Unraveling the mathematics behind wiggly worm knots
For millennia, humans have used knots for all kinds of reasons—to tie rope, braid hair, or weave fabrics. But there are organisms that are better at tying knots and far superior—and faster—at untangling them......»»
Why some fish are "junk" and others are protected. Study points to bias against native species
Andrew Rypel grew up fishing on Wisconsin's pristine lakes and rivers. With just a worm on his hook, he caught suckers, gar, sunfish and other native fish he never saw in his game fishing magazines......»»
Unraveling the Mystery of Why Children Are Better Protected from COVID Than Adults
Their immune system is more primed to fight off the novel coronavirus -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
How Big Data Carried Graph Theory Into New Dimensions
Researchers are turning to the mathematics of higher-order interactions to better model the complex connections within their data......»»
Modern Mathematics Confronts Its White, Patriarchal Past
Mathematicians want to think their field is a meritocracy, but bias, harassment and exclusion persist -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Why a tiny worm"s brain development could shed light on human thinking
Researchers at Sinai Health have used a tiny worm to track how an animal's brain changes throughout its lifetime, shedding new light on how human brains develop......»»
Unraveling the mechanisms that control parental care in birds
When animals become parents, they often need to change their behaviors in ways that allow them to protect and ensure the survival of their offspring. What happens in the brain when an animal becomes a new parent?.....»»
Unraveling mysteries of the ocean from space
Using nearly a decade of satellite data, researchers at Colorado State University have uncovered "milky seas" in a way they've never been seen before—a rare and fascinating oceanic bioluminescent phenomenon detected by a highly sensitive spaceborne.....»»
Plant reproduction: Unraveling the role of a new membrane within pollen grain
While the reproduction process of flowering plants has been known for more than 120 years, there still remain many mysteries to unravel. Researchers from INRAE, ENS de Lyon, CNRS and Limagrain characterized a new membrane within pollen grain that sur.....»»
Genomic secrets of gutless deep-sea tubeworm unlocked
Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) decoded for the first time the chromosomal-level genome of a deep-sea gutless tubeworm and how the worm's co-living bacterial partners manufacture organic nutrients for its h.....»»
How chemistry undergraduates benefit from graduate student diversity
Diversity among graduate student teaching assistants (TAs) may be among the most essential factors in retaining underrepresented minority undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, according to statist.....»»
Scientists get to the bottom of deep Pacific ventilation
Recent findings, with important implications for ocean biogeochemistry and climate science, have been published by Nature Communications in a paper by Associate Professor Mark Holzer from UNSW Science's School of Mathematics & Statistics, with co-aut.....»»
2,000-year-old mystery of a havoc-wreaking worm
Humans have known for over 2,000 years that shipworms, a worm-like mollusk, are responsible for damage to wooden boats, docks, dikes and piers. Yet new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst published in Frontiers in Microbiology revea.....»»
Match matters: The right combination of parents can turn a gene off indefinitely
A new study provides a potential tool for unraveling the mystery of how experiences can cause inheritable changes to an animal's biology. By mating nematode worms, they produced permanent epigenetic changes that lasted for more than 300 generations......»»
Unraveling the mechanisms that create the individualized metabolism in leukemia
Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), an enzyme involved in gene expression, produces individualized metabolism depending on the type of acute myeloid leukemia cells. Cancer cells have a unique ability to metabolize substances differently from normal.....»»
How a 17th-century illustration is helping archaeologists find Viking ships
Danish antiquarian Ole Worm conducted the first survey of the Kalvestene in 1650. Enlarge / Ole Worm's 17th-century drawing of the Hjarnø Viking ship settings at Kalvestene (1650). (credit: Ole Worm / Public domain) In 1650, a Danish physicia.....»»
Thinking in 3D improves mathematical skills
Spatial reasoning ability in small children reflects how well they will perform in mathematics later. Researchers from the University of Basel recently came to this conclusion, making the case for better cultivation of spatial reasoning......»»
Part Terminator, part Tremors: This robotic worm can swim through sand
Remember the "Graboid" worm monsters from Tremors? Well, thanks to some brilliant engineering, there's now a robotic version that can burrow through sand......»»
Pac-Man and Picasso: Researcher pushes the boundaries of learning in mathematics education
Earth is a round planet where flat surfaces and perfect shapes are scarce, but assignments in many geometry courses are completed on grid paper with simplified line segments and symmetrical polygons......»»
Mathematicians Welcome Computer-Assisted Proof in "Grand Unification" Theory
Proof-assistant software handles an abstract concept at the cutting edge of research, revealing a bigger role for software in mathematics. From a report: Mathematicians have long used computers to do numerical calculations or manipulate complex formu.....»»
There"s more to genes than DNA: How Mum and Dad add something extra
Biologists at the Universities of Bath and Vienna have discovered 71 new 'imprinted' genes in the mouse genome, a finding that takes them a step closer to unraveling some of the mysteries of epigenetics—an area of science that describes how genes a.....»»