Science News
A new study by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Harvard University may help settle a long-standing question: how do small amounts of organic carbon become locked away in rock and sediment, preventing it from decomposing? »
Planetary scientists at Caltech and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have discovered that the yellow color visible on portions of the surface of Europa is actually sodium chloride. »
Science, Engineering.
Carbon dioxide converted into cost-competitive fuels and chemicals? A team of engineers have developed technology to do just that, in the size of a small suitcase. »
A team of UK scientists have identified the mechanism behind hardening of the arteries, and shown in animal studies that a generic medication normally used to treat acne could be an effective treatment for the condition. »
Researchers have shown how millions of years of climate change affected the range and habitat of modern birds, suggesting that many groups of tropical birds may be relatively recent arrivals in their equatorial homes. »
Results of study involving primates suggest that speech and music may have shaped the human brain’s hearing circuits. »
Two children’s milk teeth buried deep in a remote archaeological site in north eastern Siberia have revealed a previously unknown group of people lived there during the last Ice Age. »
Results of a new study led by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Swansea University Medical School increase our knowledge of viruses -- in the sea and on land -- and their potential to cause life-threatening illnesses. »
More than 90 percent of flowering plant species combine male and female characteristics in one plant. In the less than 10 percent where female and male flowers exist on separate plants, they typically remain female or male throughout their lifetimes. But it isn’t always that simple. »
Space, Earth, Moon, Animation.
On December 24, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders became the first humans to witness the Earth rising above the moon's barren surface. »
Space, Science, Sun, Astronomy, Animation.
Every 1.5 millionths of a second, the sun releases more energy than all humans consume in an entire year. Without the sun there would be no light, no warmth, and no life. »
A fungus genetically engineered to produce spider toxin can crush populations of malaria-spreading mosquitoes, according to a study hailed as a breakthrough by international scientists battling to combat the disease. »
Space, Animation, Earth.
Scientist Jay Herman narrates this video showing one year in the life of Earth seen through the lens of NASA's EPIC camera. »
Science, Research.
Chemists at the University of Iowa investigate how to remove radioactive substances from water. »
Science, Research.
Researchers develop modular robots that can autonomously adapt to changing environments. »
Space, Science, Conference.
Astronaut Scott Kelly spent one-year aboard the International Space Station. »
The mystery of why Earth has so much water, allowing our "blue marble" to support an astounding array of life, is clearer with new research into comets. »
Interplay between mitochondria and the nucleus may have implications for changing cell’s ‘batteries’
Mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ that produce our energy, interact with the cell’s nucleus in subtle ways previously unseen in humans. »
Earth's mantle is usually shown in a yellow-to-orange gradient, a nebulously defined layer between the crust and the core. »
The harmful effects of microplastics on the marine environment are widely documented. But now a new study says the tiny plastic debris acts as a carrier for pollutants resistant to environmental degradation, adding to the risks to animal and human health. »
Accelerated tree growth caused by a warming climate does not necessarily translate into enhanced carbon storage, an international study suggests. »
A tiny obstacle course for bacteria has shown researchers how E. coli changes its behavior to rapidly clear obstructions to food. »
Repetition can be useful if you're trying to memorize a poem, master a guitar riff, or just cultivate good habits. When this kind of behavior becomes compulsive, however, it can get in the way of normal life -- an impediment sometimes observed in illnesses such as Tourette's syndrome and autism spectrum disorders. »
Wearable electronic components incorporated directly into fabrics have been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge. The devices could be used for flexible circuits, healthcare monitoring, energy conversion, and other applications. »
Geoscientists have discovered the first direct evidence that material from deep within Earth's mantle transition zone - a layer rich in water, crystals and melted rock - can percolate to the surface to form volcanoes. »
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have uncovered a specialised population of skin cells that coordinate tail regeneration in frogs. »
Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, have found that low oxygen levels in seawater could blind some marine invertebrates. »
Scientists from the University of Granada have discovered that, although there were some variations in the eating habits of Megalithic communities over time, there were no significant social differences in the food types or the proportion of proteins consumed. »
An exquisite, fascinating fossil find in northern China has provided new evidence that some Jurassic dinosaurs developed membranous wings like those seen in modern day bats. »
Researchers at the University of Arizona and other institutions have discovered a new twist on the idea that evolution is driven by species interactions in a community. »
An international study has found that white people have difficulty distinguishing emotions on black people’s faces—a problem that does not appear to arise the other way around. »
Testing the blood for free fatty acids could help doctors verify if children fasted before undergoing tests for diabetes or other medical conditions. »
A team of scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) has broken new ground in Chagas disease research. This is a serious parasitic disease that affects more than 8 million people worldwide and for which there is currently no treatment. »
As much as 19 percent more carbon dioxide than previously believed is removed naturally and stored deep underground in seafloor trenches near island chains of volcanoes. »
Scientists from China's Tshinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported bird flight may have evolved from wing-flapping by running dinosaurs. »
When the landmass that today is the Indian subcontinent slammed into Asia some 50 million years ago, the collision changed the configuration of the continents and altered global climate. »
Six million years ago, grass-eating mammals became more diverse in South America. Shifts in tropical atmospheric circulation known as Hadley circulation led to changes in climate and vegetation, especially grasses, which expanded the mammals' range. »
For most living things, arsenic is a deadly poison, but new research shows that microorganisms are breathing arsenic in a large area of the Pacific Ocean. »
A disappearing sense of smell is linked to higher chances of dying prematurely and should be included in routine GP health checks, experts have said. »
Arsenic contamination in rice poses a serious health risk in many parts of the world. But an international study has shown that husking rice before parboiling reduces arsenic content, potentially lowering the risk of cancer. »
An international team of scientists has found part of the world’s largest ice shelf is melting 10 times faster than the overall ice shelf average due to solar heating of the surrounding ocean surface. »
People who are severely obese in their middle age are fifty percent more likely to die early than those of a healthy weight, a study shows. »
Researchers designed an inexpensive, battery-free device that can create electricity from something as natural and commonplace as snow. »
Scientists used brain signals recorded from epilepsy patients to program a computer to mimic natural speech — an advancement that could one day have a profound effect on the ability of certain patients to communicate. »
Scratching the skin triggers a series of immune responses culminating in an increased number of activated mast cells — immune cells involved in allergic reactions — in the small intestine. »
New development has the potential to create a lithium-ion battery that can charge in a matter of minutes and improve high capacity battery performance for electric vehicles. »
Researchers from the UK and Spain have identified an eco-friendly solid that could replace the inefficient and polluting gases used in most refrigerators and air conditioners. »
Two proteins that bind to stress hormones work together to maintain a healthy heart in mice. »
Bacteria in waters above dozens of coral reefs change dramatically during the night, scientists have discovered, then return to the same daytime community they lived in the morning before. »