Was 'Snowball Earth' a global event? Study delivers best proof yet
A series of rocks hiding around Colorado's Rocky Mountains may hold clues to a frigid period in Earth's past when glaciers several miles thick covered the entire planet.
View ArticleFirst amber find on the Antarctic continent
Roughly 90 million years ago, climatic conditions in Antarctica were suitable for resin-producing trees. Researchers have now made the southernmost discovery of amber in the world.
View ArticleYoung coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching
Coral larvae reduce their metabolism and increase nitrogen uptake to resist bleaching in high temperatures, according to a new study.
View ArticleAnti-fatberg invention could help unclog city sewers
Engineers have invented a protective coating for concrete pipes that could help drastically reduce the formation of fatbergs in sewers.
View Article'Cool' white car headlights more likely to dazzle moths
'Cool' white lights -- such as those in modern car headlights -- endanger moths by causing them to fly erratically, new research shows.
View ArticleSpectacular chimneys discovered in the Dead Sea
Researchers have discovered meter-high chimneys on the floor of the Dead Sea. These are formed by the spontaneous crystallization of minerals from groundwater with an extremely high salt content...
View ArticleLiving microbes discovered in Earth's driest desert
A new technique allows researchers to separate external and internal DNA to identify microbes colonizing the hostile environment of the Atacama Desert.
View ArticleNew research explores volcanic caves, advancing the search for life on Mars
Through the intricate study of lava tubes -- caves formed following volcanic eruptions when lava cools down -- an international team of researchers has uncovered clues about Earth's ancient...
View ArticleNew fossil reveals the evolution of flying reptiles
A newly discovered pterosaur fossil is shedding light on the evolutionary journey of these ancient flying reptiles. This complete specimen, named Skiphosoura bavarica, provides crucial insights into...
View ArticleSliding seeds can provide insight into devastating landslides and rock...
Researchers study how Champatis roll and bounce down inclines. The authors released a heap of the seeds down an inclined plane while a camera recorded their descent to analyze their speed and the...
View ArticleSmarter city planning: Researchers use brain activity to predict visits to...
Researchers have measured the brain activity of people who had never been to a specific city and then use this brain activity to predict other people's actual visits to places around that city. This...
View ArticleTo design better water filters, engineers look to manta rays
Studying the filter-feeding mechanism of mobula rays, engineers developed a new design for industrial cross-flow water filters. Research shows the filter-feeders strike a natural balance between...
View ArticleUnexplained heat-wave 'hotspots' are popping up across the globe
A striking new phenomenon is emerging: distinct regions are seeing repeated heat waves that are so extreme, they fall far beyond what any model of global warming can predict or explain. A new study...
View ArticleFeeding grazing cattle seaweed cuts methane emissions by almost 40%
Scientists find making a seaweed additive more accessible to grazing cattle reduces methane emissions 40% and could make cattle farming more sustainable.
View ArticleTiny dancers: Scientists synchronize bacterial motion
Researchers at TU Delft have discovered that E. coli bacteria can synchronize their movements, creating order in seemingly random biological systems. By trapping individual bacteria in micro-engineered...
View ArticleCan plastic-eating bugs help with our microplastic problem?
Previous research found that insects can ingest and absorb pure, unrefined microplastics -- but only under unrealistic, food-scarce situations. Zoologists have now tested mealworms in a more realistic...
View ArticleTyrannosaur teeth discovered in Bexhill-on-Sea, England
Research has revealed that several groups of meat-eating dinosaur stalked the Bexhill-on-Sea region of coastal East Sussex 135 million years ago.
View ArticleResearchers use data from citizen scientists to uncover the mysteries of a...
Colorful auroras appeared around Japan's Honshu and Hokkaido islands on May 11, 2024, sparked by an intense magnetic storm. Usually, auroras observed at low latitudes appear red due to the emission of...
View ArticleThat's no straw: Hummingbirds evolved surprisingly flexible bills to help...
Hummingbird bills -- their long, thin beaks -- look a little like drinking straws. But new research shows just how little water, or nectar, that comparison holds. Scientists have discovered that the...
View ArticleDesert ants use the polarity of the geomagnetic field for navigation
Desert ants of the Cataglyphis nodus species use the Earth's magnetic field for spatial orientation, but rely on a different component of the field than other insects. The survey suggests that the ants...
View ArticleNew ocean predator discovered in the Atacama Trench
Characterized by darkness and intense pressure, the ocean's hadal zone seems uninhabitable, yet dozens of unique organisms call it home. Each species discovered there adds a crucial piece to the puzzle...
View ArticleTiny poops in the ocean may help solve the carbon problem
Some of the world's smallest animals and their tiny poops could aid in the fight against climate change. A study reports that clay dust sprayed on the surface of seawater converts free-floating carbon...
View ArticleRecycling human, animal excreta reduces need for fertilizers
Recycling all the human and livestock feces and urine on the planet would contribute substantially to meeting the nutrient supply for all crops worldwide, thereby reducing the need to mine fertilizers...
View ArticleHow 'Conan the Bacterium' withstands extreme radiation
Thanks for a powerful antioxidant, Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses 28,000 times greater than what would kill a human. In a new study, scientists discovered how the antioxidant...
View ArticleSuperflares once per century
Stars similar to the Sun produce a gigantic outburst of radiation on average about once every hundred years per star. Such superflares release more energy than a trillion hydrogen bombs and make all...
