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.....»»
Scientists discover how soil microbes survive in harsh desert environments
Prolonged droughts followed by sudden bursts of rainfall—how do desert soil bacteria manage to survive such harsh conditions? This long-debated question has now been answered by an ERC project led by microbiologist Dagmar Woebken from the Centre fo.....»»
Huge database gives insight into salmon patterns at sea
A massive new analysis of high seas salmon surveys is enhancing the understanding of salmon ecology, adding details about where various species congregate in the North Pacific Ocean and their different temperature tolerances. The study is published i.....»»
Dubai airport diverts flights as "exceptional weather" hits Gulf
Dubai's major international airport diverted scores of incoming flights on Tuesday as heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates, causing widespread flooding around the desert country......»»
How do Australia"s desert animals avoid inbreeding during dry spells?
Some Australian desert mammals use distinct strategies to promote evolutionary fitness in response to changing environmental conditions over short timescales, according to a new study......»»
The great tits in this Oxford wood are adapting their breeding times as climate changes
As part of a team of ecologists, I've been studying aspects of great tit biology at Wytham Woods near Oxford. One aspect of our research is how climate change affects their breeding behavior. So far, our research suggests that these great tits have b.....»»
Traces of DNA in the stomachs of predatory snails provide new insights into the ecology of placozoans
Placozoans are among the simplest animals and occur worldwide in coastal waters. It was previously assumed that the tiny creatures, which measure just a few millimeters, live either on hard surfaces—such as rocks, corals, and mangrove roots—or fl.....»»
Juice aces Callisto flyby test
Seven years from now, in April 2031, ESA's Juice mission will fly past Jupiter's moon Callisto, offering scientists a tantalizing glimpse at the mysterious, cratered alien world......»»
iPhone users in 92 countries received a spyware attack alert
A bunch of folks all over the world got a mysterious notification about a "mercenary spyware attack" targeting iPhones. Almost half of the countries in the world got a strange notification from Apple on Wednesday.At noon Pacific time on Wednesd.....»»
iOS 18 rumored to have a mysterious Safari Browsing Assistant feature
Two more potential features inbound to iOS 18 have surfaced in rumors, with Safari Browsing Assistant and Encrypted Visual Search possibly on the way.An iPhone running iOS 17Apple is a few months away from introducing the new features it will be incl.....»»
Mysterious bones may have belonged to gigantic ichthyosaurs
Several similar large, fossilized bone fragments have been discovered in various regions across Western and Central Europe since the 19th century. The animal group to which they belonged is still the subject of much debate to this day. A study carrie.....»»
Snowmelt timing impacts grassland plant communities, new study finds
Researchers at the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have shed light on how the timing of snowmelt affects the plant communities in grasslands, which are vital ecosystems around the world......»»
Cracking the code of flash floods: New insights from China"s mountainous regions
Recently, researchers have made breakthroughs in flash flood forecasting by studying how different rainfall patterns affect flash floods in China's mountainous regions. This research leads to the possibility of more accurate and localized flood warni.....»»
The sun was born when a dense gas cloud collapsed 4.6 billion years ago
While the upcoming total solar eclipse is a special moment to reflect on our place in the universe, scientists have been studying the birth of the sun and the formation of our solar system for a long time......»»
Magnetic levitation: New material offers potential for unlocking gravity-free technology
Researchers at the Quantum Machines Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) are studying levitating materials—substances that can remain suspended in a stable position without any physical contact or mechanical support......»»
Apple Watch Ultra 2 helped Speed Project take on 300-mile desert run
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was recently used by teams running The Speed Project, an annual relay traversing over 300 miles between Santa Monica and Las Vegas.Runners from The Speed Project [Apple]The Speed Project is a grueling annual race, which sees t.....»»
Researchers bring 60-year-old dormant algae cells to life
New research at Åbo Akademi University, Finland, has managed to circumvent previous challenges in finding out how microalgae adapt to global warming by studying up to 60-year-old microalgae cells from the Archipelago Sea. Some microalgae form restin.....»»
NASA"s LRO finds photo op as it zips past South Korea"s Danuri moon orbiter
NASA's LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), which has been circling and studying the moon for 15 years, captured several images of Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri lunar orbiter last month. The two spacecraft, traveling in nearly parallel o.....»»
Researchers discover two vesicle fusion mechanisms while studying vesicle movement in living cells
Cells intake substances from the outside world by encapsulating them in vesicles called endosomes, which are subsequently transported throughout the cell. During the transport process, vesicles fuse with other intracellular organelles. However, obser.....»»
Common loons threatened by declining water clarity
The Common Loon, an icon of the northern wilderness, is under threat from climate change due to reduced water clarity, according to a new study authored by Chapman University professor, Walter Piper. The study, published April 1 in Ecology, followed.....»»
Jony Ive is now looking for funding to jump on the AI development train
Former Apple head designer Jony Ive is looking for big money from known artificial intelligence venture capitalists to build his mysterious assistant product.A report on Friday again links Jony Ive with Open AI funding source Thrive Capital, and newl.....»»