Tracing Chile"s Indigenous roots through genetics and linguistics
How do today's Indigenous communities of South America trace back to the history of human migration and contact in the continent? An international team has worked to reconstruct the legacy of Chile's largest Indigenous community, the Mapuche, in a qu.....»»
Scientists reconstruct assembly of the human centriole, image by image, for the first time
Cells contain various specialized structures—such as the nucleus, mitochondria or peroxisomes—known as "organelles." Tracing their genesis and determining their structure is fundamental to understanding cell function and the pathologies linked to.....»»
An inside look at how plants and mycorrhizal fungi cooperate
For millions of years, underground fungi have lived in symbiosis with plant roots. Plants provide photosynthesized carbon, while fungi deliver water and nutrients. In order to do so, these organisms share space at the cellular scale: fungi stretch a.....»»
Mercury contamination rampant in Brazil Indigenous group: Study
Researchers in the Brazilian Amazon found universal mercury contamination among members of the Yanomami Indigenous group living in a region awash in illegal gold mining, said a study published Thursday, warning of devastating health impacts......»»
A return to roots: Lab builds its first stellarator in 50 years and opens the door for research into new plasma physics
For the first time, scientists have built a fusion experiment using permanent magnets, a technique that could show a simple way to build future devices for less cost and allow researchers to test new concepts for future fusion power plants......»»
How AI and deeper roots can help soil store more carbon
In 2020, global agricultural emissions were 16 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (an increase of 9% since the year 2000) and globally, the 2020 farm gate emission represented nearly half of total agricultural emissions, according to the Food.....»»
New method reveals hidden activity of life below ground
A team of scientists led by researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences have developed an innovative method to link the genetics and function of individual microbes living without oxygen deep below Earth's surface. Measuring both of these at.....»»
Novel role for metabolites in cellular metabolism discovered
Investigators led by Issam Ben-Sahra, Ph.D., associate professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, have discovered how cellular metabolism fluctuates in response to changes in levels of pyrimidines, metabolites used by cells to make DNA and RNA.....»»
How can a baby learn two languages at the same time?
Language acquisition in children is one of the most fascinating features of the human species, as well as one of the most difficult problems in linguistics and cognitive science. What are the processes that enable a child to completely master its nat.....»»
New Zealand"s Maori King calls for whales to be given personhood
The King of New Zealand's Indigenous Maori people made an impassioned call Thursday for whales to be granted the same legal rights as people in a bid to protect the hallowed yet vulnerable species......»»
How 8GB VRAM GPUs could be made viable again
Microsoft just published a new patent, describing a technology that could drastically reduce the impact of ray tracing on GPU memory......»»
Brazil"s Indigenous people turn to EU to save their savanna
An EU law banning deforestation-derived products comes into effect at the end of 2024, but for Brazilian Indigenous people it contains an unbearable loophole: the Cerrado, Brazil's vast wooded savanna, is excluded from its scope......»»
Rainforest response to deglaciation impacted by Australian Indigenous populations, study finds
Australia's Indigenous populations have played an important role in modifying the continent's landscape over millennia, particularly by using fire to create open spaces for daily activities. This continued until they left the area in approximately 18.....»»
GDC 2024 in review: Path tracing, upscaling, and CPU-killing tech
After spending the week at GDC, here are my big takeaways from advancements in the world of PC graphics and tech......»»
Improving root senescence recognition with a new semantic segmentation model
Roots play a vital role in plant health, adapting to environmental changes and indicating crop growth. However, studying root senescence is challenging due to difficulties in obtaining clear in situ root images. Traditional methods are limited, and w.....»»
The Feds Are Trying to Get Plants to Mine Metal Through Their Roots
Some species can absorb extreme amounts of nickel from soils. Such “phytomining” could help provide batteries essential for the renewable revolution......»»
Plant material on obsidian blades on Rapa Nui suggests settlers there visited South America and returned
A team of archaeologists affiliated with several institutions in Chile reports evidence that early settlers on the island of Rapa Nui sailed to South America, interacted with people living there and then returned. In their study, published in PLOS ON.....»»
Alien: Romulus teaser has all the right elements to pique our interest
Originally meant for Hulu, the franchise's ninth installment heads to theaters instead. The long-standing science fiction franchise looks to be returning to its horror roots with Alien: Romulus. We learned way back in 2019 that horr.....»»
Tracking and tracing members of the plant microbiome with DNA barcodes
A research team led by Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, developed a modular toolkit for tracking bacterial strains colonizing plant tissue in competition with other microbiome members......»»
Crocodile genetics study to inform population management
The results of a long-range genetic study of Queensland's estuarine crocodiles have shown they can be described broadly as six populations living within 12 distinct bioregions......»»
Communities more likely to adopt conservation measures if their neighbors have, says study
A new paper published in Global Environmental Change featuring Imperial College London researchers explores how Indigenous-led initiatives can be scaled to protect marine ecosystems......»»