Parasitic wasps turn other insects into "zombies," saving millions of humans along the way
Wasps have a reputation for being jerks because of their perceived aggressiveness and ability to sting repeatedly. They're often negatively compared with the honey production and agricultural pollination of bees......»»
Unraveling an ancient European extinction mystery: Disappearance of dwarf megafauna on paleolithic Cyprus
Scientists have unraveled a mystery about the disappearance of dwarf hippos and elephants that once roamed the picturesque landscape on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus before paleolithic humans arrived......»»
Nuclear theorists turn to supercomputers to map out matter"s building blocks in 3D
Deep inside what we perceive as solid matter, the landscape is anything but stationary. The interior of the building blocks of the atom's nucleus—particles called hadrons that a high school student would recognize as protons and neutrons—are made.....»»
Fungi to the rescue: South African scientists use innovative approach to protect apple trees
Gardeners the world over dread the appearance of aphids on their plants. There are around 4,000 species of these sap-sucking insects and about 250 are pests that can wreak havoc on crops in a garden or orchard......»»
An AI tool for scanning sand grains opens windows into recent time and the deep past
Stanford researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based tool—dubbed SandAI—that can reveal the history of quartz sand grains going back hundreds of millions of years. With SandAI, researchers can tell with high accuracy if wind, rive.....»»
Earth"s greatest mass extinction 250 million years ago shows what happens when El Niño gets out of control
Around 252 million years ago, the world suddenly heated up. Over a geologically brief period of tens of thousands of years, 90% of species were wiped out. Even insects, which are rarely touched by such events, suffered catastrophic losses. The Permia.....»»
PSA: iOS 18 adds new ‘Repair Assistant’ for configuring replacement parts
iOS 18 is rolling out to iPhone users, and it includes an all-new Repair Assistant feature. This feature allows iPhone users and repair professionals to configure new and used Apple parts on device. Here’s what this change will mean for millions of.....»»
This AI can turn your mundane video into a special effects spectacular
Runway adds video-to-video feature to its Gen-3 AI video generator......»»
23andMe set to pay millions to settle data breach lawsuit
If the judge approves the settlement terms, 23andMe will pay out millions and will have to run regular security audits......»»
Virtual laboratory allows scientists to simulate specific decreases in gene activity
Imagine you're looking at millions upon millions of mysterious genetic mutations. With CRISPR gene-editing technology, a select few of these mutations might have therapeutic potential. However, proving it would mean many thousands of hours of lab wor.....»»
Using sunlight to turn greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals
McGill University researchers have harnessed the power of sunlight to transform two of the most harmful greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals. The discovery could help combat climate change and provide a more sustainable way to produce certain ind.....»»
Researchers find evidence that bumblebees make the same memory errors as humans
Psychologists at the University of Stirling have carried out research that shows wild bumblebees make the same memory errors as humans......»»
Video: Why Canadian trash costs $30,000 per gram
How do you turn nuclear waste into a $30,000-per-gram commodity? Tritium, once discarded as a by-product of Canadian nuclear reactors, is now one of the most expensive materials on Earth. This rare isotope of hydrogen powers glow-in-the-dark keychain.....»»
Energy-saving computing with magnetic whirls
Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have managed to enhance the framework of Brownian reservoir computing by recording and transferring hand gestures to the system that then used skyrmions to detect these individual gestures......»»
Strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949 shuts down megacity
Tens of millions of people in Shanghai and across China's densely populated east coast hunkered indoors Monday as the strongest typhoon to hit since 1949 swept in, downing trees and disrupting transport across the region......»»
The UK and Ireland"s climate was tropical 26 million years ago—here"s why that matters now
Millions of years ago, the climate was much warmer and wetter than today. But exactly how much warmer and wetter?.....»»
The Bird Flu Outbreak Takes a Mysterious Turn
US health officials say they don’t know how a patient in Missouri contracted bird flu......»»
Edible insects show promise as sustainable nutritional source
As the global population grows and traditional livestock production increasingly strains environmental resources, there is a rising interest in alternative protein sources. Edible insects, particularly grasshoppers, are abundant in regions like Camer.....»»
Millions of Android streaming boxes hit by damaging malware
Vo1d backdoor is compromising older streaming boxes powered by Android......»»
How bacteria actively use passive physics to make biofilms
When we think about bacteria, we may imagine single cells swimming in solution. However, similarly to humans, bacterial cells often socialize, using surfaces to coalesce into complex heterogeneous communities called biofilms. Within a group, bacteria.....»»
AI chatbots might be better at swaying conspiracy theorists than humans
Co-author Gordon Pennycook: "The work overturns a lot of how we thought about conspiracies." Enlarge / A woman wearing a sweatshirt for the QAnon conspiracy theory on October 11, 2020 in Ronkonkoma, New York. (credit: Stephanie.....»»