Microbes fuelled by wind-blown mineral dust melt the Greenland ice sheet
Scientists have identified a key nutrient source used by algae living on melting ice surfaces linked to rising sea levels.The Greenland ice sheet—the second largest ice body in the world after the Antarctic ice sheet—covers almost 80% of the surf.....»»
Bacteria make thermally stable plastics similar to polystyrene and PET for the first time
Bioengineers around the world have been working to create plastic-producing microbes that could replace the petroleum-based plastics industry. Now, researchers from Korea have overcome a major hurdle: getting bacteria to produce polymers that contain.....»»
Study finds "DNA scavengers" can stop some antibiotic resistance from spreading
For nearly a century, scientists have waged war on antibiotic-resistant microbes. Michigan State University researchers say they've found a new way to prevent it—by unleashing "DNA scavengers" in wastewater treatment plants......»»
Sponges" symbiosis with bacteria helps them store toxic molybdenum to keep predators away, study shows
A new study at Tel Aviv University found that sponges in the Gulf of Eilat have developed an original way to keep predators away. The researchers found that the sponges contain an unprecedented concentration of the highly toxic mineral molybdenum (Mo.....»»
Extraterrestrial chemistry with earthbound possibilities
Who are we? Why are we here? As the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song suggests, we are stardust, the result of chemistry occurring throughout vast clouds of interstellar gas and dust. To better understand how that chemistry could create prebiotic mol.....»»
Mining the microbiome: Uncovering new antibiotics inside the human gut
The average human gut contains roughly 100 trillion microbes, many of which are constantly competing for limited resources. "It's such a harsh environment," says César de la Fuente, Presidential Assistant Professor in Bioengineering and in Chemical.....»»
Is the Google Pixel 9 waterproof?
The Google Pixel 9 series is dust and water resistant, but not waterproof. The two terms are mistakenly used interchangeably, but here's what all that means......»»
Revealing the mysteries within microbial genomes with a new high-throughput approach
A new technique developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) will make it much easier for researchers to discover the traits or activities encoded by genes of unknown function in microbes, a key step toward understanding the role.....»»
Fish in Greenland consume more jellyfish than previously assumed, researchers discover
For a long time, scientists assumed that jellyfish were a dead-end food source for predatory fish. However, a team from the Alfred Wegener Institute together with the Thünen Institute has now discovered that fish in Greenland waters do indeed feed o.....»»
Study suggests five-second break can diffuse an argument between coupled partners
A trio of psychologists at The University of St Andrews, in Scotland, has found that taking a five-second break before things escalate can reduce the chances of a full-blown argument occurring. For their paper, published in the journal Communications.....»»
Why cricket’s latest bowling technique is so effective against batters
Wind tunnel experiments show how the ball's transverse spin impacts pressure fields. Enlarge / Some cricket bowlers favor keeping the arm horizontal during delivery, the better to trick the batsmen. (credit: Rae Allen/CC BY 2.0).....»»
Study finds protein reduces toxicity of graphene oxide for drug delivery
A new study has discovered ways to reduce the toxicity of graphene oxide (GO), an ultra-thin sheet of nanomaterial derived from graphite, laying the groundwork to use it as a drug delivery system......»»
Cricket physics: Wind tunnel experiments reveal why bowling with a near horizontal arm makes for tough batting
Key to winning a cricket match is tricking the other team's batters—no small feat, as bowlers bowl cricket balls nearly 100 miles per hour. In recent years, a bowling technique that has become popular involves keeping the arm almost entirely horizo.....»»
Novel anemometer tracks sound travel for speedier, more precise wind speed calculations on Mars
Mars has a notoriously inhospitable environment, with temperatures that fluctuate dramatically over the course of a Martian day and average minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Its surface is mostly covered in red dust, with terrain typified by craters, cany.....»»
Supply of minerals lags EV policy demands
Despite a lull, EV battery mineral shortages are expected to grow as autos compete with the demand from other industries......»»
Researchers identify body"s "quality control" regulator for protein folding, could lead to targeted treatments
Anyone who's tried to neatly gather a fitted sheet can tell you: folding is hard. Get it wrong with your laundry and the result can be a crumpled, wrinkled mess of fabric, but when folding fails among the approximately 7,000 proteins with an origami-.....»»
Landslide triggers megatsunami in narrow fjord
It was a monster wave that hit a fjord on Greenland's east coast on 16 September 2023. In certain places, the traces of the flooding reached 200 meters high. Researchers led by Angela Carrillo Ponce from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GF.....»»
Ancient grains of dust from space can be found on Earth—and provide clues about the life cycle of stars
In space, there are clouds that contain gas and dust ejected from stars. Our solar system was formed 4.6 billion years ago from such a molecular cloud. Most of these dust grains were destroyed during solar system formation. However, a very small amou.....»»
Decades of PC building advice was just overturned
The 80 Plus certification has been the marker of a quality power supply for decades, but it's slowly biting the dust......»»
Ford Falcon Emerges From Decades Of Dust to Fetch $247,000 at Auction
Ford Falcon Emerges From Decades Of Dust to Fetch $247,000 at Auction.....»»
Microbes conquer the next extreme environment: Your microwave
Since the industrial revolution, microbes have successfully colonized one novel type of habitat after another: for example, marine oil spills, plastic floating in the oceans, industrial brownfields, and even the interior of the International Space St.....»»