How did evolution produce a firefly?
A new study looks at the development of a firefly's light-emitting organs. Enlarge (credit: Xinhua Fu) On one level, we have fireflies figured out. We know the enzyme they use to make light (called luciferase), as well a.....»»
Scientists combine a spatially distributed sediment delivery model and biogeochemical model to estimate fluxes by water
Water erosion is the most active process controlling soil formation and evolution, which can affect the redistribution of carbon between terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric ecosystems. Erosion-induced organic carbon dynamic process should not be mi.....»»
How marketing classes can rescue "ugly produce" from becoming food waste
At a time of rising food costs and growing food insecurity, a large percentage of food grown for consumption never reaches our tables......»»
Freeze casting—a guide to creating hierarchically structured materials
Freeze casting is an elegant, cost-effective manufacturing technique to produce highly porous materials with custom-designed hierarchical architectures, well-defined pore orientation, and multifunctional surface structures. Freeze-cast materials are.....»»
Researcher finds that wood frogs evolved rapidly in response to road salts
When we think of evolution, we think of a process that happens over hundreds or thousands of years. In research published in Ecology and Evolution a team led by Rick Relyea, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences and David M. Darrin Senior Endowed.....»»
Mantle heat may have boosted Earth"s crust 3 billion years ago
Little is known about the nature and evolution of Earth's continental crust before a few billion years ago because cratons, or stable swaths of the lithosphere more than 2–3 billion years old, are relatively rare......»»
How evolution has optimized the magnetic sensor in birds
Migratory birds are able to navigate and orientate with astonishing accuracy using various mechanisms, including a magnetic compass. A team led by biologists Dr. Corinna Langebrake and Prof. Dr. Miriam Liedvogel from the University of Oldenburg and t.....»»
International study produces a comprehensive "tree of life" for flowering plants
With their own botanical collection material and their research knowledge on the evolution of cruciferous plants (plants of the cabbage family), bioscientists at Heidelberg University have contributed to a large-scale international study that has pro.....»»
A key gene helps explain how the ability to glide has emerged over-and-over during marsupial evolution
People say "When pigs fly" to describe the impossible. But even if most mammals are landlubbers, the ability to glide or fly has evolved again and again during mammalian evolution, in species ranging from bats to flying squirrels. How did that come a.....»»
Scientists reveal new path to increasing lactation for nursing mothers
Scientists at UC Santa Cruz have discovered a cellular process in the breast that can increase milk production by pregnant women, revealing a potential path to addressing lactation insufficiency syndrome—the inability of a nursing mother to produce.....»»
Bacteria for climate-neutral chemicals of the future
Researchers at ETH Zurich have engineered bacteria in the laboratory to efficiently use methanol. The metabolism of these bacteria can now be tapped into to produce valuable products currently made by the chemical industry from fossil fuels......»»
Advances in understanding the evolution of stomach loss in agastric fishes
Living beings can evolve to lose biological structures due to potential survival benefits from such losses. For example, certain groups of ray-finned fishes show such regressive evolution—medakas, minnows, puffera, and wrasses do not have a stomach.....»»
Photoshop gets update adding more powerful AI workflows
Adobe has unveiled its new Photoshop app featuring updated generative AI tools with text-to-image capabilities for designers and photographers.Adobe supercharges iOS app with new AI-driven featuresDriven by the Adobe Firefly Image 3 Foundation Model,.....»»
Same species, different sizes: Rare evolution in action spotted in island bats
A University of Melbourne researcher has spotted a rare evolutionary phenomenon happening rapidly in real time in bats living in the Solomon Islands......»»
AESC doubles battery investment for BMW"s EVs in South Carolina
The plant is expected to come online in 2027 and supply BMW's assembly plant in Spartanburg, S.C., where the automaker plans to produce at least six EV models by 2030......»»
RNA"s hidden potential: New study unveils its role in early life and future bioengineering
The beginning of life on Earth and its evolution over billions of years continue to intrigue researchers worldwide. The central dogma or the directional flow of genetic information from a deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) template to a ribose nucleic ac.....»»
Researchers realize hydrogen formation by contact electrification of water microdroplets and its regulation
Direct utilization of water as a source of hydrogen atoms and molecules is fundamental to the evolution of the ecosystem and industry. However, liquid water is an unfavorable electron donor for forming these hydrogen species due to its redox inertnes.....»»
Researchers create nanomembrane to increase reaction rate in chemical production
Flow-through reactors packed with enzymes can produce certain chemicals in a gentle and careful way. However, their performance has so far been limited. A research team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon and RWTH Aachen University has now been able to.....»»
Adobe Express mobile app for iOS ships with Firefly generative AI smarts
The Adobe Express mobile app is now out of beta, with iOS Creative Cloud users now able to access the design tool with Firefly generative AI elements.Adobe Express on iPhone gets FireflyAdobe Express is the creative suite's simplified design tool tha.....»»
Researchers identify genetic variant that helped shape human skull base evolution
Humans, Homo sapiens, have unique features compared with other closely related hominin species and primates, including the shape of the base of the skull. The evolutionary changes underlying these features were significant in allowing the evolution o.....»»
First evidence of human occupation in lava tube cave in Saudi Arabia
Recent strides in interdisciplinary archaeological research in Arabia have unveiled new insights into the evolution and historical development of regional human populations, as well as the dynamic patterns of cultural change, migration, and adaptatio.....»»