Only one in four Western Roman emperors died of natural causes
The Roman Empire was ruled by 175 men, from Augustus (63 BCE-19 CE) to Constantine XI (1405-53), including the Eastern or Byzantine Empire after the split in 395 CE, but excluding those who did not rule in their own right because they were minors dur.....»»
How Spanish conquistadors, and a tiny cactus-dwelling insect, gave the world the color red
When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen's crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such as Christian Louboutin have cemented our association of the color red with power an.....»»
Schools in the path of April"s total solar eclipse prepare for a natural teaching moment
Seventh-grade student Henry Cohen bounced side to side in time to the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" playing in teacher Nancy Morris' classroom, swinging his arms open and closed across the planets pictured on his T-shirt......»»
Satellite data shows how drought changes wildfire recovery in the West
A new study using NASA satellite data reveals how drought affects the recovery of western ecosystems from fire, a result that could provide meaningful information for conservation efforts......»»
Artificial reef designed by engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage
The beautiful, gnarled, nooked-and-crannied reefs that surround tropical islands serve as a marine refuge and natural buffer against stormy seas. But as the effects of climate change bleach and break down coral reefs around the world, and extreme wea.....»»
Research shows that five three-horned dinosaurs lived, and died, together
A team from Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands was looking for a Tyrannosaurus in the summer of 2013 in Wyoming. Instead, they found a Triceratops: the famous dinosaur with the three horns and the large neck frill. And then they found a.....»»
New York City owl Flaco was exposed to pigeon virus and rat poison before death, tests show
New York City's celebrity owl Flaco was suffering from a severe pigeon-borne illness and high levels of rat poison when he crashed into a building and died last month, officials at the Bronx Zoo said Monday......»»
New roadmap to prevent pandemics centers on protecting biodiversity
An international team of 25 scientists has proposed a roadmap for how to prevent the next pandemic by conserving natural areas and promoting biodiversity, thereby providing animals with enough food, safe havens and distance to limit contact and the t.....»»
We have revealed a unique time capsule of Australia"s first coastal people from 50,000 years ago
Barrow Island, located 60 kilometers off the Pilbara in Western Australia, was once a hill overlooking an expansive coast. This was the northwestern shelf of the Australian continent, now permanently submerged by the ocean......»»
Tasmania"s tall eucalypt forests will be wiped out by heat waves unless we step in to help them
Tasmania's tall eucalypt forests are globally significant. They accumulate carbon faster than any other natural forest ecosystem in the world......»»
In Lake Erie, climate change scrambles zooplankton"s seasonal presence
A new analysis of zooplankton in western Lake Erie shows that their biomass and seasonal behavioral patterns have been drastically altered by human-driven changes in water temperature and food webs......»»
The next antioxidant superfood? Canadian sea buckthorn berries offer diabetes and obesity potential
New research published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture illuminates the untapped potential of the shrub sea buckthorn as a rich source of natural antioxidants in North America......»»
Improving plant health diagnostics: The dawn of microfluidic devices for rapid miRNA detection
In natural environments, plants encounter biotic and abiotic stresses that can significantly affect their productivity and health. Recognizing the importance of timely stress diagnosis, researchers have developed various sensors and devices to detect.....»»
Team reports on the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in the western Qinghai Lake basin
Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been widely detected in water, sediment, gut and even the phycosphere of algae. In strong anthropogenic activity areas, antibiotic resistance caused by ARGs can pose a significant threat to human health. Despit.....»»
Salt marshes put to the test in wave flume
Can salt marshes serve as a natural solution for flood protection? Researchers of the project "Living Dikes" transported 62 big blocks of salt marshes, containing soil and vegetation, from the coast of Friesland to the Delta Flume at Deltares. After.....»»
New research shows unintended harms of organic farming
Organic farming is often touted as a more sustainable solution for food production, leveraging natural forms of pest control to promote eco-friendly cultivation......»»
Research reveals new starting points for the rapid and targeted development of future drugs
Many important medicines, such as antibiotics and anticancer drugs, are derived from natural products of bacteria. The enzyme complexes that produce these active ingredients have a modular design that makes them ideal tools for synthetic biology. By.....»»
Apple Vision Pro natural input support comes to WebXR with Safari
Apple recently released visionOS 1.1, bringing higher quality Persona avatars and enterprise support to Apple Vision Pro. The software update also introduces support for a significant advancement in immersive web experiences. moreā¦.....»»
Vernor Vinge, father of the tech singularity, has died at age 79
Vinge won multiple Hugo awards and created a sci-fi concept that drives AI researchers. Enlarge / A photo of Vernor Vinge in 2006. (credit: Raul654) On Wednesday, author David Brin announced that Vernor Vinge, sci-fi aut.....»»
Research suggests natural electrical grid deep inside Earth enables many types of microbes to survive
To "breathe" in an environment without oxygen, bacteria in the ground beneath our feet depend upon a single family of proteins to transfer excess electrons (produced during the "burning" of nutrients) to electric hairs called nanowires projecting fro.....»»
Scientists find one of the most ancient stars that formed in another galaxy
The first generation of stars transformed the universe. Inside their cores, simple hydrogen and helium fused into a rainbow of elements. When these stars died, they exploded and sent these new elements across the universe. The iron running in your ve.....»»