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).....»»
Scientists pit AI algorithms against each other to optimize graphene nanotube synthesis
An international research team led by Skoltech scientists has identified the best artificial intelligence algorithm for determining the synthesis conditions that favor the formation of carbon nanotubes with properties tailored to specific application.....»»
Organic aerosols in remote regions are forming clouds and may have an underestimated effect on climate change
A research group from Nagoya University in Japan has developed a model to clarify the importance of analyzing the formation of clouds from human and natural particles. Since many climate models simplify the formation of atmospheric particles from org.....»»
Simulations predict the existence of black hole radio-wave hot spots
Black holes, regions in spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape from them, are among the most fascinating and widely studied cosmic phenomena. While there are now countless theories about their formation and underlying physics, m.....»»
Antarctic ice: A better knowledge of the ocean improves the predictability of sea ice variability
Antarctic sea ice deeply affects the global climate in several ways. It regulates the exchanges of heat and gases between the ocean surface and the atmosphere, and drives the formation of the Antarctic Bottom Water that travels over global oceans......»»
Impact-induced formation of microscopic magnetite first confirmed in Chang"E-5 lunar soil
A research team led by Prof. Li Yang and Dr. Guo Zhuang from the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGCAS) conducted in-situ electron microanalysis of spherical iron-sulfide grains in the finest Chang'E-5 lunar soil and has.....»»
New analysis approach could help boost sensitivity of large telescopes
Some of the largest and most sophisticated telescopes ever made are under construction at the Simons Observatory in Northern Chile. They are designed to measure cosmic microwave background—electromagnetic radiation left over from the formation of t.....»»
Project seeks to learn how to grow super mushrooms, with termites as teachers
Termites have cultivated and eaten them for 30 million years. This incredible mushroom has more protein than chicken, soy and corn, but has yet to be grown by humans. By imitating termites, scientists at the University of Copenhagen will investigate.....»»
Frogs in hot water: Habitat shrinking for Gondwana rainforest mountain frogs
Urban myth has it that a frog placed in cold water that's brought to the boil will not react, dying a horrible death. Clearly this is a fallacy, yet climate change is forcing a similar predicament for mountain frog species stranded on "islands in the.....»»
Early morning car thieves busted by AirPods & Find My
A New Hampshire man found out the hard way that warming up a car and leaving it unlocked is a bad idea — but Apple's AirPods and Find My helped police track it down.Find My on an iPhoneTwo people were arrested on Sunday by police in Weare, New Hamp.....»»
Column: In defense of picking Joe Manchin, Elon Musk as Automotive News All-Stars
Manchin and Musk have generated their share of controversy, and they won't win any popularity contests in some circles, but there is no denying that the impact each has had on the industry this year has been outsized......»»
See a stunning image of the Orion nebula stellar nursery
Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky, and within the constellation is a nebula that is a busy region of star formation......»»
Mathematicians resolve a longstanding open problem for the so-called 3D Euler singularity
The motion of fluids in nature, including the flow of water in our oceans, the formation of tornadoes in our atmosphere, and the flux of air surrounding airplanes, have long been described and simulated by what are known as the Navier–Stokes equati.....»»
Hubble Space Telescope captures the earliest stage of star formation
This week's image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a beautiful cloud of dust and gas that could one day be the birthplace of a new star......»»
James Webb Telescope captures the formation of a new star
Light from the protostar leaks out to illuminate cavities created as material is ejected from the incubating star where it collides with surrounding matter. This is illustrated in Webb's observation as blue and orange clouds. Blue clouds represent ar.....»»
Your Phone Can Determine If a Bridge Is Busted
Any smartphone in any car can pick up a span’s unique vibrations. Tracking how that changes over time reveals hidden structural problems......»»
Revealing biochemical "rings of power"
Benzobactins are bacterial natural products that have special biological activity due to a compound consisting of two ring structures. The bacterial genes responsible for the formation of the compound were previously unclear. Now, scientists at the M.....»»
Ancient global ocean on Mars may have come from carbon-rich chondrite meteorites from the outer solar system
A team of researchers at the University of Copenhagen's Center for Star and Planet Formation, working with colleagues from Université de Paris, ETH Zürich and the University of Bern, has found evidence suggesting that most of the water that made up.....»»
Salt more important than cold polar temperatures in sea ice formation
When polar seas freeze and ice forms, it is not only due to cold air chilling the surface of the water. Even more important is that warm water is prevented from rising to the surface from the depths of the ocean, due to the much lower salinity of the.....»»
Termite diversity and functional traits quantitatively modeled for the first time
As ecosystem engineers, termites provide a range of ecosystem services. Although termites represent an ideal study system to examine broad-scale diversity patterns, their broad scale biogeographical patterns have yet to be extensively investigated......»»
International research team cracks chemical code on how iodine helps form clouds
An international team led by CU Boulder researchers has cracked the chemical code driving the formation of iodine particles in the atmosphere, revealing how the element contributes to increased cloud cover and depletes molecules in the Earth's protec.....»»