Science News
A Brazilian scientist who developed a method that reduces greenhouse gas emissions from sugarcane cultivation has been awarded a prize that each year recognises a researcher whose work has excelled in the area of fertiliser use. »
Exposure to common air pollutants, such as ozone and fine particles, may increase the risk of early pregnancy loss. »
There are merging objects whose gravitational wave signals have not yet been detected: supermassive black holes, more than 100 million times more massive than our Sun. Most large galaxies have a central supermassive black hole. »
Scientists report that the Amazon region has more than 6,700 species of native trees, a figure substantially lower than the 16,200 species estimated in previous reports. »
A temperate Earth-sized planet has been discovered only 11 light-years from the Solar System by a team using ESO’s unique planet-hunting HARPS instrument. The new world has the designation Ross 128 b and is now the second-closest temperate planet to be detected after Proxima b. »
Surface features on Ceres -- the largest world between Mars and Jupiter -- and its interior evolution have a closer relationship than one might think. »
A home-made filter system using layers of soil and gravel cleans domestic waste water well enough to make it suitable for irrigation, a research team in Morocco has found. »
Researchers have used high-powered microscopy and rheometry -- the measurement of how materials become deformed in response to applied force -- to view the blood clotting process in real time and at the cellular level. »
Why are drylands changing in the Chobe district of Northern Botswana? A new study tracks differences in the savanna there across 30 years, and provides information that will allow governments and non-profit organizations to improve dryland management strategies in the region. »
A new NASA study adds evidence that a geothermal heat source called a mantle plume lies deep below Antarctica's Marie Byrd Land, explaining some of the melting that creates lakes and rivers under the ice sheet. »
The scientists used radio or GPS transmitters to track alligators adn discovered that the amount of time alligators spend in fresh or salt water depends on factors such as tide range and water temperature. »
Using an innovative “NeuroGrid” technology, scientists showed that sleep boosts communication between two brain regions whose connection is critical for the formation of memories. »
Black holes are famous for being ravenous eaters, but they do not eat everything that falls toward them. A small portion of material gets shot back out in powerful jets of hot gas, called plasma, that can wreak havoc on their surroundings. »
A new study sheds light on the normal function of LRRK2, the most common genetic cause for late-onset Parkinson’s disease. »
A small, recently discovered asteroid -- or perhaps a comet -- appears to have originated from outside the solar system, coming from somewhere else in our galaxy. If so, it would be the first "interstellar object" to be observed and confirmed by astronomers. »
The Dawn team found that Ceres' crust is a mixture of ice, salts and hydrated materials that were subjected to past and possibly recent geologic activity, and that this crust represents most of that ancient ocean. »
Extensive, mature forest cover can mitigate the impact of severe heat waves, droughts and other weather extremes over large regions, according to new NOAA research. »
A new study from the Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that daydreaming during meetings isn't necessarily a bad thing. It might be a sign that you're really smart and creative. »
New New King's College London research reveals how blood inflammation affects the birth and death of brain cells, which could offer new treatment targets for antidepressants. »
On Monday, digital security researchers Mathy Vanhoef and Frank Piessens of Belgium's KU Leuven university publicly disclosed a security vulnerability in the WPA2 Wi-Fi protocol, which they called KRACK. »
Organic compounds and particular matter released when burning forests to clear land for agriculture can kill human lung cells or lead to irreversible damage to DNA, according to a new study. »
A parasite that causes malaria in monkeys infected 50 people between 2015 and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, in the Mata Atlântica region. »
Cutting meat consumption is one of three strategies that an international team of scientists recommends to tackle the rising problem of antibiotic resistance stemming from abundant use in animal farming. »
In the first study of its kind, an international team of genomics researchers has identified new regions of the human genome that are associated with skin color variation in some African populations, opening new avenues for research on skin diseases and cancer in all populations. »
Scientists have found a way to resolve the conflict that has sprung up between protecting forests from increasingly frequent wildfires and droughts and preserving sufficient habitat for the endangered spotted owl, Strix occidentalis. »
