A botanical detective story: shedding light on the journey out of Africa for one of Australia"s worst weeds
The scrubby harbor-side hills of a South African city recently revealed details of an historical event that transformed Australian coastlines. That event led to the arrival in Australia of a native South African shrub, bitou bush. The invader went on.....»»
Scientists unlock mysteries of orangutan communication
In a study published in PeerJ, scientists have revealed the intricate vocal patterns of Bornean orangutans, shedding new light on the complexities of their communication. Titled "Vocal Complexity in the Long Calls of Bornean Orangutans," the research.....»»
Christianity is changing in South Africa as Pentecostal and indigenous churches grow—what"s behind the trend?
Studies show that South Africa is one of only three countries in the world where religious participation has increased in recent years. The other two countries are Italy and the US......»»
Scientists create an "optical conveyor belt" for quasiparticles
Using interference between two lasers, a research group led by scientists from RIKEN and NTT Research have created an "optical conveyor belt" that can move polaritons—a type of light-matter hybrid particle—in semiconductor-based microcavities. Th.....»»
Elon Musk’s X dodges Australian order to remove church stabbing video
Elon Musk accused Australia of trying to have "jurisdiction over all of Earth." Enlarge (credit: Apu Gomes / Stringer | Getty Images News) An Australian federal court sided with Elon Musk on Monday, rejecting an Australi.....»»
Major ChatGPT-4o update allows audio-video talks with an “emotional” AI chatbot
New GPT-4o model can sing a bedtime story, detect facial expressions, read emotions. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) On Monday, OpenAI debuted GPT-4o (o for "omni"), a major new AI model that can ostensibly converse using.....»»
Researchers uncover mechanism for short-distance vesicle movements
Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have thrown new light on the mechanism for how vesicles move short distances within specific parts of the cell, an area not understood by scientists......»»
Researchers complete mitochondrial genome analysis of endangered plant Primulina hunanensis
Primulina hunanensis is a perennial herb in the genus Primulina Hance of the family Gesneriaceae. It is very adaptable to low-light and barren cave environments, and is unique in its species evolution and environmental adaptation. P. hunanensis has b.....»»
Does the Milky Way have too many satellite galaxies?
The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are well-known satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, but there are more. It is surrounded by at least 61 within 1.4 million light years (for context the Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years away) but there.....»»
Spectral evidence found for Dirac spinons in a kagome lattice antiferromagnet
A new study, published in a recent issue of Nature Physics, sheds light on the long-anticipated emergence of quasiparticles, akin to the famous Dirac particles obeying the relativistic Dirac equation. These quasiparticles, known as Dirac spinons, wer.....»»
Raspberry in the sky: Astronomers discover a new supernova remnant candidate
Astronomers from the Western Sydney University in Australia and elsewhere report the detection of a new supernova remnant (SNR) candidate. The newfound SNR candidate, dubbed "Raspberry" due to its morphology, was identified in the near side of the Mi.....»»
Protein assembly research shows molecular roll of the dice delivers winning combinations
Australian researchers have shed light on the shape-shifting capabilities of protein assemblies, with results that could revolutionize fields from biomanufacturing to vaccine development......»»
Solar storm puts on brilliant light show across the globe, but no serious problems reported
A powerful solar storm put on an amazing skyward light show across the globe overnight but has caused what appeared to be only minor disruptions to the electric power grid, communications and satellite positioning systems......»»
The ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky: How a researcher used modern astronomy to explore her link with the Milky Way
What did our ancestors think when they looked up at the night sky? All cultures ascribed special meaning to the sun and the moon, but what about the pearly band of light and shadow we call the Milky Way?.....»»
I’ve built hundreds of PCs. These are the mistakes I’ve regretted most
Even after building hundreds of PCs, I still make some careless mistakes. Here are the worst ones and what you can do to avoid them......»»
Saturday Citations: Dietary habits of humans; dietary habits of supermassive black holes; saving endangered bilbies
The onset of solar maximum has resulted in severe geomagnetic storms, with the possibility of aurora borealis events this weekend as far south as the northern United States. Do not be alarmed if you see awesome displays of light over your neighborhoo.....»»
Apple inching closer to ChatGPT deal with OpenAI
Talks between Apple and OpenAI have advanced so far, that a deal is reportedly close to completion that may bring ChatGPT generative AI technology to iOS 18 in some fashion.ChatGPT is in the App Store nowA report published late on Friday is light on.....»»
Scientists unlock key to breeding "carbon gobbling" plants with a major appetite
The discovery of how a critical enzyme "hidden in nature's blueprint" works sheds new light on how cells control key processes in carbon fixation, a process fundamental for life on Earth......»»
Harnessing breadfruit starch for bioethanol production
In a bid to address the growing demand for renewable energy, a team of scientists has turned to an unlikely source—the humble breadfruit. A recent study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts has shed light on the bioprocessing of.....»»
Hubble Space Telescope glimpses spiral galaxy UGC 9684
The celestial object showcased in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the spiral galaxy UGC 9684, which lies around 240 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Boötes. This image shows an impressive example of several.....»»
Parity-time symmetry: Unlocking faster and stronger optical signal processing
In the era of big data, signal processing faces significant challenges in terms of capacity and energy consumption due to the torrent of data to process. With over 90% of data transmitted through light, optical signal processing may offer unprecedent.....»»