Long-accepted theory of vertebrate origin upended by fossilized fish larvae
A new study out of the University of Chicago, the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Albany Museum challenges a long-held hypothesis that the blind, filter-feeding larvae of modern lampreys are a holdover from the distant past, resembling the ancestor.....»»
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,.....»»
Advancing synthetic Ephedra-type alkaloids with a two-step enzymatic approach
Ephedra-type alkaloids, a class of naturally occurring compounds derived from plants in the genus Ephedra, have long held interest in the pharmaceutical industry due to their stimulant and airway widening effects. These alkaloids are used for the tre.....»»
Assassin’s Creed Shadows delayed after poor Star Wars Outlaws reception
It will now launch the same year as another, maybe better, open-world samurai game. Enlarge / The dual protagonists of Assassin's Creed Shadows. (credit: Ubisoft) Assassin's Creed Shadows, the long-anticipated next major.....»»
Ice cores show pollution"s impact on Arctic atmosphere
A Dartmouth-led study on ice cores from Alaska and Greenland found that air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels reaches the remote Arctic in amounts large enough to alter its fundamental atmospheric chemistry. The findings illustrate the long.....»»
What are "rent tech" platforms? Action on reining in these exploitative tools is long overdue
This week the New South Wales government announced it would introduce legislation that ensures renters are offered convenient, fee-free options to pay their rent......»»
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"......»»
Murine study suggests cosmic radiation in outer space may affect long-term cognition
During missions into outer space, galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) will penetrate current spacecraft shielding and thus pose a significant risk to human health......»»
Ingredients used in chewing gum help tilapia survive cold climates
Two common ingredients in ordinary chewing gum—Arabic gum and lecithin—have been found to help improve the overall health of tilapia, helping these fish survive better even in cold climates. This discovery paves the way for raising tilapia for fo.....»»
10 best Doctor Who episodes ever, ranked
We're celebrating the new season of the long-running sci-fi hit by looking back at the 10 best Doctor Who episodes ever!.....»»
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.....»»
Afar mantle plume study offers new insight into deep Earth processes
Sophisticated analysis of tiny bubbles of ancient gas trapped in volcanic rocks, combined with new geophysical modeling, has cast new light on long-held assumptions about the deep Earth......»»
Nanostructures in the deep ocean floor hint at life"s origin
Researchers led by Ryuhei Nakamura at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan and The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) of Tokyo Institute of Technology have discovered inorganic nanostructures surrounding deep-ocean hydro.....»»
New insights into hot carrier solar cells: Study explores hot electron tunneling and collection to enhance efficiency
Hot carrier solar cells, a concept introduced several decades ago, have long been seen as a potential breakthrough in solar energy technology. These cells could surpass the Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit, which is a theoretical maximum efficien.....»»
Apple TV app adds separate Watchlist in iOS 18.1 beta
Apple appears to be working on a significant change on how users can organize their watch queue in the Apple TV app. In iOS 18.1 the long-standing Up Next queue has been renamed to ‘Continue Watching’, and a new separate Watchlist section can be.....»»
Researchers refute the validity of "assembly theory of everything" hypothesis
Three new papers refute claims for the assembly theory of molecular complexity being claimed as a new "theory of everything.".....»»
3 underrated movies you need to watch in October 2024
From a long-delayed adaptation of a classic Stephen King novel to a comedic origin story about SNL, these three September 2024 movies deserve to be watched......»»
For the first time, Blue Origin has ignited an orbital rocket stage
Monday's test checked an important box for Blue Origin. Enlarge / Blue Origin test fires the second stage of its New Glenn rocket. (credit: Blue Origin) Twenty days after it rolled out to Blue Origin's launch site in Flo.....»»
New Zealand scientists discover ghostly "spookfish"
Scientists in New Zealand said Tuesday they have discovered a new species of "ghost shark", a type of fish that prowls the Pacific Ocean floor hunting prey more than a mile down......»»
10 long years with—and good riddance to—Apple’s iPhone 6 design
Op-ed: On living with the iPhone 6 design—and its flaws—for a full decade. Enlarge / The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the first iteration of a very, very long-lived phone design. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) This past weekend.....»»