Plate tectonics in the twenty-first century
The emergence of plate tectonics in the late 1960s led to a paradigm shift from fixism to mobilism of global tectonics, providing a unifying context for the previously disparate disciplines of Earth sciences. Although plate tectonics was originally d.....»»
Scholars discover rare 16th-century tome with handwritten notes by John Milton
Poet crossed out one racy passage, deeming it "an unbecom[ing] tale for a hist[ory]" Enlarge / John Milton citing Spenser on the recent history of Ireland in his 1587 edition of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles. Note Milton's itali.....»»
John Milton’s handwritten notes make this 16th century history book a rare find
Poet crossed out one racy passage, deeming it "an unbecom[ing] tale for a hist[ory]" Enlarge / John Milton citing Spenser on the recent history of Ireland in his 1587 edition of Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles. Note Milton's itali.....»»
Researchers elucidate ultrafast laser-induced solid-to-overdense-plasma transitions
The interaction of solids with high-intensity ultra-short laser pulses has enabled major technological breakthroughs over the past half-century. On the one hand, laser ablation of solids offers micromachining and miniaturization of elements in medica.....»»
Changes in pig farming in the 20th century spread antibiotic-resistant Salmonella around the world, finds study
Historical changes in pig farming led to the global spread of Salmonella, resistant to antibiotics—a new international study led by researchers at the University of Warwick suggests......»»
Computer models suggest modern plate tectonics are due to blobs left behind by cosmic collision
A small team of geologists and seismologists at the California Institute of Technology has found evidence via computer modeling that suggest giant blobs of material near the Earth's core, believed to have been created by a cosmic collision 4.5 billio.....»»
Anti-Piracy Veteran Tim Kuik Retires After Leading BREIN for a Quarter Century
BREIN CEO Tim Kuik has retired, shutting down an impressive career that pre-dates the world wide web. Kuik started working at a home video distributor in the 1980s and became director anti-piracy at the Motion Picture Association a decade later. He.....»»
Researchers show that slow-moving earthquakes are controlled by rock permeability
Earthquakes are the most dramatic and noteworthy results of tectonic plate movement. They are often destructive and deadly, or at the very least physically felt—they're literally groundbreaking geological events. However not all tectonic movement r.....»»
Smart labs for bespoke synthesis of nanomaterials are emerging
In the early 20th century, the development of a catalyst for ammonia synthesis by the Haber-Bosch method took more than 10,000 experiments before it was successful. The development of new materials is a time-consuming and costly process from design t.....»»
Bio-inspired materials" potential for efficient mass transfer boosted by a new twist on a century-old theory
The natural vein structure found within leaves—which has inspired the structural design of porous materials that can maximize mass transfer—could unlock improvements in energy storage, catalysis, and sensing thanks to a new twist on a century-old.....»»
Researchers explore raw materials and firing technology for porcelain from late sixth-century Xing kiln
In the process of firing ceramics, the appearance, structure and properties of ceramics are determined by raw materials and firing technology, so the study of raw materials and firing technology of ancient ceramics has always been a very important ar.....»»
Eating the way we do hurts us and the planet, Canadian study finds
In an age of abundance and variety in food options, are Canadians eating better than they were half a century ago? According to a recent paper by researchers at McGill University and the International Food Policy Research Institute, those relying on.....»»
Beautifully crafted Roman dodecahedron discovered in Lincoln—but what were they for?
Roman dodecahedra are something of an enigma: there is no known mention of these 12-sided, hollow objects in ancient Roman texts or images. First discovered in the 18th century, around 130 dodecahedra have been found across the Roman Empire, although.....»»
Call of the conch: Archaeologists suggest Indigenous Americans used sound to organize local communities
Archaeologists have modeled the auditory range of conch-shell trumpets in the 9th–11th century US Southwest, proposing that the sound was key in the structuring of pre-Columbian Pueblo communities......»»
Assyriologist claims to have solved archaeological mystery from 700 BC
Ancient symbols on a 2,700-year-old temple, which have baffled experts for more than a century, have been explained by Trinity Assyriologist Dr. Martin Worthington......»»
Researchers discover key functions of therapeutically promising jumbo viruses
Antibiotic medicines became a popular treatment for bacterial infections in the early 20th century and emerged as a transformational tool in human health. Through the middle of the century, novel antibiotics were regularly developed in the medication.....»»
Robots can"t outrun animals. A new study explores why
The question may be the 21st century's version of the fable of the tortoise and the hare: Who would win in a foot race between a robot and an animal?.....»»
Evidence suggests saber-toothed cats held onto their baby teeth to stabilize their sabers
California's state fossil—are familiar to anyone who has ever visited Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits, a sticky trap from which more than 2,000 saber-toothed cat skulls have been excavated over more than a century......»»
Better reservoir management could aid food security and fisheries conservation in US
After nearly a century of people building dams on most of the world's major rivers, artificial reservoirs now represent an immense freshwater footprint across the landscape. Yet, these reservoirs are understudied and overlooked for their fisheries pr.....»»
Reforestation study finds only a few tree species can survive a century of rapid climate change
Europe's forests have already been severely affected by climate change. Thousands of hectares of trees have already died due to drought and bark beetles. Scientists from the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Munich TUM have now inv.....»»
Did Vesuvius bury the home of the first Roman emperor?
A group of archaeologists, led by researchers from the University of Tokyo, announce the discovery of a part of a Roman villa built before the middle of the first century. This villa, near the town of Nola in southwestern Italy's Campania region, was.....»»