Omicron is Spreading at Lightning Speed. Scientists Are Trying To Figure Out Why
NPR reports: In late November, more than 110 people gathered at a crowded Christmas party at a restaurant in Oslo. Most of the guests were fully vaccinated. One had returned from South Africa just a few days earlier and was unknowingly carrying the o.....»»
What makes baseball’s “magic mud” so special?
It has just the right mix of spreadability, stickiness, and friction to give pitchers a better grip on the ball. Since the 1940s, baseball players have been spreading a special ki.....»»
Scientists reveal strigolactone perception mechanism and role in tillering responses to nitrogen
"How is plant growth controlled?" and "What is the basis of variation in stress tolerance in plants?" were among the 125 most challenging scientific questions, according to the journal Science in 2016......»»
How do brains coordinate activity? From fruit flies to monkeys, scientists discover a universal principle
The brain is a marvel of efficiency, honed by thousands of years of evolution so it can adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Yet, despite decades of research, the mystery of how the brain achieves this has remained elusive......»»
Novel AI framework incorporates experimental data and text-based narratives to accelerate search for new proteins
Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and the world's fastest supercomputers, a research team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has developed an innovative computing framework to speed up the desi.....»»
Assessing the efficacy of clinical drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease
Over the last few years, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, has undergone significant changes, evolving from the original wild-type strains to the highly transmissible omicron variant......»»
Mysterious Sydney beach blobs: Scientists uncover their complex composition
A multi-disciplinary team of scientists have made significant progress in understanding the origins of the mysterious black balls washing ashore on Sydney beaches......»»
Scientists calculate predictions for meson measurements
Nuclear physics theorists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have demonstrated that complex calculations run on supercomputers can accurately predict the distribution of electric charges in mesons, particles made.....»»
Climate change is contributing to drought in the American West even without rainfall deficits, scientists find
Higher temperatures caused by anthropogenic climate change made an ordinary drought into an exceptional drought that parched the American West from 2020–2022. A study by UCLA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientists ha.....»»
How to revive in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
You still have a second chance at defeating an enemy after death in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but you just have to figure out first how Revival Charges work......»»
Generation gaps: How much faster Apple Silicon gets with each release
Apple Silicon speed has steadily improved since the debut in 2020. Here's how much faster Apple has made its chips in just four years.M4 is Apple's latest chips - Image credit: AppleChip generations tend to improve with age. As designs get better and.....»»
Biologists discover how plants evolved multiple ways to override genetic instructions
Biologists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered the origin of a curious duplication that gives plants multiple ways to override instructions that are coded into their DNA. This research could help scientists exploit a plant's existin.....»»
How empty cans could make Thailand"s roads safer
Nearly 12,000 cans packed into re-usable "crash boxes" could protect drivers and passengers on Thailand's roads. The innovation developed by Cranfield University focuses on addressing the devastating outcomes of high-speed collisions involving highwa.....»»
Scientists use high-energy heavy ion collisions as a new tool to reveal subtleties of nuclear structure
Scientists have demonstrated a new way to use high-energy particle smashups at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility for nuclear physics research at DOE's Brookhaven National La.....»»
Bioinspired hydrogels harness sunlight: A step closer to artificial photosynthesis
Mimicking how plants convert sunlight into energy has long been a dream for scientists aiming to create renewable energy solutions. Artificial photosynthesis is a process that seeks to replicate nature's method, using sunlight to drive chemical react.....»»
New research may lead to potatoes that are less reliant on nitrogen fertilizers
Because nitrogen fertilizers contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, scientists are looking for ways to modify agricultural plants so that they rely on less nitrogen. In research published in New Phytologist, investigators have found that bloc.....»»
Braving sharks and hordes of urchins, scientists are growing kelp one forest at a time
The weathered UC Davis Marine Laboratory looms in thick fog on the edge of the ocean near Bodega Bay. Inside, an experiment is playing out that gives a badly-needed boost to Northern California's kelp forests—underwater cathedrals of green and gold.....»»
New framework uses games of chance to put "price" on intangible assets
A new statistical model could help to address the age-old question of how to price non-physical, intangible goods like data, say scientists......»»
Bach, Mozart or jazz: Scientists provide a quantitative measure of variability in music pieces
Physicists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) have investigated to which extent a piece of music can evoke expectations about its progression. They were able to determine differences in how far compositions of dif.....»»
Scientists find key to engineering water-responsive biopolymers
Scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have developed a novel approach to better understand and predict the behaviors of water-responsive materials—solid matter that can change shape by absorbing.....»»
M4 24-inch iMac vs M3 24-inch iMac compared -- Apple"s iconic Mac gets a speed boost
Apple's refreshed M4 24-inch iMac sports a fast chip, but that isn't the only reason to upgrade. Here's how the hot new model compares to the year-old M3 iMac that it replaces.Apple's M4 iMac hasn't changed all that much.Apple's launch of the new M4.....»»