Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have led to the invention of "ant agriculture"
The event that wiped out the dinosaurs wasn't all bad. The low-light environment caused by the meteor impact some 66 million years ago favored the spread of fungi that feed on organic matter, which was abundant at the time as plants and animals were.....»»
Smart agriculture technology attaches directly to underside of leaves for monitoring plants
With growing concerns over climate change and overpopulation, we urgently need to boost agricultural productivity. With the goal of creating a way to easily tell whether a plant is thriving or dying, a leaf-mounted sensor was created by researchers a.....»»
Bandwidth measurements show how pulsar signals distort as they move through space
A study that sheds new light on how pulsar signals—the spinning remnants of massive stars—distort as they travel through space, published in The Astrophysical Journal, was led by Dr. Sofia Sheikh, SETI Institute researcher, and performed by a mul.....»»
Two-way water transfers can ensure reliability and save money during drought in Western US
A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a solution to water scarcity during droughts amid the tug of economic development, population growth and climate uncertainty for water users in Western U.S. states......»»
Apple finally announces streaming date for ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ movie
The Apple original film Fly Me to the Moon veritably bombed at the box office, when it hit cinemas in July of this year, grossing a mere $42 million worldwide. In fact, the poor takings for the film is seen to be one of the factors that led Apple to.....»»
Study finds opposing effects of short-term and continuous noise on western bluebird parental care
Research led by Kerstin Ozkan and published in PeerJ has uncovered the complex and contrasting effects of human-generated noise on Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) parental behavior, raising critical questions about how anthropogenic noise affects.....»»
Oil spill still contaminating sensitive Mauritius mangroves three years on
Three years after the bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius, spilling around 1,000 tons of a new type of marine fuel oil, Curtin University-led research has confirmed the oil is still present in an environmentally sensiti.....»»
New nitrification inhibitor developed for better nitrogen use in agriculture
Recently, the research team led by Professor Wu Lifang from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed copper pyrazole, a novel nitrification inhibitor, and a slow-release fertilizer coated with it......»»
Tick tubes help reduce the parasites on mice, but time and frequency matter
Ticks are a nuisance across many areas of the U.S., capable of spreading harmful pathogens to both animals and humans. A new study led by researchers at Penn State has analyzed the effectiveness of a simple, inexpensive strategy for controlling ticks.....»»
Mathematical modeling reveals the explosive secret of the squirting cucumber
A team led by the University of Oxford has solved a mystery that has intrigued scientists for centuries: how does the squirting cucumber squirt?.....»»
Wood ants that actively combat plant diseases could be used in organic apple orchards
The small industrious wood ant can do more than just build high nests in spruce forests. A newly published article in the journal Microbial Ecology reveals that ants combat a range of plant diseases, including those affecting apples. At the same time.....»»
Focaccia: A Neolithic culinary tradition dating back 9,000 years ago
A study led by researchers from the UAB and the University La Sapienza in Rome indicates that during the Late Neolithic, between 7000 and 5000 BCE, the fully agricultural communities in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, developed a comple.....»»
A molecular trap for exotic metals promises improved diagnostics and faster drug development
A group of scientists from IOCB Prague, led by Dr. Miloslav Polášek, have created compounds that are up to a million times more stable than similar substances used in contemporary medicine to treat tumors or as contrast agents for magnetic resonanc.....»»
Earth bids farewell to its temporary "mini moon" that is possibly a chunk of our actual moon
Planet Earth is parting company with an asteroid that's been tagging along as a "mini moon" for the past two months......»»
WEAVE spectrograph uncovers dual nature of galaxy shock
Using the set of first-light observations from the new William Herschel Telescope Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE) wide-field spectrograph, a team of more than 50 astronomers, led by Dr. Marina Arnaudova at the University of Hertfordshire, has.....»»
Ant stings can be painful—here"s how to avoid getting stung this summer (and what to do if you do)
With the start of summer just days away, many of us will be looking forward to long sunny days spent at the beach, by the pool, out camping or picnicking in the park......»»
Healthy elbow room: Social distancing in Neolithic mega-settlements
The term "social distancing" spread out across the public vocabulary in recent years as people around the world changed habits to combat the COVID pandemic. New research led by UT Professor Alex Bentley, however, reveals the practice of organized elb.....»»
Caste differentiation in ants: How a specific hormone regulates the process
Scientists from the University of Copenhagen have revealed how a specific hormone regulates ant caste differentiation by phenotypic measurements of organ-level developmental changes and matching transcriptome analyses. Published in the Proceedings of.....»»
Oldest direct evidence of hot water activity on Mars found
New Curtin University-led research has uncovered what may be the oldest direct evidence of ancient hot water activity on Mars, revealing the planet may have been habitable at some point in its past......»»
Peaches spread across North America through Indigenous networks, radiocarbon dating and document analysis show
Spanish explorers may have brought the first peach pits to North America, but Indigenous communities helped the ubiquitous summer fruit really take root, according to a study led by a researcher at Penn State......»»
Niagara fireball event leads to discovery of tiniest known asteroid
In an international study led by Western University and Lowell Observatory, scientists describe a pioneering, integrative approach for studying near-Earth asteroids based largely on a November 2022 fireball event that dropped meteorites in the Niagar.....»»