New vestiges of the first life on Earth discovered in Saudi Arabia
Stromatolites are the earliest geological record of life on Earth. These curious biotic structures are made of algae carpets growing toward the light and precipitating carbonates. After their first appearance 3.48 Ga ago, stromatolites dominated the.....»»
Buried landforms reveal North Sea"s ancient glacial past
An international team of researchers, including a glaciologist at Newcastle University, UK, has discovered remarkably well-preserved glacial landforms buried almost 1 km beneath the North Sea......»»
How to find a comet before it hits Earth
How do you find a comet that could pose a threat to Earth but hasn't passed our planet in the last 200 years or more? You look for its footprint......»»
Seabed seismographs unlock mysteries of longest runout sediment flows
Durham University scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in marine geoscience, revealing unprecedented insights into the dynamics of Earth's longest runout sediment flows......»»
Plutonium isotope anomalies discovered in Southern Hemisphere glaciers
The results of the newest investigations carried out by scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN shed new light on the processes of accumulation of plutonium isotopes on glaciers of the Southern Hemisphere. Analyses of samples of cryoconi.....»»
Southern states brace for water changes, report finds
Water is everywhere. It falls freely from the sky and flows across the earth. Humans are inextricably connected to water and to forests. Changes in land use, forest conditions, and climate affect water – with consequences for drinking water treatme.....»»
Rising desertification shows we can"t keep farming with fossil fuels
Three-quarters of Earth's land has become drier since 1990. Droughts come and go—more often and more extreme with the incessant rise of greenhouse gas emissions over the last three decades—but burning fossil fuels is transforming our blue planet......»»
Tidal streams of interstellar objects may flow through the Milky Way like braided rivers
We know that interstellar objects occasionally visit our solar system. So far, we have only discovered two interstellar objects (ISOs), but that's mainly because we can only distinguish them from solar system bodies by their orbital motion, and that.....»»
Could the ESA"s PLATO mission find Earth 2.0?
Currently, 5,788 exoplanets have been confirmed in 4,326 star systems, while thousands more candidates await confirmation. So far, the vast majority of these planets have been gas giants (3,826) or Super-Earths (1,735), while only 210 have been "Eart.....»»
Early Earth"s oceans of magma may have accelerated the moon"s departure
The Earth and moon have been locked in a gravitational dance for billions of years. Each day, as the Earth turns, the moon tugs upon the oceans of the world, causing the rise and fall of tides. As a result, the Earth's day gets a little bit longer, a.....»»
New insights into the evolution and paleoecology of mosasaurs
Mosasaurs are extinct marine lizards, spectacular examples of which were first discovered in 1766 near Maastricht in the Netherlands, fueling the rise of the field of vertebrate paleontology. Paleontologist Michael Polcyn presented the most comprehen.....»»
Atomic force microscopy reveals microtubule defects at submolecular resolution
In a study recently published in the journal Nano Letters, researchers from Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan, used frequency-modulated atomic force microscopy to reveal the submolecular structure of micr.....»»
Catalyst "breathes" new life into acrylonitrile production
A team of engineers is reimagining one of the essential processes in modern manufacturing. Their goal? To transform how a chemical called acrylonitrile (ACN) is made—not by building world-scale manufacturing sites, but by using smaller-scale, modul.....»»
Neuronal adaptations shed light on anglerfish hunting behavior
Characterized by their unique adaptations to extreme environments, anglerfish are known for using lures to attract prey. Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have discovered in frogfish (a subgroup of anglerfish) a specialized motor neuron popul.....»»
Apple exec launches Apple Intelligence in Australia
Apple's Bob Borchers is in Australia for the launch of Apple Intelligence where he says he expects the new features will become a natural part of users' daily life.Apple's Bob Borchers — image credit: EFTMAs Apple releases iOS 18.2, alongside the n.....»»
NASA"s Lucy spacecraft prepares for second Earth gravity assist
On Dec. 12, at 11:15 p.m. EST, NASA's Lucy spacecraft, currently in a two-year orbit around the sun, will skim Earth's atmosphere, passing only about 220 miles (360 kilometers) above the surface. This close flyby will result in a "gravity assist," pu.....»»
Helicopter parenting in fish: Damselfish protect young by eating parasites
Researchers have discovered a rare example of "great fish parenting" with a common coral reef species found to actively protect their young by eating parasites......»»
Stone Age insights: Life, death and fire in ancient Ukraine
A research group led by Johannes Müller at the Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, at Kiel University, Germany, have shed light on the lives of people who lived over 5,600 years ago near Kosenivka, Ukraine......»»
Fast, rewritable computing with DNA origami registers
DNA stores the instructions for life and, along with enzymes and other molecules, computes everything from hair color to risk of developing diseases. Harnessing that prowess and immense storage capacity could lead to DNA-based computers that are fast.....»»
Eyes on the sun: Naked thallium-205 ion decay reveals history over millions of years
The sun, the essential engine that sustains life on Earth, generates its tremendous energy through the process of nuclear fusion. At the same time, it releases a continuous stream of neutrinos—particles that serve as messengers of its internal dyna.....»»
Warm Saturn-sized exoplanet discovered with TESS
Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has detected a new exoplanet orbiting a distant star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-4994 b, is warm and slightly smaller than Saturn. The findi.....»»