Science News
By analysing the composition of sounds in a forest — called a soundscape — scientists can make cost-effective and reliable assessment of the forest, according to a new study conducted in Papua New Guinea. »
Scientists at The Australian National University designed a new nano-material that can reflect or transmit light on demand with temperature control, opening the door to technology that protects astronauts in space from harmful radiation. »
Researchers succeeded to develop bananas high in pro-vitamin A in Uganda. Thanks to the new study, farmers in the African nation will be growing such vitamin-rich bananas in 2021. »
Using the supersharp radio "vision" of the US National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array astronomers have made the first detection of orbital motion in a pair of supermassive black holes in a galaxy some 750 million light-years from Earth. »
In a proof-of-concept study, North Carolina State University engineers designed a flexible thermoelectric energy harvester that has the potential to rival the effectiveness of existing power wearable electronic devices using body heat as the only source of energy. »
For the first time, a computer simulation shows how spicules form, helping scientists understand how spicules can break free of the sun’s surface and surge upward so quickly. »
A major new insight into how hepatitis B virus works could pave the way for new drug treatments for the infection which is the major cause of liver cancer worldwide. »
Researchers have identified mutations in a gene called CARD11 that lead to atopic dermatitis, or eczema, an allergic skin disease. »
An astrophysicist has warned that Earth could be hit with a surprise asteroid strike. »
Researchers found that steaming freshwater fish for more than two minutes reduces the presence of cylindrospermopsin, a poisonous substance, by up to 26%. »
Corn is grown not only for food; it is also used as an important renewable energy source. But renewable biofuels can come with hidden economic and environmental issues. »
Two of the sky’s more famous residents share the stage with a lesser-known neighbour in this enormous new three gigapixel image from ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST). »
Glutamine supplements can suppress reactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in mice and guinea pigs. »
A scientific breakthrough has taken an emerging biotechnology a step closer to being used to treat wastewater in the developing world. »
A new model on how stars are formed has added weight to the hypothesis that most – if not all – stars are born in a litter with at least one sibling. »
Photosynthetic bacteria and light may offer hope to heart disease patients, a new study suggests. »
Itaipu Binacional, the world's biggest generator of hydroelectric energy, founded the first biomethane plant that uses a mixture of sewage, grass clippings, and restaurant leftover food as raw material. »
A group of 118 researchers from 11 countries working at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Minas Gerais, finished sequencing the genome of the Biomphalaria glabrata, the snail that acts as the intermediary host to the worm that causes schistosomiasis. »
A new study from the University of Iowa shows that a pair of common chemicals that manufacturers use to make plastic food containers, water bottles, and other consumer products do not contribute to obesity to the extent of the chemical it's replacing. »
A Chinese company has unveiled a driverless bus-train hybrid that uses white lines painted on the road to navigate. »
Children born to women with gestational diabetes whose diet included high proportions of refined grains may have a higher risk of obesity by age 7, compared to children born to women with gestational diabetes who ate low proportions of refined grains. »
For the first time, researchers have shown that a marine bird can hear under water. This offers new possibilities for the protection of marine birds in trafficked waters. »
Researchers invented a vibrating device, used with a cold pack, which relieves a child's pain while emergency department caregivers insert an intravenous (IV) catheter, equally as well as the currently used anesthetic, topical lidocaine. »
Contemporary pollutants can reach deep wells that tap fossil aquifers, says a study by an international team of researchers. »
There’s a glimmer of hope for the American bee population. But, according to a new study, the outlook for this critical insect is mostly grim. »
It’s probably not a good idea to decide what to eat based on how many calories your wearable fitness tracker says you’ve burned, according to a new study. »
One snake can be scary enough, but a new study suggests some of the slithering reptiles hunt for prey in groups. »
Scientists from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation have identified eight genetic mutations in the yellow fever virus from the 2017 outbreak. »
Human activities, like nuclear tests and radio transmissions have been changing near-Earth space and weather, and have created artificial radiation belts, damaged satellites and induced auroras. »
An international team of scientists has developed a transistor capable of mimicking some characteristics of neurons, such as counting, remembering and performing simple arithmetic operations. »
Io is the closest thing we have to hell in our Solar System, a Jovian moon that features hundreds of active volcanoes and expansive lakes filled with lava. »
Because of testing inefficiencies, maintenance inadequacies and other factors, cars, trucks and buses worldwide emit 4.6 million tons more harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) than standards allow. »
Enterococci bacteria are the bane of hospitals, causing thousands of multidrug-resistant infections in patients each year. Now, researchers have traced evidence of the bacteria’s evolutionary history back 425 million years. »
A study combining observations from NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes reveals that the distant planet HAT-P-26b has a primitive atmosphere composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. »
Researchers have discovered for the first time that a common marine sponge hosts bacteria that specialize in the production of toxic compounds nearly identical to man-made fire retardants, a finding that could help scientists better understand the human health implications of these common additives. »
Findings of a new study suggest adolescents who consume too much salt have measurable changes in their blood vessels associated with early signs of cardiovascular disease in adults. »
Fossils discovered by The University of New South Wales scientists in 3.48 billion-year-old hot spring deposits in the Pilbara region of Western Australia have pushed back by 580 million years the earliest known existence of microbial life on land. »
Over recent decades, our understanding of hunger has greatly increased, but this new discovery turns things on their head. »
A relatively nearby planetary system is structured remarkably like what ours probably looked like when it was young, the U.S. space agency NASA confirms. »
A series of experiments with men in a space flight program and mice overturns long-held beliefs about thirst and reveals how the body controls its salt and water balance. »
Researchers created a wearable device that measures salt levels in sweat to diagnose patients with cystic fibrosis. The results suggest the device may be useful for noninvasively monitoring the progression of cystic fibrosis and may be adaptable for monitoring other diseases or drug treatments. »
A research group has developed a camera that can film at a rate equivalent to five trillion images per second, or events as short as 0.2 trillionths of a second. This is faster than has previously been possible. »
People living in areas that restrict trans fats in foods had fewer hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke compared to residents in areas without restrictions, according to a new study. »
A type of worm could help solve the growing problem of plastic pollution. »
Grey hair has been linked with an increased risk of heart disease in men. »
A high-fat diet and obesity turn "hero" virus-fighting liver immune cells "rogue", leading to insulin resistance, a condition that often results in type 2 diabetes. »
As NASA's Dawn spacecraft continues exploring Ceres, evidence mounts that the enigmatic dwarf planet retains a significant amount of water ice. »
Researchers found that a seemingly innocuous virus can provoke immune responses to a dietary protein in mice. Patients with celiac disease showed high levels of antibodies to the virus. The results suggest that viruses may play a role in initiating immune responses against gluten. »
Scientists have long wondered what the earliest dinosaur relatives looked like. Most assumed they would resemble miniature dinosaurs, about the size of chickens, and walk on two legs. »
Astronomers discovered an exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth that may be the new holder of the title 'best place to look for signs of life beyond the solar system'. »