Scroll depicting rat wedding banquet provides important insight about cooking in medieval Japan
Rats in the kitchen. Typically that implies issues with cleanliness and safety. But in medieval Japan, having rats in the kitchen could suggest an entirely different meaning......»»
Insect and spider biodiversity increases organic nutrient availability across ecosystems, large-scale study shows
Insects and spiders are important elements in the food webs of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. With declines in their biodiversity, the food supply for birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals is not only becoming scarcer, but also poo.....»»
PSA: iOS 18.2 beta is limited to AI-compatible iPhones for now
Apple has released the first beta for iOS 18.2. It includes powerful new Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, and more. But before heading to your Settings app, there’s one important limitation to know: the beta is current.....»»
New chemical treatment reduces number of plant pores that regulate water loss
Researchers from Nagoya University Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (WPI-ITbM) in Japan and their colleagues have identified and derivatized a chemical compound that effectively regulates the density of stomata in model plants. Stomata are cr.....»»
The Google Messages app is getting a few important safety features
Fake parcel scams, shady job offers, and impersonation attacks are rampant. Google is hoping to stop them with a new set of safety features in the Messages app......»»
EyeSight may be weird, but it’s a step toward solving a key Vision Pro problem
EyeSight is undoubtedly one of the weirdest features of the Vision Pro. But it’s also, arguably, one of its most important for solving a key problem with the headset. Here’s why. more….....»»
Gurman: Apple internally believes that it’s at least two years behind in AI development
According to the latest edition of Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, some employees at Apple believe that the company is around two years behind in artificial intelligence development. We also get some insight on a few internal studies, and a look.....»»
Here are Apple’s full release notes for iOS 18.1
The iOS 18.1 RC is now available for developers and public beta testers. The update is set for a release next week with a slew of important new features and big fixes. While we’ve been chronicling all of the changes for the last two months, Apple h.....»»
New ice core data provide insight into climate "tipping points" during the last Ice Age
A changing climate triggers a sudden shift in ocean circulation, creating weather havoc and plunging Earth into an abrupt new Ice Age......»»
Amorphous nanosheets created using hard-to-synthesize metal oxides and oxyhydroxides
Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have addressed a significant challenge in nanosheet technology. Their innovative approach employs surfactants to produce amorphous nanosheets from various materials, including difficult-to-synthesize ultra-th.....»»
Artificial "nose" can sniff out damaged fruit and spoiled meat
Although smell has historically played an important role in the fight against diseases such as the plague and tuberculosis, the human nose is generally not sensitive enough to be used as a reliable diagnostic tool. However, a new artificial "nose" in.....»»
Unexpected beauty and major antimicrobial power boost as phages form into surprising flower shapes
A group of McMaster researchers who routinely work with bacteriophages—viruses that eat bacteria—had a pleasant and potentially very important surprise while preparing slides to view under a powerful microscope......»»
Q&A: A faster way to identify drought-resistant plants for crop breeding research
Climate change is making droughts more common and more severe—which makes research into developing drought-resistant crops more important than ever. Now researchers have developed a new framework that should expedite this important research......»»
Cellular senescence research identifies key enzyme to promote healthy aging
A team at Kumamoto University has made a discovery that could help promote healthy aging. As the world's population ages, Japan's aging population in particular is growing at an unprecedented rate, making it crucial to extend healthy lifespans rather.....»»
Research provides molecular insights into sexual dimorphism of chicken feathers
Birds possess unique skin appendages called feathers that are derived from the outermost layer of skin cells. Feathers are important for several functions, such as flight, temperature regulation, protection from external stimuli, and mating behavior......»»
Single-molecule imaging reveals aberrant DNA-binding dynamics of cancer-linked chromatin remodelers
Biophysical chemists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have uncovered a previously hidden landscape that governs the intracellular organization and dynamics of SWI/SNF chromatin remodelers, an important class of protein complexes that c.....»»
Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer helps researchers determine shape of black hole corona
New findings using data from NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) mission offer unprecedented insight into the shape and nature of a structure important to black holes called a corona. The findings are published in The Astrophysical Journ.....»»
Visible light energy yields two-for-one deal when added to carbon dioxide recycling process
By combining visible light and electrochemistry, researchers have enhanced the conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable products and stumbled upon a surprising discovery. The team found that visible light significantly improved an important chemica.....»»
DNA-binding C2H2 zinc finger proteins also regulate RNA processing, researchers discover
Researchers at the University of Toronto have shown that an important class of DNA-binding factors can also bind to RNA, regulating gene expression through various mechanisms. The study significantly expands our understanding of these proteins' funct.....»»
New method for measuring luminescence lifetime offers versatility in scientific imaging
Oxygen is a key molecule for life, and in order to understand ecosystem dynamics it can be important to follow its ways in much detail. Optical sensors that use luminescent dyes have long been used to map oxygen levels in marine systems. Oxygen reduc.....»»
Cats associate human words with images, experiment suggests
A small team of animal scientists at Azabu University, in Japan, has found via experimentation that common house cats are capable of associating human words with images without prompting or reward. In their study, published in the journal Scientific.....»»