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168,130 articles from ScienceDaily

Scientists underestimated potential for Tohoku earthquake: Now what?

The massive Tohoku, Japan, earthquake in 2011 and Sumatra-Andaman superquake in 2004 stunned scientists because neither region was thought to be capable of producing a megathrust earthquake with a magnitude exceeding 8.4. Now earthquake scientists are going back to the proverbial drawing board and admitting that existing predictive models looking at maximum earthquake size are no longer...

Breakthrough: How salt stops plant growth

Until now it has not been clear how salt, a scourge to agriculture, halts the growth of the plant-root system. Researcher found that not all types of roots are equally inhibited. They discovered that an inner layer of tissue in the branching roots is sensitive to salt and activates a stress hormone, which stops root growth. The study is a boon for understanding the stress response and for...

New way to identify 'smoked' grapes and wines

With climate change sparking concern about an increased risk of wildfires, scientists are reporting development of a way to detect grapes exposed to smoke from those fires, which otherwise could be vented into bad-tasting wine.

Putting the squeeze on cells: By deforming cells, researchers can deliver RNA, proteins and nanoparticles for many applications

Living cells are surrounded by a membrane that tightly regulates what gets in and out of the cell. This barrier is necessary for cells to control their internal environment, but it makes it more difficult for scientists to deliver large molecules such as nanoparticles for imaging, or proteins that can reprogram them into pluripotent stem cells. Researchers have now found a safe and efficient way...

Greenland ice cores reveal warm climate of the past

Between 130,000 and 115,000 years ago, Earth's climate was warmer than today. But how much warmer and what did it mean for the sea levels? As we face global warming, the answer to these questions is becoming very important. New research from the NEEM icecore drilling project in Greenland shows that the period was warmer than previously thought. The international project is led by the Niels Bohr...

New brain circuit sheds light on development of voluntary movements

All parents know the infant milestones: turning over, learning to crawl, standing, and taking that first unassisted step. Achieving each accomplishment presumably requires the formation of new connections among subsets of the billions of nerve cells in the infant's brain. But how, when and where those connections form has been a mystery. Now researchers at Duke Medicine have begun to find...

Studies provide insights into inherited causes of autism

The most consistent finding of autism research lies in the revelation that the disorders are incredibly complex. Two new studies that add to the growing appreciation of this complexity focus on identifying inherited genetic mutations linked with autism spectrum disorders. The mutations -- which are distinct from the spontaneous mutations that have been the focus of previous studies -- may provide...

Whole-exome sequencing identifies inherited mutations in autism

While autism clearly runs in some families, few inherited genetic causes have been found. A major reason is that these causes are so varied that it's hard to find enough people with a given mutation to establish a clear pattern. Researchers have now pinpointed several inherited mutations -- among the first to be identified -- through an unusual approach: Using whole-exome sequencing to study large...

Data stored in the form of DNA

Researchers have created a way to store data in the form of DNA – a material that lasts for tens of thousands of years. The new method makes it possible to store at least 100 million hours of high-definition video in about a cup of DNA.

New Greenland ice core reveals warmer temperatures 120,000 years ago

A new study provides surprising details on changes in Earth’s climate during the last warm period (120,000-128,000 years ago). Even though temperatures in Northern Greenland were 5-8 degrees Celsius higher than today, the thickness of the ice sheet was only a few hundred meters lower. And this despite the fact that sea level was 4-8 metres higher than...

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...