Birds" dazzling iridescence tied to nanoscale tweak of feather structure
The iridescent shimmer that makes birds such as peacocks and hummingbirds so striking is rooted in a natural nanostructure so complex that people are only just beginning to replicate it technologically. The secret to how birds produce these brilliant.....»»
Study: Climate, population structure impact oakleaf hydrangea genetic diversity
Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is an understory shrub native to the southeastern United States. The species occupies a small native range, and little is known about its demography, genetic diversity, or needs for conservation......»»
Potential source of ancient methane eruption identified
Seabed eruptions tied to the start of a sudden warming event 55 million years ago. Enlarge / 3D seismic image showing the crater of the Modgunn Vent and others like it. The cratered surface labelled "BVU" is the seabed of 56 mill.....»»
Unique voice prints in parrots could help birds be recognized in a flock, no matter what they say
Parrots are exceptional talkers. They can learn new sounds during their entire lives, amassing an almost unlimited vocal repertoire. At the same time, parrots produce calls so they can be individually recognized by members of their flock—raising th.....»»
"Invasion" of tropical birds known as limpkins reported in Illinois—invasive snails may be attractive food source
While on a recent visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden, Ann Harness spotted a creature she'd never seen before. The tall brown bird with a long bill looked like a cross between a rail and a heron......»»
"Climate vulnerability index" shows where action, resources are needed to address climate change threats
Dr. Weihsueh Chiu, a professor at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, helped create a new tool that provides communities and policymakers with actionable data about long-term vulnerabilities tied to climate change......»»
Stars and inner compass guide moths and birds, say researchers
Gray-brown bogong moths may not be much to look at, but every year they perform a nocturnal journey worthy of attention. Billions of them fly as many as 1,000 kilometers from plains in eastern Australia to mountain caves to escape the summer heat......»»
Research: Electrons in a strange metal world
Imagine a flock of birds as they wheel across the sky: surging into a mass, flowing into ribbons that twist and turn again into fantastic shapes. If you follow one bird within the flock, you can describe its actions, the way it flaps its wings or use.....»»
Emperor penguins face a bleak future, but some colonies will do better than others in diverse sea-ice conditions
The long-term future looks bleak for Emperor penguins, but our new research shows some birds may be able to survive in certain conditions, depending on where they live, at least for the next few decades......»»
Ancient architecture inspires a new way to work with metal-organic frameworks
A centuries-old technique for constructing arched stone windows has inspired a new way to form tailored nanoscale windows in porous functional materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)......»»
Growing in molasses: Cosmic large-scale structure caught growing slower than expected
The large-scale structure of the universe—the gigantic, hierarchical cosmic web of structures bound by gravity—is mostly made up of dark matter. The growth of the large-scale structure, from individual galaxies to galaxy clusters, cosmic voids an.....»»
France to vaccinate millions of ducks against bird flu
France on Monday began Europe's only vaccination campaign against bird flu in ducks, hoping to avoid mass culls of millions of birds that have dearly cost the industry in recent years......»»
"New way of looking at nature": These naturalists explore queer ecology with geese, owls and more
As Raquel García-Álvarez guides hikers on a trail surrounding the Sand Ridge Nature Center, her remarks on flora and fauna are interrupted by geese honking. She explains, as curious onlookers admire the birds skirting the water, that there's more t.....»»
Intense lasers shine new light on the electron dynamics of liquids
An international team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Hamburg and ETH Zurich has now demonstrated that it is possible to probe electron dynamics in liquids using intense laser fields and.....»»
Giants with microscopic muscles: New findings reveal the structure of the dexterous elephant trunk
A recent study investigated the musculature of the elephant and found that the trunk is a complex mesh of interwoven muscle and has an immense number of parts. The study was published on September 26, 2023, in Current Biology......»»
U.S. lawmakers demand documents on Ford battery partnership with CATL
The chairs of three U.S. House of Representatives committees demanded Ford Motor F.N turn over documents tied to its partnership with Chinese battery company CATL 300750.SZ and threatened to call CEO Jim Farley to testify before Congress......»»
Study shows protecting lands slows biodiversity loss among vertebrates by five times
Protecting large swaths of Earth's land can help stem the tide of biodiversity loss—including for vertebrates like amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds, according to a study published in Nature Sept. 27......»»
Vega"s fuel-free CubeSats will use wings to keep in formation
Spain's trio of ANSER CubeSats, due to fly on Europe's next Vega launcher, will fly like a flock of birds in orbit—in more ways than one. Keeping in formation by following their leader, the three shoebox-sized satellite will image Iberian waters as.....»»
Flour-derived borocarbonitride enriched with boron-oxygen for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to olefins
In a study published in the journal Science China Chemistry, catalytic performance was investigated using a fixed-bed reactor and the structure-activity relationship was studied by combining various characterizations with DFT calculations......»»
Researchers describe advances in mass spectrometry analysis to improve identification of glycopeptides
Glycosylation is the attachment of carbohydrates to the backbone of a protein through an enzymatic reaction. It plays a critical role in determining protein structure, function and stability. A protein that is glycosylated is known as a glycoprotein......»»
Team develops key improvement to cryo-electron microscopy
The scientists who received the 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry were honored for their development of a technique called cryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-EM. The technology was revolutionary because it enabled scientists to see the atomic structure of.....»»