Myth, busted: Formation of Namibia’s fairy circles isn’t due to termites
Plants are "ecosystem engineers" that survive by forming optimal geometric patterns. Enlarge / Drone image of car driving through the NamibRand Nature Reserve, one of the fairy-circle regions in Namibia. (credit: Stephan Getzin).....»»
New research deciphers biomineralization mechanism
Many organisms can produce minerals or mineralized tissue. A well-known example is nacre, which is used in jewelry because of its iridescent colors. Chemically speaking, its formation begins with a mollusk extracting calcium and carbonate ions from w.....»»
More aerosol particles than thought are forming over Siberia, finds study
Aerosol particles play a key role in cooling the planet. They can either directly affect how much sunlight ends up on the surface of the Earth or indirectly through cloud formation, to which they contribute. New particles form from a variety of gas m.....»»
Astronomers find direct link that supernovae give rise to black holes or neutron stars
Astronomers have found a direct link between the explosive deaths of massive stars and the formation of the most compact and enigmatic objects in the universe—black holes and neutron stars. With the help of the European Southern Observatory's Very.....»»
Astronomers think they finally know origin of enormous “cosmic smoke rings“
Massive stars burn out quickly. When they die, they expel their gas as outflowing winds. Enlarge / Odd radio circles are large enough to contain galaxies in their centers and reach hundreds of thousands of light years across. (c.....»»
Elucidating the process of bile duct formation in the liver
Bile ducts are pathways that carry hepatocyte-produced bile from the liver to the small intestine. In the human fetal liver, bile ducts are formed from bile duct epithelial cells surrounding the portal vein, and hepatocytes form on the outside. Both.....»»
Researchers discover how atmospheric feldspar dust contributes to cloud formation
Feldspar is a ubiquitous mineral and makes up about half of the Earth's crust. In the Earth's atmosphere, feldspars play a surprisingly important role. Fine powder carried by air influences cloud formation. Water molecules adhere better to feldspar d.....»»
Researchers reveal new findings on diamond rain on ice planets
An international team of researchers led by Dr. Mungo Frost from the SLAC research center in California has gained new insights into the formation of diamond rain on icy planets such as Neptune and Uranus, using the X-ray laser European XFEL in Schen.....»»
Unraveling the mystery of lignosuberization: A comprehensive study of periderm formation in Sikkim cucumber fruit skin
In fleshy fruits, periderm tissue often forms on the skin surface as a response to mechanical damage caused following environmental cues or developmental programs, known as lignosuberization, creating a protective, corky matrix......»»
Space oddity: Uncovering the origin of the universe"s rare radio circles
It's not every day astronomers say, "What is that?" After all, most observed astronomical phenomena are known: stars, planets, black holes and galaxies. But in 2019 the newly completed ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder) telescope pi.....»»
Face to face with sun-eclipsing Proba-3
Through exquisite, millimeter-scale, formation flying, the dual satellites making up ESA's Proba-3 will accomplish what was previously a space mission impossible: Cast a precisely held shadow from one platform to the other, in the process blocking ou.....»»
Matabele ants recognize infected wounds and treat them with antibiotics
The African Matabele ants are often injured in fights with termites. Their conspecifics recognize when the wounds become infected and initiate antibiotic treatment......»»
BarbNet: Awn phenotyping with advanced deep learning, potential applications in the automation of barley awns sorting
Awns, bristle-like extensions on grass crops like wheat and barley, are vital for protection and seed dispersal, with barbs on their surface playing a crucial role. While the genetic basis of barb formation has been explored through genome-wide assoc.....»»
Peach breeding research: Interspecific hybridization with almond shows minimal "genomic shock"
Interspecific hybridization is a key process in plant evolution and breeding that can lead to phenotypic changes and the formation of new species. The merging of different genomes in a hybrid often triggers a so-called "genomic shock." These alterati.....»»
Mapping out star formation in the famous Whirlpool Galaxy
Scientists are turning to the beautiful and famous Whirlpool Galaxy to detect areas where stars could eventually be born......»»
Hubble captures a formation of galaxies neatly lined up
A new Hubble image shows both an interacting galaxy system, and a string of galaxies which happen to line up in a neat procession......»»
New NASA satellite to unravel mysteries about clouds, aerosols
Some of the same properties of light and optics that make the sky blue and cause rainbows can also help scientists unlock mysteries about cloud formation and the effects of tiny particles in our air......»»
The plague came from Egypt: Myth or reality?
Many reports from antiquity about outbreaks of plague mention Egypt as the source of pestilences that reached the Mediterranean. But was this really the case? Researchers from the University of Basel are conducting a critical analysis of the ancient.....»»
Research finds marine bacteria, atmospheric rivers can contribute to formation of ice clouds
Understanding cloud formation in polar regions is essential to discern the influence of solar radiation on the polar ice caps. Existing numerical models, however, struggle to replicate ice clouds accurately. Now, using real-world observations and cli.....»»
Fungi join the list of organisms that can control when ice forms
What's the advantage of triggering ice formation? It's not entirely clear. Enlarge / A related species of Fusarium. (credit: Wikimedia Commons) While it may be the reason behind tires skidding, pipes bursting, and closed.....»»
PlayStation is erasing 1,318 seasons of Discovery shows from customer libraries
The change comes as Warner Bros. tries to add subscribers to Max, Discovery+ apps. Enlarge / Myth: You own the digital content you buy. (credit: MythBusters/YouTube) If you purchased any Discovery shows from the PlayStat.....»»