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).....»»
Astronomers investigate recent star formation history of the Fireworks Galaxy
Astronomers from the University of Washington in Seattle and elsewhere have conducted Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of the nearby Fireworks Galaxy. Results of the observational campaign, presented July 10 on the preprint server arXiv, yie.....»»
Termites as cause of fairy circles in Namib Desert confirmed
For more than ten years, researchers have been discussing how the numerous circular bare patches in the middle of the African grasslands—the so-called fairy circles—can arise......»»
Oregon"s Cannon Beach reopens after cougar sighting on iconic coastal rock led to closure
A cougar that climbed onto a towering rock off the coast of northwest Oregon over the weekend—probably in search of feathered prey—has abandoned the craggy formation, allowing for the popular Cannon Beach to reopen to visitors Monday......»»
Unimolecular reactions of anti-glycolaldehyde oxide and its reactions with one and two water molecules
Criegee intermediates are produced in the ozonolysis of unsaturated compounds in the atmosphere. These intermediates are especially important because they contribute to the formation of OH radicals during the night and to the formation of secondary o.....»»
Stellar cradles and graves observed in farthest galaxy ever
New observations using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have distinguished the sites of star formation and a possible site of star death from the surrounding nebula in a galaxy 13.2 billion light-years away. This is the farthes.....»»
Researchers investigate rotation in solar transition region
The solar transition region, located between the chromosphere and corona, plays an important role in the formation of solar wind and coronal heating mechanism. The solar transition region is not a statically layered structure, but a dynamic region wi.....»»
Laser experiments reveal how high voltage affects charged ions in burning fuel
A burning flame is full of charged particles that can be affected by an electric field. KAUST researchers have now studied the use of high voltages to control these particles, which could potentially reduce soot formation and improve a flame's stabil.....»»
New research dates the formation of Earth"s continents
Researchers at Curtin University have established a new framework for dating the Earth's evolution including the formations of continents and mineral deposits......»»
The 21-cm forest probe may unlock secrets of early universe, nature of dark matter
The mystery of the formation of the first galaxies in the universe is a puzzle for researchers. The nature of dark matter is also one of the most important mysteries faced by fundamental physicists. However, understanding the nature of dark matter—.....»»
Elon Musk announces a new AI company
Elon Musk on Wednesday announced the formation of a new company focused on artificial intelligence, after months of teasing plans to build a rival to ChatGPT......»»
New research dispels "protectionism" myth
There is no evidence that trade partners weaponize labor provisions in trade agreements, according to new research co-authored by Desirée LeClercq, the Proskauer Employment and Labor Law Assistant Professor at Cornell University's ILR School......»»
Study uncovers the secrets of plant regeneration
Plants have the unique ability to regenerate entirely from a somatic cell, i.e., an ordinary cell that does not typically participate in reproduction. This process involves the de novo (or new) formation of a shoot apical meristem (SAM) that gives ri.....»»
Experimental constraints on the oxidation state of early magma on the Earth
The link between a planetary interior and its surface is a key to understanding the formation process of the surface environment of the planet......»»
Going deep with the Book 8088, the brand-new laptop that runs like it’s 1981
Stolen BIOS, stolen software, and half-busted hardware. But still... kind of neat? Enlarge / The Book 8088, a strange homebrewed curio that recalls the earliest days of x86 PCs. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) The words you.....»»
As climate gets hotter, the termites get hungrier, study finds
Here's something that will send a shiver up the spine of anyone who has battled termites—meaning just about every homeowner in Florida......»»
Large sub-surface granite formation signals ancient volcanic activity on moon"s dark side
A large formation of granite discovered below the lunar surface likely was formed from the cooling of molten lava that fed a volcano or volcanoes that erupted early in the moon's history—as long as 3.5 billion years ago......»»
"Sandwich" discovery offers new explanation for planet formation
Scientists have made a new discovery on how small planets might form. Researchers at the University of Warwick investigated the "birth environment" of planets—areas of gas and dust that swirl around a central star—known as the protoplanetary disk.....»»
Researchers discover Gulf Stream thermal fronts controlling North Atlantic subtropical mode water formation
Subtropical mode water (STMW) is a vertically homogeneous thermocline water mass, serving as heat, carbon, and oxygen silos in the ocean interior and providing memory of climate variability for climate prediction. Understanding physics governing STMW.....»»
Gullies on Mars could have been formed by recent periods of liquid meltwater, study suggests
A study led by Brown University researchers offers new insights into how water from melting ice could have played a recent role in the formation of ravine-like channels that cut down the sides of impact craters on Mars......»»
New criteria to determine whether shear bands are beneficial or harmful to crystalline materials
Shear band formation is not typically a good sign in a material—the bands often appear before a material fractures or fails. But materials science and engineering researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found that shear bands aren.....»»