Closest relative of "magic mushroom" discovered in Africa
A team of biologists, mycologists and microbiologists in the U.S., South Africa and Zimbabwe reports that a species of mushroom growing in parts of Africa is the closest relative of Psilocybe cubensis, the most widespread hallucinogenic mushroom know.....»»
On the trail of an 18th-century master forger: New evidence discovered
A document held in Göttingen University's Faculty of Humanities has been revealed as an 18th century forgery. The document purports to be from 1266, but mentions a church in Pisa that was not built until later. This discovery is the result of resear.....»»
Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands
An archaeologist from the University of New Hampshire and her team have collected data which indicates the presence of a large-scale pre-Columbian fish-trapping facility. Discovered in the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (CTWS), the largest inland we.....»»
Wealthy nations offer $250 bn on climate but pressed for more
Wealthy nations on Friday offered $250 billion a year to help poorer nations hit hardest by global warming but faced immediate calls led by Africa to give more as UN climate negotiations extended into overtime......»»
Fossil discovery reveals giant worm lizard with snail-cracking jaws
An international team of researchers has discovered a new fossil worm lizard species in Tunisia. Terastiodontosaurus marcelosanchezi is the largest known species of the Amphisbaenia group, with a skull length of over five centimeters......»»
tRNAs help some mRNAs get lost in translation
Scientists have discovered that tRNAs can determine how long mRNAs exist in a cell, causing some messages to be stabilized and translated into more protein, while directing others to be degraded and limiting how much protein can be made. They publis.....»»
Study reveals RNA"s unknown role in DNA damage repair
A multi-institutional team of researchers, led by Georgia Tech's Francesca Storici, has discovered a previously unknown role for RNA. Their insights could lead to improved treatments for diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders while chan.....»»
Are fast radio bursts caused by interstellar objects crashing into neutron stars?
Every now and then, astronomers will detect an odd kind of radio signal. So powerful it can outshine a galaxy, but lasting only milliseconds. They are known as fast radio bursts (FRBs). When they were first discovered a couple of decades ago, we had.....»»
Staggering temperature rise predicted for the Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East and North Africa, which already include some of the hottest and driest spots on Earth, are undergoing accelerated climate change and will reach warming thresholds two to three decades earlier than the rest of the world, a new study re.....»»
Illegal mining clampdown in South Africa: Treating desperate people like criminals is an injustice
Illegal artisanal gold mining in South Africa is in the spotlight again. Under Operation Vala Umgodi ("plug the hole"), South African authorities have since December 2023 been trying to disrupt the illicit gold mining economy by cutting off water, fo.....»»
Charity campaigns are using outdated representations of Africa, says new paper
In a new paper, Dr. Edward Ademolu and Jess Crombie from University of the Arts London investigate the ethical complexities of international non-government organizations (INGO) representations. The research focuses specifically on how visual storytel.....»»
Researchers unearth two previously unknown Linux backdoors
ESET researchers have identified multiple samples of two previously unknown Linux backdoors: WolfsBane and FireWood. The goal of the backdoors and tools discovered is cyberespionage that targets sensitive data such as system information, user credent.....»»
Study: Why Aztec “death whistles” sound like human screams
The basic mechanism relies on the Venturi effect, producing a unique rough and piercing sound. Archaeologists have discovered numerous ceramic or clay whistles at Aztec sites, dub.....»»
Madagascar"s huge ocean algae bloom was caused by dust from drought-stricken southern Africa
Scientists have found new evidence that desertification, potentially linked to global warming, leads to large amounts of nutrient-rich dust landing in the sea, causing ocean algae to grow rapidly. Biological oceanographer John A. Gittings and an inte.....»»
Scientists discover a baby exoplanet ‘just’ 3 million years old
Scientists have discovered a nearby exoplanet that is just a baby by planetary standards, located 520 light-years away......»»
Diverse diets of civets in Borneo rainforest allow them to live in same geographical area
Four closely related civets, a small nocturnal animal found in Africa and Asia, have made the same geographical area in the rainforests of Borneo home. Typically, closely related animal species have difficulty coexisting because they are competing fo.....»»
First pairs of white dwarf–main sequence binaries discovered in clusters shine new light on stellar evolution
Astronomers at the University of Toronto (U of T) have discovered the first pairs of white dwarf and main sequence stars—"dead" remnants and "living" stars—in young star clusters. Described in a new study published in The Astrophysical Journal, t.....»»
Advancements in genomic research reveal alternative transcription initiation sites in thousands of soybean genes
Rosalind Franklin, James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA—that molecular blueprint for life—over 70 years ago. Today, scientists are still uncovering new ways to read it......»»
ChatGPT already listens and speaks. Soon it may see as well
Code discovered in the latest ChatGPT beta build suggests that Advanced Voice Mode could soon be able to see as well as speak......»»
New giant radio galaxy discovered with MeerKAT
An international team of astronomers has employed the MeerKAT radio telescope to investigate giant radio galaxies in the field of the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS). They found a new giant radio galaxy that had not been reported before. The f.....»»
The hidden disease risks of modern housing developments in rural Africa
Tamika Lunn went to Kenya looking for bats. Her task, as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of U of A biologist Kristian Forbes, was to catch bats to understand if, when and why they carried viruses. A spillover of a bat virus to humans could lead.....»»