have developed an automatic slipperiness detection system for cars. Thanks to the system, vehicles are warned in advance of a road's actual slipperiness. If the road becomes slippery, other vehicles arriving in the area will also be warned...