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......»»
Ancient viral genomes preserved in glaciers reveal climate history—and how viruses adapt to climate change
As humans alter the planet's climate and ecosystems, scientists are looking to Earth's history to help predict what may unfold from climate change. To this end, massive ice structures like glaciers serve as nature's freezers, archiving detailed recor.....»»
Advances in optical micronanofiber-enabled tactile sensors and soft actuators
A perfect combination of fiber optics and micro/nanotechnology, optical micro/nanofiber (MNF) is a new type of micro/nano-waveguide structure developed in recent years......»»
Commercial spyware vendor exploits used by Kremlin-backed hackers, Google says
Findings undercut pledges of NSO Group and Intgellexa their wares won't be abused. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Critics of spyware and exploit sellers have long warned that the advanced hacking sold by commercial surve.....»»
Study shows an electrically-activated protein regulates spermatogenesis
Frankenstein's monster was brought to life by the judicious application of a little electricity; and a surprising number of processes in our bodies are regulated by electrical currents too. Now, researchers from Japan reveal that electricity may play.....»»
Compounds from nucleic acids in food show anticancer effects
When people eat, they ingest the nucleic acids that reside in all living things. The compounds in these acids could inhibit the growth of cancer cells, according to findings published in PLOS ONE by Osaka Metropolitan University Associate Professor A.....»»
Supercomputer simulations reveal the nature of turbulence in black hole accretion disks
Researchers at Tohoku University and Utsunomiya University have made a breakthrough in understanding the complex nature of turbulence in structures called accretion disks surrounding black holes, using state-of-the-art supercomputers to conduct the h.....»»
Labor day crowds temporarily impact local streams, research shows
Crowds flocking to rivers and streams over Labor Day weekend are doing more than cooling off and having fun. They're temporarily introducing chemicals and microscopic organisms into their local waterways, according to new research from Johns Hopkins.....»»
Land-sea "tag-team" devastated ocean life millions of years ago, reveal scientists
Scientists have revealed how a "tag-team" between the oceans and continents millions of years ago devastated marine life—and altered the course of evolution on Earth......»»
Indonesia arrests man for selling rhino horn via social media
Indonesian authorities arrested a man trying to sell elephant tusks and the horns of critically endangered rhinos via social media......»»
Geographic differences in US homicide rates have decreased since the 1970s, study finds
A new study finds that, counter to expectations, geographic disparities in rates of homicides in the US have decreased in recent decades. Richard Boylan of Rice University in Houston, Texas, US, presents these findings in the open-access journal PLOS.....»»
Study finds flexibility and helical twists of actin filaments regulate actin-binding proteins
Researchers at Kanazawa University have published an article in eLife deciphering the actin structure-dependent preferential cooperative binding of cofilin......»»
A YouTube video really can remove water from your iPhone
A YouTube video claiming it can remove water from your iPhone might seem up there with emails from Nigerian princes and videos of Elon Musk promoting some new cryptocurrency, but tests reveal that it does actually work … somewhat. A tech writer.....»»
Teenage Maurice Sendak illustrated his teacher’s 1947 pop-sci book
Drawings of Atomics for the Millions "reveal early postwar anxieties about nuclear war." Enlarge / A young Maurice Sendak’s illustration of two possible outcomes of atomic power for the 1947 pop-sci book Atomics for the Million.....»»
Microscopic fossilized shells reveal ancient climate change patterns
At the end of the Paleocene and beginning of the Eocene epochs, between 59 to 51 million years ago, Earth experienced dramatic warming periods, both gradual periods stretching millions of years and sudden warming events known as hyperthermals......»»
Satellites reveal ecosystems most vulnerable to drought
More severe droughts that will also last longer: this will primarily be a problem for irrigated croplands, as discovered by environmental scientist Qi Chen. Mixed forests with a variety of plant species will be the least vulnerable. Chen compared the.....»»
Sustaining oyster farming with sturdier rafts
Amid the rising human population and pressure on food supplies, the world can't be everyone's oyster. But perhaps there might be more oysters to eat if an Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team's findings mean sturdy plastic rafts will be us.....»»
The moon was once covered by an ocean of molten rock, data from India"s space mission suggests
Data from India's recent Chandrayaan-3 mission supports the idea that an ocean of molten rock once covered the moon. Scientists from the mission have published their new findings in the journal Nature......»»
The Quantum Mechanics of the Greenhouse Effect
Carbon dioxide’s powerful heat-trapping effect has been traced to a quirk of its quantum structure. The finding may explain climate change better than any computer model......»»
New images reveal global air quality trends
The global concentrations of one of the main air pollutants known to affect human health has been graphically illustrated for the first time by a team of scientists......»»
Langbeinites show talents as 3D quantum spin liquids
A 3D quantum spin liquid has been discovered in the vicinity of a member of the langbeinite family. The material's specific crystalline structure and the resulting magnetic interactions induce an unusual behavior that can be traced back to an island.....»»