U.S. researchers said this week they have discovered a way to genetically engineer corn, the world's largest commodity crop, to produce a type of amino acid found in meat. »
Paleontologists working in Tanzania have identified a new species of hyaenodont, a type of extinct meat-eating mammal. »
On Oct. 12 EDT a small asteroid designated 2012 TC4 will safely pass by Earth at a distance of approximately 26,000 miles (42,000 kilometers). This is a little over one tenth the distance to the Moon and just above the orbital altitude of communications satellites. »
Joining a high-yield pepper plant sapling to the roots of a strong and resistant variety could help pepper farmers cope with lower rainfall, a study has found. »
Policies that prevent fires caused by people in El Cerrado (the Brazilian savannah) lead to biodiversity losses because they promote the expansion of forests with dense vegetation. »
Using blood samples from an individual previously infected with Zika virus, scientists have developed an antibody-based Zika virus therapeutic that protected monkeys from infection. »
It might be lingering bashfully on the icy outer edges of our solar system, hiding in the dark, but subtly pulling strings behind the scenes: stretching out the orbits of distant bodies, perhaps even tilting the entire solar system to one side. »
One of the most mysterious stellar objects, called KIC 8462852, also known as Boyajian's Star, or Tabby's Star, has experienced unusual dips in brightness. »
The ground under your feet was not always so firm. Earth is thought to have gradually coalesced in fiery collisions of smaller planetoids – and those hellish conditions can now explain an enduring scientific mystery. »
Children who watched a PG- (Parental Guidance-) rated movie clip containing guns played with a disabled real gun longer and pulled the trigger more often than children who saw the same movie not containing guns. »
Scientists taking a new look at older data from NASA's longest-operating Mars orbiter have discovered evidence of significant hydration near the Martian equator -- a mysterious signature in a region of the Red Planet where planetary scientists figure ice shouldn't exist. »
Biologists could explore the molecular underpinnings of the cells that recover from the verge of programmed death. »
After a nine-week voyage to study the lost, submerged continent of Zealandia in the South Pacific, a team of 32 scientists from 12 countries has arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, aboard the research vessel JOIDES Resolution. »
Detectors on two continents recorded gravitational wave signals from a pair of black holes colliding. This discovery is the first observation of gravitational waves by three different detectors, marking a new era of greater insights and improved localization of cosmic events now available through globally networked gravitational-wave observatories. »
While immune cells called neutrophils are known to act as infantry in the body’s war on germs, a National Institutes of Health-funded study suggests they can act as medics as well. »
Pumpkin toadlets, found on the leaf litter of Brazil's Atlantic forest, are among the smallest frogs in the world. Scientists have now discovered that two species of these tiny orange frogs cannot hear the sound of their own calls. »
A NASA study has located the Antarctic glaciers that accelerated the fastest between 2008 and 2014 and finds that the most likely cause of their speedup is an observed influx of warm water into the bay where they're located. »
Astronomers have used ALMA to capture a strikingly beautiful view of a delicate bubble of expelled material around the exotic red star U Antliae. These observations will help astronomers to better understand how stars evolve during the later stages of their life-cycles. »
Using ethanol instead of gasoline as a car fuel can reduce emissions of ultrafine particles by a third, which benefits human health and the environment, according to a new study. »
Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have detected titanium oxide in an exoplanet atmosphere for the first time. »
Being socially rejected can be a painful emotional experience, but being told sorry may not soften the blow, finds a new study. »
The Zika virus (ZIKV) may infect and kill a specific type of brain cancer cells while leaving normal adult brain tissue minimally affected, according to a new study. »
A report released this week reveals 381 new species of plants and animals found in the Amazon between 2014 and 2015. There are 216 new species of plants, 93 fishes, 32 amphibians, 19 reptiles, one bird, 20 mammals. »
The largest asteroid ever recorded has passed Earth at a distance of 145 million miles, giving scientists the opportunity to learn more about its physical characteristics. »
Researchers have used mathematical modelling to develop techniques to combat two co-infecting viruses causing maize lethal necrosis (MLN) in Kenya. »