Scientists discover crude oil decimates sea otter buoyancy
Sea otters are famed for their luscious pelts, but the fur almost led to their extinction. By 1938, only a tiny population of ~50 remained clinging to the central California coast. Since then, the mammals have battled back. However, the charismatic c.....»»
Dynamic tracking technique can reduce noise in gravitational-wave detectors to peer deeper into the cosmos
Researchers have shown that optical spring tracking is a promising way to improve the signal clarity of gravitational-wave detectors. The advance could one day allow scientists to see farther into the universe and provide more information about how b.....»»
Scientists exploit photo-induced chirality in thin films to improve authentication tech
In today's world, the fight against counterfeiting is more critical than ever. Counterfeiting affects about 3% of global trade, posing significant risks to the economy and public safety. From fake pharmaceuticals to counterfeit currency, the need for.....»»
AI helps researchers dig through old maps to find lost oil and gas wells
Undocumented orphaned wells pose hazards to both the environment and the climate. Scientists are building modern tools to help locate, assess, and pave the way for ultimately plugging these forgotten relics......»»
Isotope analysis reveals mammoth as key food source for ancient Americans
Scientists have uncovered the first direct evidence that ancient Americans relied primarily on mammoth and other large animals for food. Their research sheds new light on both the rapid expansion of humans throughout the Americas and the extinction o.....»»
Archaeological remains in Alaska show humans and dogs bonded 12,000 years ago
"Dog is man's best friend" may be an ancient cliché, but when that friendship began is a longstanding question among scientists. A study led by a University of Arizona researcher is one step closer to an answer to how Indigenous people in the Americ.....»»
Scientists streamline creation of nucleoside analogs, a group of life-saving molecules
A team of researchers has found a quicker and more efficient way to create nucleoside analogs, a type of small molecule that can be used in treatments for everything from cancer to viral diseases......»»
New synthetic receptor expands cellular control options, including immune response and neurological signaling
A basic function of cells is that they act in response to their environments. It makes sense, then, that a goal of scientists is to control that process, making cells respond how they want to what they want......»»
Coastal retreat in Alaska is accelerating because of compound climate impacts, researchers warn
The overlapping effects of sea level rise, permafrost thaw subsidence, and erosion may lead to land loss in Arctic coastal regions that dwarfs the land loss from any single one of these climate hazards, scientists say......»»
Study finds soil microbes affect flowers" ability to attract bees
New research reveals that certain soil microbes can help plants grow bigger flowers, therefore attracting more bees. The findings, which are published in New Phytologist, suggest that studying roots' relationships with microbes can help scientists pr.....»»
Tiny dancers: Scientists synchronize bacterial motion
Researchers at TU Delft have discovered that E. coli bacteria can synchronize their movements, creating order in seemingly random biological systems. By trapping individual bacteria in micro-engineered circular cavities and coupling these cavities th.....»»
Publication outlines steps for building astronomy databases
Data access, or the availability of new and archival data for use by other scientists and the public, is key to scientific advancement. How data is presented, searched, and formatted determines accessibility, and it can be difficult to find a solutio.....»»
X-ray vision: Seeing through the mystery of an X-ray emissions mechanism
Since the 1960s, scientists who study X-rays, lightning and similar phenomena have observed something curious: In lab experiments replicating these occurrences, electrons accelerated between two electrodes can be of a higher energy than the voltage a.....»»
Researchers locate WWI shipwreck off Northern Ireland
HMS Stephen Furness was steaming through the northern Irish Sea on the afternoon of December 13 1917, en route to Liverpool for repairs. The crew maintained a cautious course, altering direction every ten minutes and traveling at a steady 13 knots—.....»»
Webb observations discover new planet in Kepler-51 "super-puff" system
An unusual planetary system with three known ultra-low density "super-puff" planets has at least one more planet, according to new research led by researchers from Penn State and Osaka University......»»
Poplar tree study discovers a photosynthesis gene that boosts plant height
A team of scientists have identified a gene in poplar trees that enhances photosynthesis and can boost tree height. The study, "An orphan gene BOOSTER enhances photosynthetic efficiency and plant productivity," is published in Developmental Cell, and.....»»
Chemical structure"s carbon capture ability doubled by new research
Oregon State University scientists have found a way to more than double the uptake ability of a chemical structure that can be used for scrubbing carbon dioxide from factory flues......»»
Seeking a new way of life under the sea—and a world record
There are probably easier ways to set a world record, but Rudiger Koch has found his method 11 meters (36 feet) under the sea......»»
Scientists uncover new mollusk species co-habiting with an anemone in the North Atlantic abyss
A new species of tusk shell, a burrowing marine mollusk, has been discovered in deep, North Atlantic waters by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research. The newly discovered mollusk lives in the aby.....»»
Multimodal machine learning model increases accuracy of catalyst screening
Identifying optimal catalyst materials for specific reactions is crucial to advance energy storage technologies and sustainable chemical processes. To screen catalysts, scientists must understand systems' adsorption energy, something that machine lea.....»»
New map shows where koalas are at most risk
A first-of-its-kind map created by a team of scientists at the University of Sydney shows that the genetic diversity of koala populations is in decline across Australia, putting the iconic marsupial at increased risk of extinction......»»