View ArticleHow the dirt under our feet could affect human health
Researchers are linking human activity to increased gene transfer from soil bacteria to humans.
View ArticleBotanists name beautiful new species of 'lipstick vine' from the Philippine...
Scientists have today announced the discovery of a species of lipstick vine completely new to science, from the depths of the Philippine rainforest. The team of botanists made the discovery during an...
View ArticleButchered bones suggest violent 'othering' of enemies in Bronze Age Britain
Analysis of the remains of at least 37 individuals from Early Bronze Age England finds they were killed, butchered, and probably consumed before being thrown down a 15m-deep shaft. It is the...
View ArticleTravelers weigh in on weight-based airfares for eco-friendly skies
The holidays are in full swing and people are shopping, wrapping and packing to visit loved ones. Along with the extra fees for checked baggage and seat upgrades, some airlines are also considering...
View ArticleCarnivorous squirrels documented in California
California ground squirrels hunt, kill and eat voles, reveals a new study documenting evidence of widespread carnivorous behavior among squirrels.
View ArticleChart of life extended by nearly 1.5 billion years
Fossilized skeletons and shells clearly show how evolution and extinction unfolded over the past half a billion years, but a new analysis extends the chart of life to nearly 2 billion years ago. The...
View ArticleResearchers identify a mysterious fossil seed to reveal new chapters in...
Scientists have successfully identified a previously unknown species to Southern California from fossilized seeds, revealing a drought-fueled dance between two species of juniper with lessons for the...
View ArticleStriking new moray eel discovered in Central Indo-Pacific river mouths, named...
A new species of black, slender moray eel has chosen the road less traveled, thriving in dim and muddy river mouths, unlike most of its marine relatives. It is found across the Central Indo-Pacific,...
View ArticleNew method turns e-waste to gold
A research team has developed a method for extracting gold from electronics waste, then using the recovered precious metal as a catalyst for converting carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, to...
View ArticleOldest-known evolutionary 'arms race'
A new study presents what is believed to be the oldest known example in the fossil record of an evolutionary arms race. These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ocean...
View ArticleWind sensing by biomimetic flexible flapping wing with strain sensors
Bio-inspired wind sensing using strain sensors on flexible wings could revolutionize robotic flight control strategy. Researchers have developed a method to detect wind direction with 99% accuracy...
View ArticleEvolutionary biology: Ants can hold a grudge
Evolutionary biologists are investigating the extent to which ants learn from past experiences. After being attacked by ants from a particular nest, ants behave more aggressively towards others from...
View ArticleWhen the past meets the future: Innovative drone mapping unlocks secrets of...
An academic has used drone mapping to investigate a 3000-year-old 'mega fortress' in the Caucasus mountains, revealing details that re-shape understanding of the site and contribute to a global...
View ArticleElectric fungi: The biobattery that needs to be fed
A battery that needs feeding instead of charging? This is exactly what researchers have achieved with their 3D-printed, biodegradable fungal battery. The living battery could supply power to sensors...
View Article'What is that?' Scientists explain white patch that appears near northern lights
A whitish, grey patch that sometimes appears in the night sky alongside the northern lights has now been explained.
View ArticleA fast-moving belly flop: Researchers unveil the unique skills of cricket frogs
The way cricket frogs move across the surface of water has long been thought to resemble walking on water, but researchers have now discovered a different reality.
View ArticleNew fossil discovery sheds light on the early evolution of animal nervous...
An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord, a key component of the central nervous system, evolved in ecdysozoan...
View ArticleChornobyl dogs' genetic differences not due to mutation
Radiation-induced mutation is unlikely to have induced genetic differences between dog populations in Chornobyl City and the nearby Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
View ArticleAtop the Oregon Cascades, team finds a huge buried aquifer
Scientists have mapped the amount of water stored beneath volcanic rocks at the crest of the central Oregon Cascades and found an aquifer many times larger than previously estimated -- at least 81...
View ArticleThis fast and agile robotic insect could someday aid in mechanical pollination
New insect-scale microrobots can fly more than 100 times longer than previous versions. The new bots, also significantly faster and more agile, could someday be used to pollinate fruits and vegetables.
View ArticleEarly humans adapted to harsh conditions more than a million years ago
A long-standing question about when archaic members of the genus Homo adapted to harsh environments such as deserts and rainforests has been answered in a new research paper.
View ArticleCavity-nesting birds decorate with snake skin to deter predators
When a bird drapes its nest with snake skin, it isn't just making an interesting decor choice. Researchers find that for some birds, it keeps predators at bay.
View ArticlePioneering research exposes huge loss of glaciers in one of the...
A new study has revealed the alarming extent glaciers have shrunk over the past 40 years in a global warming hotspot -- and the biggest retreat has occurred in recent years.
View ArticleAsteroid impact sulfur release less lethal in dinosaur extinction
Previous studies have posited that the mass extinction that wiped the dinosaurs off the face of the Earth was caused by the release of large volumes of sulfur from rocks within the Chicxulub impact...
View ArticleVolcanic eruption caused Neolithic people to sacrifice unique 'sun stones'
4,900 years ago, a Neolithic people on the Danish island Bornholm sacrificed hundreds of stones engraved with sun and field motifs. Archaeologists and climate scientists can now show that these ritual...
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