Explosion of cicada-eating mites has the state of Illinois scratching
The good news: There's little risk beyond the rash. The bad: The rash is awful. Enlarge / A cicada from a 17-year cicada brood clings to a tree on May 29, 2024, in Park Ridge, Illinois. The state experienced an emergence of cicad.....»»
North Korean hackers pave the way for Play ransomware
North Korean state-sponsored hackers – Jumpy Pisces, aka Andariel, aka Onyx Sleet – have been spotted burrowing into enterprise systems, then seemingly handing matters over to the Play ransomware group. Timeline of the attack (Source: Pal.....»»
Sophos mounted counter-offensive operation to foil Chinese attackers
Sophos conducted defensive and counter-offensive operation over the last five years with multiple interlinked nation-state adversaries based in China targeting perimeter devices, including Sophos Firewalls. Espionage campaigns tied to Chinese hacking.....»»
Destructive weed, found in New York state, resists common herbicides
The invasive pigweed Palmer amaranth, first found in New York soybean fields in 2019, has been dubbed the "spotted lanternfly of weeds" for its ability to spread quickly and wreak havoc on crops. Now a new study sheds light on how formidable an oppon.....»»
A novel state of thorium opens the possibility for a nuclear clock
Why are there atomic clocks but no nuclear clocks? After all, an atom's nucleus is typically surrounded by many electrons, so in principle it should be less susceptible to outside noise (in the form of light). A nucleus, for high-atomic number atoms,.....»»
Colonialism, starvation and resistance: How food is weaponized, from Gaza to Canada
For more than a year, the Israeli state has been engaged in a massive incursion into Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas attack against Israel......»»
Keep your ghosts and ghouls—the Cordyceps fungus creates real-life zombies
I have never really been interested in ghosts, mummies or zombies, not even at Halloween. But as October 31 approaches each year, I am reminded of a biological tale involving all three. It's the real-life horror story of a flesh-eating, brain-warping.....»»
Slivered onions are likely cause of McDonald’s E. coli outbreak, CDC says
To date, 90 sickened, 27 hospitalized and one dead in the multi-state outbreak. Slivered onions are the likely source of the multi-state E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Qua.....»»
Findings from veterinary research may help to improve deer health, one test at a time
The cervid livestock business is one of the fastest-growing industries in rural America. In Missouri alone, more than 250 farms are dedicated to raising deer. To improve overall herd health and support the state's economy, researchers at the Universi.....»»
Microplastics increasing in freshwater, directly related to plastic production
Microplastics have been steadily increasing in freshwater environments for decades and are directly tied to rising global plastic production since the 1950s, according to a new study by an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers. The finding.....»»
Preserved dung suggests large herbivores have lived in Yellowstone National Park for more than 2,000 years
Large herbivores like bison or elk have continuously lived in the Yellowstone National Park region for about 2,300 years, according to a new analysis of chemicals preserved in lake sediments. John Wendt of Oklahoma State University, U.S., and colleag.....»»
Ecologists suggest animal alcohol consumption more common than thought
Anecdotes abound of wildlife behaving "drunk" after eating fermented fruits, but despite this, nonhuman consumption of ethanol has been assumed to be rare and accidental. Ecologists challenge this assumption in a review published October 30 in Trends.....»»
Soybean domestication linked to higher mesophyll conductance for increased photosynthesis
In a new study conducted by the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looked back in time at soybean growth and discovered that modern plants have increased mesophyll.....»»
For the love of suckers: Volunteers contribute to research on key freshwater fishes
A new paper published today, led by Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, reveals how volunteers across Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan enabled researchers to gather seven years of data on the spawning migrations of suckers, an understudied yet essential group.....»»
Researchers" new outreach strategy sets blueprint for detecting invasive species in Florida
Invasive species in Florida like Nile monitors and Argentine black-and-white tegus pose a growing threat to the Sunshine State's environment, economy and public safety. South Florida's warm climate, disturbed habitats and bustling pet trade have made.....»»
Using multimode propulsion for more efficient trips in space
Over the span of two projects, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigated using a propulsion concept known as multimode propulsion to get spacecraft to the moon and developed a technique to design optimal multimode transf.....»»
Team observes how iron atoms alter grain boundary structures in titanium
Using state-of-the-art microscopy and simulation techniques, an international research team has systematically observed how iron atoms alter the structure of grain boundaries in titanium. Their findings were published in the journal Science on Octobe.....»»
A global imbalance in reference genomes: Research highlights need for sequencing resources in biodiversity-rich areas
Montana State University and Universidad de los Andes researchers have detected a significant imbalance in the distribution of tetrapod reference genomes. They find a disproportionate concentration of studies in high-latitude regions compared to wher.....»»
The state of password security in 2024
In this Help Net Security video, John Bennett, CEO at Dashlane, discusses their recent Global Password Health Score Report, detailing the global state of password health and hygiene. Poor security habits like password reuse remain widespread. With pa.....»»
Engineered bacterial protein offers efficient rare earth metal separation
A newly discovered protein naturally houses an unusual binding site that can differentiate between rare earth elements, and researchers at Penn State have made it even better. Rare earth elements are key components used in everything from modern tech.....»»
An Enormous Meteorite, Bird Flu in Washington State and a Troubling Scurvy Case Study
We cover a 3.26-billion-year-old meteorite impact, the spread of bird flu and a scurvy case study that serves as a cautionary tale in this week’s news roundup......»»