Studying Terfezia, the mysterious desert truffles, with an eye toward ecology and cultivation
In a caring, symbiotic relationship, mycorrhizal fungi live and feed in the roots of specific plants, while providing water and nutrients to their "companion." In arid and semi-arid environments, mycorrhization processes are essential to the survival.....»»
Chemical tweaks to a toad hallucinogen turns it into a potential drug
Targets a different serotonin receptor from other popular hallucinogens. Enlarge / The Colorado River toad, also known as the Sonoran Desert Toad. (credit: Mark Newman) It is becoming increasingly accepted that classic p.....»»
TESS discovers a rocky planet that glows with molten lava as it"s squeezed by its neighbors
UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane had to double-check his calculations. He wasn't sure the planet he was studying could be as extreme as it seemed......»»
New generation Beats Pill speaker confirmed by iOS 17.5 RC code
In recent weeks, we’ve seen celebrities like LeBron James and Daniel Ricciardo walking around with a mysterious Beats speaker that looks a lot like the old Beats Pill+. Now with the release of iOS 17.5 RC on Tuesday, we’ve been able to confirm th.....»»
Geologists reveal mysterious and diverse volcanism in lunar Apollo Basin, Chang"e-6 landing site
The far side of the moon is a mysterious place that is never visible from the Earth. The most remarkable feature of the moon is its asymmetry between the lunar near side and far side in composition, crust thickness, and mare volcanism. Scientists hav.....»»
Unraveling isopods" culinary secrets and why it matters for ecosystems
New research on desert isopods' dietary preferences is the revelation of the complex factors influencing their food choices. By understanding how these animals meticulously regulate their nutrient intake and prefer biological soil crusts over plant l.....»»
NASA is helping protect tigers, jaguars, and elephants—here"s how
As human populations grow, habitat loss threatens many creatures. Mapping wildlife habitat using satellites is a rapidly expanding area of ecology, and NASA satellites play a crucial role in these efforts. Tigers, jaguars, and elephants are a few of.....»»
New Nevada experiments aim to improve monitoring of nuclear explosions
On an October morning in 2023, a chemical explosion detonated in a tunnel under the Nevada desert was the launch of the next set of experiments by the National Nuclear Security Administration, with the goal to improve detection of low-yield nuclear e.....»»
The ecology of industrial renewal
Industry faces many problems in the current economic, sociopolitical, and environmental context. The idea of industrial renewal has thus come to the fore as an approach that might allow us to address those different challenges sitting with the new ap.....»»
For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond
Some people fear that breaking a mirror can lead to seven years of misfortune. The history of this superstition may go back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who ascribed mysterious powers to reflected images......»»
New work reveals the "quantumness" of gravity
Gravity is part of our everyday life. Still, the gravitational force remains mysterious: to this day we do not understand whether its ultimate nature is geometrical, as Einstein envisaged, or governed by the laws of quantum mechanics......»»
Study: Airway hillocks challenge our understanding of lung biology
Airway hillocks are mysterious, flat-topped structures that were only recently identified within regular lung tissue, and their role in airway biology and pathology has previously been unknown......»»
Study reveals uniqueness of naturally occurring monodominant forests in the Republic of Congo
A recent study published in the journal Plant Ecology and Evolution gives valuable insights into forest stands of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei (G. dewevrei) in the Sangha Trinational region......»»
Mysterious “gpt2-chatbot” AI model appears suddenly, confuses experts
Mystery LLM highlights transparency issues in AI testing. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) On Sunday, word began to spread on social media about a new mystery chatbot named "gpt2-chatbot" that appeared in the LMSYS Chatbot.....»»
Scientists show that ancient village adapted to drought, rising seas
Around 6,200 BCE, the climate changed. Global temperatures dropped, sea levels rose and the southern Levant, including modern-day Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, southern Syria and the Sinai desert, entered a period of drought......»»
Inexpensive spring truffles or exquisite Piedmont truffles? New analytical method can detect food fraud
Some truffles are particularly expensive and therefore often the target of food fraud. For example, high-priced Piedmont truffles (Tuber magnatum) are often difficult to distinguish from the cheaper spring truffles (T. borchii) on the basis of their.....»»
Unveiling nature"s custodians: Study highlights crucial role of scavengers in wetlands
A study by researchers from the Ecology area of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) and the Ecology department of the University of Alicante (UA) reveals the fundamental importance of scavengers and carrion in wetlands......»»
The best Fallout New Vegas mods
Fallout New Vegas is a fan favorite, but is showing its age. To add some new life to this desert wasteland, check out the best mods the community has to offer......»»
The Mysterious ‘Dark’ Energy That Permeates the Universe Is Slowly Eroding
Physicists call the dark energy that drives the universe “the cosmological constant.” Now the largest map of the cosmos to date hints that this mysterious energy has been changing over billions of years......»»
Species living closely together in symbiosis is far older and way more common than you might think
Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate relationship of different species living together. It's much more common and older than many of us might realize......»»
A new way to study and help prevent landslides
Landslides are one of the most destructive natural disasters on the planet, causing billions of dollars of damage and devastating loss of life every year. By introducing a new paradigm for studying landslide shapes and failure types, a global team of.....»»