Five new species of Australian trapdoor spider that took scientists a century to tell apart
After a century of scientific confusion, we can now officially add five new species to Australia's long list of trapdoor spiders—secretive, burrowing relatives of tarantulas......»»
Frozen in time: Rock fossils hint at Mars"s ancient climate
Long ago, flowing wind and water shaped Mars's malleable sand and sediment into dunes, ripples and other landscape patterns, called bedforms. Over billions of years, some of these landforms hardened into rock—scientists then call them paleo-bedform.....»»
Vintage museum collection and modern research intersect in century-long bee study
At a tranquil nature reserve in South Michigan, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and her collaborators connected olden wild bee sample collections and modern technology to better decode the ecological traits and habits of pollinators,.....»»
Airbag deployment glitch prompts recall of nearly 17,500 Fiat vehicles
Fiat recalls 2017-20 124 Spider models to reprogram airbag control modules on behalf of Mazda......»»
Heat, animal illness and erosion risks to affect NZ agriculture with changing climate
Scientists at Manaaki Whenua—Landcare Research have worked closely with researchers from NIWA, AgResearch and Plant & Food Research to model the likely risks of a warming climate across different agricultural sectors in New Zealand. The study is pu.....»»
Climate scientists sound alarm over Asia"s rising seas
Immediate action is needed at all levels to protect communities in the Asia Pacific from sea levels that are rising significantly faster than the global average, say climate scientists ahead of the next key UN climate summit......»»
Citizen scientists help discover microplastics along the entire German coastline
The global production of plastics and the resulting plastic waste has increased to such an extent that plastics have become ubiquitous in our environment. Plastics of various sizes are also found along the German North Sea and Baltic coasts......»»
Rising waters, waning forests: Scientists are using tree rings to study how rising sea levels affect coastal forests
Sunlight filters through the canopy of pines, holly, sweet gum, and red maple while bird calls echo in the distance. These coastal forests may seem like others in the Mid-Atlantic, but a hidden challenge looms. Standing tall next to their salt marsh.....»»
Nuking a huge asteroid could save Earth, lab experiment suggests
Humanity could use a nuclear bomb to deflect a massive, life-threatening asteroid hurtling towards Earth in the future, according to scientists who tested the theory in the laboratory by blasting X-rays at a marble-sized "mock asteroid"......»»
Researchers name beetle after National Geographic photographer
A new beetle species has been named to honor a fellow Husker, bridging the worlds of academia and wildlife conservation......»»
New study backs conservation at landscape scale to protect a near threatened bird species
Understanding the factors that influence how species select their habitats is crucial to inform conservation strategies, especially for vulnerable species. A new study about how wintering individuals of the Kirtland's Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) i.....»»
Climatologists develop more accurate El Niño Southern Oscillation forecasts
Australian climatologists closely monitor atmospheric and oceanic conditions to assess the risk of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events occurring, which can lead to devastating natural disasters, however these predictions have become somewhat.....»»
Can the "hard steps" in the evolutionary history of human intelligence be recast with geological thresholds?
What took so long for humans to appear on Earth? The Earth is 4.6 billion years old, and life began about 4 billion years ago, yet humans—the only intelligent, technological species we know of in the universe—have existed only for the last 200,0.....»»
Morphology study paves the way for spider fang-inspired cutting tools
When we think of spiders, the first thing that comes to mind is their ability to weave intricate and robust webs. But their ability to cut their own silk—the toughest natural material—and strong or tough synthetic fibers such as carbon or Kevlar,.....»»
New evolutionary model revises the origins of biodiversity
An international team of scientists has made a discovery that could reshape our understanding of how global biodiversity evolved. By reconstructing the evolution of species over the past 45 million years, researchers found that the geographic origins.....»»
Naked mole-rat found to have lost infection-resistant proteins
Scientists have found that the naked mole-rat—an underground rodent that lives up to 40 years—has lost a number of CD1 functional genes. The CD1 gene family in mammals is responsible for protein synthesis that protects the body against infectious.....»»
Hefty Australian penguin chick "Pesto" becomes star
Pesto the penguin towers over the colony at his Australian aquarium home, a fluffy brown furball impossible to miss as he waddles across the ice......»»
Extreme botany: Paramotorists soar across remote Peru desert to collect threatened plants
In an innovative paper published today in the journal Plants, People, Planet, scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Huarango Nature and paramotorists from Forest Air, highlight the exciting potential of paramotoring as a means of aiding res.....»»
Signs of hope for endangered Maugean skate
For the first time in nearly a decade, scientists have recorded an increased presence of young Maugean skates—a ray of hope for the survival of the endangered species......»»
Spinning artificial spider silk into next-generation medical materials
It's almost time to dust off the Halloween decorations and adorn the house with all manner of spooky things, including the classic polyester spider webs. Scientists reporting in ACS Nano have made their own version of fake spider silk, but this one c.....»»
The "publish or perish" mentality is fueling research paper retractions—and undermining science
When scientists make important discoveries, both big and small, they typically publish their findings in scientific journals for others to read. This sharing of knowledge helps to advance science: it can, in turn, lead to more important discoveries......»»