Across oceans and millennia: Decoding the origin and history of the bottle gourd
In a fascinating dive into the past, a team of researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and USDA has uncovered intriguing details about the origins and spread of the bottle gourd, one of the oldest domesticated crops......»»
First post: A history of online public messaging
From BBS to Facebook, here's how messaging platforms have changed over the years. Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) People have been leaving public messages since the first artists painted hunting scenes on.....»»
Microsoft open-sources infamously weird, RAM-hungry MS-DOS 4.00 release
DOS 4.00 was supposed to add multitasking to the OS, but it was not to be. Enlarge / A DOS prompt. Microsoft has open-sourced another bit of computing history this week: The company teamed up with IBM to release the sou.....»»
Granting legal "personhood" to nature is a growing movement: Can it stem biodiversity loss?
Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing......»»
New structures offer insight into how a bacterial motor powers bacterial chemotaxis, a key infectious process
Bacteria existed for millennia before humans and have been infecting us from the beginning. Although we can treat infections through pharmaceuticals, bacteria continue to become resistant to treatment thanks to their rapid evolution. Bacterial infect.....»»
Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago, pushing back previous oldest dated example
Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago in a group of marine invertebrates called octocorals, according to the results of a new study from scientists with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History......»»
A new electrochemical approach could reduce ocean acidity and remove carbon in the process
In the effort to combat the catastrophic impacts of global warming, we must accelerate carbon emissions reduction efforts and rapidly scale strategies to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and the oceans. The technologies for reducing ou.....»»
The history -- and triumph -- of Arm and Apple Silicon
Decades ago, Apple started down a path that has revolutionized both its own products and the entire technology industry. Here's where Apple Silicon began, and where it's going.Apple's M-series chips rejuvenated the Mac rangeFrom the very beginning of.....»»
Mangrove blue carbon at higher risk of microplastic pollution
Earth's oceans and coastal ecosystems are a major sink for carbon storage, known as blue carbon. Sequestration of carbon is vitally important in the fight against climate change as it 'locks away' this molecule, alleviating pressure on greenhouse gas.....»»
Crucial building blocks of life on Earth can more easily form in outer space, says new research
The origin of life on Earth is still enigmatic, but we are slowly unraveling the steps involved and the necessary ingredients. Scientists believe life arose in a primordial soup of organic chemicals and biomolecules on the early Earth, eventually lea.....»»
Green mystery: Plumbian orthoclase reveals hidden resources
Plumbian orthoclase is a bit of a mystery, but this unique Aussie mineral is part of a mining industry revolution. The mineral's glowy green hue feels otherworldly. Although this Aussie kryptonite's origin is terrestrial, it's no less surprising......»»
Fourteen years after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, endemic fishes face an uncertain future
The 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon was the largest accidental oil spill in history. With almost 100 million gallons (379 million liters) of oil combined with dispersants suggested to remain in the Gulf, it is one of the worst pollution events.....»»
Q&A: Why are we drowning in single-use plastics, and what can we do about it?
Plastic is ubiquitous. It's in the clothes we wear, wrapped around the food we eat and in the toothpaste we use. It floats in the oceans and litters the snow on Mount Everest......»»
Transformers One trailer turns an origin story into a buddy comedy
The first trailer for the animated film Transformers One shows fans how Optimus Prime and Megatron used to be close friends on their home world of Cybertron......»»
The best shows on Disney+ right now (April 2024)
The best shows on Disney+ include Secrets of the Octopus, Drain the Oceans, X-Men '97, Renegade Nell, Queens, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Iwájú, and more......»»
Drawing a line back to the origin of life: Graphitization could provide simplicity scientists are looking for
Scientists in Cambridge University suggest molecules, vital to the development of life, could have formed from a process known as graphitization. Once verified in the laboratory, it could allow us to try and recreate plausible conditions for life's e.....»»
Fracking the future: How Congolese oil extraction has shaped its history and its fate
In 1969, the recently independent Republic of Congo discovered an enormous oil field off its coast. The find represented both a rare opportunity for the burgeoning nation, and a potential threat—the revenue generated by oil extraction could either.....»»
‘For All Mankind’ season 5 and new spinoff series ‘Star City’ coming to Apple TV+
Double good news for fans of the hit sci-fi series “For All Mankind” on Apple TV+. The alt-history space race drama is returning for a fifth season, and a new spinoff series dubbed “Star City” has been announced. more….....»»
East coast mussel shells are becoming more porous in warming waters
Researchers at the American Museum of Natural History have found that over the last 120 years, the porosity—or small-scale holes—in mussel shells along the East Coast of the United States has increased, potentially due to warming waters. The stud.....»»
How a cyanobacterium manages iron scarcity makes it the most successful photosynthetic organism on Earth
The sea is the world's largest ecosystem, and it harbors two photosynthetic organisms that produce approximately half of the oxygen on Earth. The cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic organism in the oceans and fixes appr.....»»
Researcher reveals the hidden story behind St. Augustine"s 11-foot statue of Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales
New details have emerged about the history of one of St. Augustine's most popular tourist attractions. University of South Florida Spanish Professor David Arbesú pieced together documents that were scattered around the world that helped connect the.....»»