Reflected moonlight found to make barn owls less visible to prey
A team of biology and optics researchers affiliated with a host of institutions in Spain has found that the unique undercoating of the barn owl helps to make it less visible to prey when flying under the moon and starlit skies......»»
Daily Telescope: A closer look at the most-distant object visible to the naked eye
Looking far away to understand our own home. Enlarge / The Andromeda Galaxy, as seen from The Milky Way Galaxy. (credit: Kevin Chernoff) Welcome to the Daily Telescope. There is a little too much darkness in this wor.....»»
How do kingfishers avoid concussions when diving? It might be in their genes
Mutations in the MAPT gene associated with tau proteins seem to play a significant role. Enlarge / Fish-eating kingfishers execute plunging dives into the water to capture prey, yet never seem to get concussed. (credit: Richard T.....»»
Diffraction-limited visible imaging for large aperture telescopes
A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances discusses diffraction-limited visible imaging for large aperture telescopes......»»
Finding the genes that help kingfishers dive without hurting their brains
If you've ever belly-flopped into a pool, then you know: water can be surprisingly hard if you hit it at the wrong angle. But many species of kingfishers dive headfirst into water to catch their fishy prey. In a new study in the journal Communication.....»»
Researchers develop novel data representation for transcription factor-binding sequences
The diverse characteristics of the human body's various cells are reflected in their gene expression patterns. The regulation of such gene expression is based on transcription factors that bind to specific sequences in the genome......»»
How to Watch Saturday’s Solar Eclipse
On the morning of October 14, an annular solar eclipse will be visible to people in the Americas, creating a fiery halo of light around a darkened sun......»»
Scientists explain unique formation of ancient algae that evolved photosynthesis and oxygenated the planet
Scientists have for the first time revealed how blue-green algae—visible as the slippery green slime in stagnant water, riverbeds, and seashores—weaves itself into large weblike structures......»»
Zoom Time May Be Linked to Discontent with One"s Own Appearance
How do people make peace with the image reflected back at them in a video conference?.....»»
Planet collision explains star’s brightening, then dimming
Emissions in infrared shot up, then visible light dropped two years later. Enlarge / Artist's conception of what the post-collision body of material might look like. (credit: MARK GARLICK) Planet formation is thought to.....»»
Peregrine falcons set off false alarms to make prey easier to catch, study finds
Predators must eat to survive—and to survive, prey must avoid being eaten. One theory, the Wolf-Mangel model, suggests predators could use false attacks to tire prey out or force them to take bigger risks, but this has been hard to show in practice.....»»
Predator-prey defense mechanisms could unlock key to marine biofuel production
Researchers have unpicked the mechanism behind a marine feeding strategy that could provide a valuable renewable source of biofuel......»»
Night owls may earn less than early birds: Study reveals connections between circadian rhythm and income level
Researchers from the University of Oulu, Finland, have uncovered a link between internal circadian rhythm and income levels. According to the study, now published in Economics & Human Biology, individuals who tend to be more active in the evening hou.....»»
Hubble records rare radio galaxy NGC 612
A striking orange and blue streak fills this new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble's visible and infrared capabilities captured this edge-on view of lenticular galaxy NGC 612. Lenticular galaxies have a central bulge and disk much like.....»»
Mysterious antimatter observed falling down for first time
For the first time, scientists have observed antimatter particles—the mysterious twins of the visible matter all around us—falling downwards due to the effect of gravity, Europe's physics lab CERN announced on Wednesday......»»
"New way of looking at nature": These naturalists explore queer ecology with geese, owls and more
As Raquel García-Álvarez guides hikers on a trail surrounding the Sand Ridge Nature Center, her remarks on flora and fauna are interrupted by geese honking. She explains, as curious onlookers admire the birds skirting the water, that there's more t.....»»
Scientists just opened the lid to NASA’s asteroid sample canister
"There is some black dust-like material that's visible. We're hoping that's from Bennu." Enlarge / The lid is open on the OSIRIS-REx sample return canister, revealing a tantalizing ring of dust outside the main sample collection.....»»
Researchers fabricate chip-based optical resonators with record low UV losses
Researchers have created chip-based photonic resonators that operate in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions of the spectrum and exhibit a record low UV light loss. The new resonators lay the groundwork for increasing the size, complexity and fid.....»»
macOS Sonoma with interactive widgets, Kanban Reminders and more is now available
Following months in beta testing, Apple has now officially released macOS Sonoma, which brings dozens of small yet significant updates to the Mac.Apple's macOS Sonoma is hereThe most visible change comes when you install macOS Sonoma and then restart.....»»
Electron transfer kineties of CdS/Zn(impim) dots-on-rods designed for efficient visible-light reduced C-X bond
Using solar energy to drive the cleavage of C-X bonds in halogenated organic compounds to form C-H bonds can not only control environmental pollution but also achieve important organic conversion reactions......»»
What"s the real story about shark populations in New York waters?
The lack of evidence about shark biology, their prey, and changes in the ecosystems of New York area coastal waters is a driving force to expand research about sharks and their populations in the region, so say a team of scientists in an article publ.....»»