Russian geneticist gets probation for DNA smuggling. Discovery of vials prompted alarm at airport
Customs agents were alarmed at their discovery last August at Dulles International Airport: an undeclared cooler packed in a suitcase and filled with 10 test tubes of an unknown yellowish substance, brought to the U.S. by a woman claiming to be a Rus.....»»
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.....»»
Genetic hope in fight against devastating wheat disease
Fungal disease Fusarium head blight (FHB) is on the rise due to increasingly humid conditions induced by climate change during the wheat growing season, but a fundamental discovery by University of Adelaide researchers could help reduce its economic.....»»
TESS finds its first rogue planet
Well over 5,000 planets have been found orbiting other star systems. One of the satellites hunting for them is TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Astronomers using TESS think they are made a rather surprising discovery; their first free.....»»
A shortcut for drug discovery: Novel method predicts on a large scale how small molecules interact with proteins
For most human proteins, there are no small molecules known to bind them chemically (so-called "ligands"). Ligands frequently represent important starting points for drug development but this knowledge gap critically hampers the development of novel.....»»
Russian hackers’ custom tool exploits old Windows Print Spooler flaw (CVE-2022-38028)
For nearly four years and perhaps even longer, Forest Blizzard (aka Fancy Bear, aka APT28) has been using a custom tool that exploits a specific vulnerability in Windows Print Spooler service (CVE-2022-38028). Dubbed GooseEgg, the tool is a launcher.....»»
Windows vulnerability reported by the NSA exploited to install Russian malware
Microsoft didn't disclose the in-the-wild exploits by Kremlin-backed group until now. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Kremlin-backed hackers have been exploiting a critical Microsoft vulnerability for four years in attack.....»»
Windows vulnerability reported by the NSA exploited to install Russian backdoor
Microsoft didn't disclose the in-the-wild exploits by Kremlin-backed group until now. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Kremlin-backed hackers have been exploiting a critical Microsoft vulnerability for four years in attack.....»»
Don"t blame Dubai"s freak rain on cloud seeding—the storm was far too big to be human-made
Some years ago, I found myself making my way up the narrow stairs of a Learjet on a sultry runway in a deserted airport near the South Africa-Mozambique border. The humidity was there to taste—the air thick with it......»»
First discovery in decades of blue whales near Seychelles
Blue whales are fascinating animals. At 24–30 meters in length (longer than a basketball court) they are the largest creatures on Earth. They are also among the rarest. Estimates suggest that there are only about 5,000 to 15,000 blue whales left in.....»»
Astronomers offer new model for formation of recently discovered "free-floating" planets
The recent discovery of a potential new class of distant and mysterious "free-floating" planets has intrigued astronomers since stunning new images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope were shared late last year......»»
Pulsating Snake: First millisecond pulsar discovered in the galactic center
Astronomers from the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) report the discovery of a new millisecond pulsar in the "Snake"—a radio filament in the galactic center. It is the first millisecond pulsar detected in the center of our galaxy. The.....»»
Technical trials for easing the (cosmological) tension
Thanks to the dizzying growth of cosmic observations and measurement tools and some new advancements (primarily the "discovery" of what we call dark matter and dark energy) all against the backdrop of General Relativity, the early 2000s were a time w.....»»
Accelerating the discovery of new materials via the ion-exchange method
Tohoku University researchers have unveiled a new means of predicting how to synthesize new materials via the ion-exchange. Based on computer simulations, the method significantly reduces the time and energy required to explore for inorganic material.....»»
Smoother surfaces make for better accelerators
With every new particle accelerator built for research, scientists have an opportunity to push the limits of discovery. But this is only true if new particle accelerators deliver the desired performance—no small feat in a world where each new machi.....»»
Discovery of new ancient giant snake in India
A new ancient species of snake dubbed Vasuki Indicus, which lived around 47 million years ago in the state of Gujarat in India, may have been one of the largest snakes to have ever lived, suggests new research published in Scientific Reports. The new.....»»
Slow recovery as Dubai airport, roads still plagued by floods
Dubai's airport, one of the world's busiest, witnessed major disruption for the third day in a row on Thursday after the heaviest rains on record drenched the desert United Arab Emirates......»»
Indonesians leave homes near erupting volcano and airport closes due to ash danger
Indonesian authorities closed an airport and residents left homes near an erupting volcano Thursday due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami......»»
New plastic coating discovery gives greater functionality to 3D printing
Scientists and engineers have developed a new coating for plastic particles that are used in 3D printing, which significantly increases their functionality and opens up new possibilities for commercial application......»»
Discovery of bacterial proteins that induce asexual reproduction in insects
From microbes in the human gut to symbiotic algae in coral reefs, research in recent decades has increasingly revealed the pivotal roles that microorganisms (or microbial species) play in shaping the biology of host organisms and of broader ecosystem.....»»
Dubai reels from floods chaos after record rains
Dubai's giant highways were clogged by flooding and airport passengers were urged to stay away on Wednesday as the glitzy financial center reeled from record rains......»»