Bioinspired weather-responsive adaptive shading
Pine cones as a model: Researchers have developed a new, energy-autonomous facade system that adapts passively to the weather.
View ArticleBacteria in polymers form cables that grow into living gels
Experiments and modeling reveal the unexpected structure that can be seen in bacteria grown in mucus samples and biofilms.
View ArticleSolving the evolutionary puzzle of polyploidy: how genome duplication shapes...
Scientists have developed a theoretical model that uncovers the dual role of polyploidy -- organisms carrying extra genome copies -- in evolution. Their findings reveal that polyploidy can stabilize...
View ArticleClaims for the world's deepest earthquake challenged by new analysis
The magnitude 7.9 Bonin Islands earthquake sequence, which ruptured deep within the earth near the base of the upper mantle, did not include an aftershock that extended to record depths into the lower...
View ArticleNew twist in mystery of dinosaurs' origin
The remains of the earliest dinosaurs may lie undiscovered in the Amazon and other equatorial regions of South America and Africa, suggests a new study.
View ArticleLondon cabbies' planning strategies could help inform future of AI
Researchers have measured the thinking time of London taxi drivers -- famous for their knowledge of more than 26,000 streets across the city -- as part of a study into the future of AI route-mapping.
View Article'Buzz me in:' Bees wearing itty bitty QR codes reveal hive secrets
Several hundred bees in rural Pennsylvania and rural New York are sporting tiny QR codes on their backs to track when they go in and out of their hives. The work, a collaboration among entomologists...
View ArticleUnderwater mud volcanos are a haven for marine organisms
One would think that a volcano was not the most hospitable place for living organisms. However, the Borealis Mud Volcano, at 400 m water depth, acts as a sanctuary for a number of marine species.
View ArticleArchaeologists find 'lost' site depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry
Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that a house in England is the site of a lost residence of Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, and shown in the Bayeux Tapestry. By reinterpreting...
View ArticleOceanic plate between Arabian and Eurasian continental plates is breaking away
An international research team has investigated the influence of the forces exerted by the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region of Iraq on how much the surface of the Earth has bent over the last...
View ArticleBad hair bears! Greasy hair gives polar bears fur with anti-icing properties
Scientists have discovered the anti-icing secret of polar bear fur -- something that allows one of the planet's most iconic animals to survive and thrive in one of its most punishing climates. That...
View ArticleSharks and rays benefit from global warming, but not from CO2 in the Oceans
Sharks and rays have populated the world's oceans for around 450 million years, but more than a third of the species living today are severely threatened by overfishing and the loss of their habitat....
View ArticleAncient DNA analyses bring to life the 11,000-year intertwined genomic...
The rise of pastoralist peoples in the Eurasian steppes and their westward spread some 5,000 years ago may have been fueled by sheep herding and people exploiting their milk. As early as 8,000 years...
View ArticleWorking dogs take a day to adjust to Daylight Savings Time, but pets are more...
Working dogs take a day to adjust to the change in routine caused by Daylight Savings Time, whereas pet dogs and their owners seem to be unaffected, according to a new study.
View ArticleLead contamination in ancient Greece points to societal change
Studies of sediment cores from the sea floor and the coastal regions surrounding the Aegean Sea show that humans contaminated the environment with lead early on in antiquity. Geoscientists conducted...
View ArticleWhite shark liver is on Australian killer sharks' menu
DNA evidence has confirmed killer whales in Australia hunted a white shark for its liver. Based on DNA analysis from the bite wounds on the carcass of a large white shark washed ashore near Portland in...
View ArticleLife cycles of some insects adapt well to a changing climate: Others, not so...
Some biologists speculate that animals will get smaller with global warming to reduce heat stress. While this may be true of warm-blooded animals, what about exotherms like insects? Thanks to a...
View ArticleTiny copper 'flowers' bloom on artificial leaves for clean fuel production
Tiny copper 'nano-flowers' have been attached to an artificial leaf to produce clean fuels and chemicals that are the backbone of modern energy and manufacturing.
View ArticleLife as a multiscale cascade of machines making machines
A new study proposes a framework for understanding living matter as a cascade of machines making machines, extending from the atomic scale to the scale of the entire biosphere.
View ArticleNew device uses electrically assisted wind to fight fires
Researchers have developed a new portable tool that could improve how firefighters douse fires, making the process more efficient and far less risky.
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