Why it is so hard for humans to have a baby?
New research by a scientist at the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath suggests that "selfish chromosomes" explain why most human embryos die very early on. The study, published in PLoS Biology, explaining why fish embryos are fine.....»»
How bacteria actively use passive physics to make biofilms
When we think about bacteria, we may imagine single cells swimming in solution. However, similarly to humans, bacterial cells often socialize, using surfaces to coalesce into complex heterogeneous communities called biofilms. Within a group, bacteria.....»»
AI chatbots might be better at swaying conspiracy theorists than humans
Co-author Gordon Pennycook: "The work overturns a lot of how we thought about conspiracies." Enlarge / A woman wearing a sweatshirt for the QAnon conspiracy theory on October 11, 2020 in Ronkonkoma, New York. (credit: Stephanie.....»»
Music industry’s 1990s hard drives, like all HDDs, are dying
The music industry traded tape for hard drives and got a hard-earned lesson. Enlarge / Hard drives, unfortunately, tend to die not with a spectacular and sparkly bang, but with a head-is-stuck whimper. (credit: Getty Images).....»»
iFixit’s FixHub tools want to pull soldering away from the wall socket
Battery-powered USB-C soldering iron aims to improve over what's out there. Enlarge (credit: iFixit) Not being able to solder puts a hard cap on the kinds of devices you can fix at home. As more modern devices add in cir.....»»
Clovis people used Great Lakes camp annually about 13,000 years ago, researchers confirm
The earliest humans to settle the Great Lakes region likely returned to a campsite in southwest Michigan for several years in a row, according to a University of Michigan study......»»
We gave these Sennheiser headphones an 8 out of 10, and they’re $150 off today
Sennheiser audio is hard to beat, and right now, Best Buy is selling the incredible Momentum 4 Wireless ANC headphones for only $250!.....»»
Four advantages of the iPhone 16 over the iPhone 16 Pro
Trying to decide between an iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro? The 16 Pro is, on paper, a better device than the iPhone 16. It has several key advantages that are hard to argue with. However, it’s not better in every way. The iPhone 16 comes with its own.....»»
Carbohydrate polymers could be a sweet solution for water purification
Water polluted with heavy metals can pose a threat when consumed by humans and aquatic life. Sugar-derived polymers from plants remove these metals but often require other substances to adjust their stability or solubility in water......»»
Private astronauts on daring trek ahead of historic spacewalk
A private crew set out on an audacious orbital expedition Tuesday, journeying deeper into the cosmos than any humans in half a century as they prepare for the first ever spacewalk by non-professional astronauts......»»
Multiple ways to evolve tiny knee bone could have helped humans walk upright
The evolution of bones in primates' knees could have implications for how humans evolved to walk upright, a new study has found......»»
Thanks to humans, Salish Sea waters are too noisy for resident orcas to hunt successfully
The Salish Sea—the inland coastal waters of Washington and British Columbia—is home to two unique populations of fish-eating orcas, the northern resident and the southern resident orcas. Human activity over much of the 20th century, including red.....»»
Pollution of the potent warming gas methane soars and people are mostly to blame
The amount and proportion of the powerful heat-trapping gas methane that humans spew into the atmosphere is rising, helping to turbocharge climate change, a new study finds......»»
How viruses move through insects for transmission of diseases
Viruses are master parasites that have adapted to infect many host species. Some viruses even use multiple hosts to spread their infections—such as arboviruses that use insects to move their infections to mammalian hosts like humans. Understanding.....»»
Promoting horse welfare with an intestinal disease screening method
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, are developing a promising method to support the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in horses. Awareness of the prevalence of IBD in both humans and animals has increased in recent de.....»»
A roadmap for using viruses to enhance crop performance
Humans, livestock and companion animals benefit from virus-based vaccines and gene therapies, but crops do not. This paradox is highlighted by an international research group led by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) wi.....»»
First robot leg with "artificial muscles" jumps nimbly: Study
Researchers said on Monday they had designed the first robotic leg with "artificial muscles"—oil-filled bags allowing machines to move more like humans—that can jump nimbly across a range of surfaces......»»
Study fills in gaps and biases in plant biodiversity data
It is hard to protect something if you don't know where it is. Yet many people who study and want to safeguard native plants are faced with this exact problem......»»
Georgia high school shooting shows how hard it can be to take action even after police see warning signs
Most school shootings don't just happen out of nowhere—there are typically warning signs......»»
Space travel comes with risk—SpaceX"s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than ever
Space is an unnatural environment for humans. We can't survive unprotected in a pure vacuum for more than two minutes. Getting to space involves being strapped to a barely contained chemical explosion......»»
Expect China to "fight hard" against chip export controls
Expect China to "fight hard" against chip export controls.....»»