Through new experiments, researchers in Japan and Germany have recreated the chemical conditions found in the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon, Enceladus. Published in Icarus, the results show that these conditions can readily produce many of the organic compounds observed by the Cassini mission, strengthening evidence that the distant world could harbor the molecular building blocks of life. [...]
All over the body are tiny sensors called nociceptors whose job is to spot potentially harmful stimuli and send warning signals to the brain and spinal cord, helping protect us from injury or tissue damage. [...]
Georgetown University researchers have discovered a new class of strong magnets that do not rely on rare-earth or precious metals—a breakthrough that could significantly advance clean energy technologies and consumer electronics such as motors, robotics, MRI machines, data storage and smart phones. [...]
As they roll across shadowed regions of the moon's surface, future lunar rovers could develop hazardous buildups of electric charge on their wheels. Through new analysis published in Advances in Space Research, Bill Farrell at the Space Science Institute in Colorado, together with Mike Zimmerman at Johns Hopkins University, outline realistic precautions for mitigating this risk—offering valuable guidance for engineers designing future lunar missions. [...]
A comprehensive new review synthesizing decades of research warns that the Brazilian Cerrado—a biodiversity hotspot, known for its vast inverted forests—is facing a massive, multi-faceted ecological crisis. [...]
More efficient and sustainable energy conversion technologies, among other applications, hinge on lowering the amount of energy needed to trigger specific reactions on the surface of electrodes. Called electrocatalysis, the process conserves energy by transferring electrons and speeding up the reaction time, but the molecules involved typically cannot shuttle other particles or directly activate components of the system. [...]
Thanks to a recent study by researchers at IOCB Prague, it is now possible to monitor processes in living cells more effectively than before, including responses to drugs and changes in cellular structures. [...]
A new study from The University of Manchester has found that happier teachers help create happier pupils—and better learning—as ten schools across the UK embrace a groundbreaking approach to well-being. [...]
In the past five years, higher education has been in a seemingly endless state of disruption. [...]
Researchers at TU Wien are developing a model that interprets opinions not as diametrically opposed poles, but as overlapping areas at the group level. [...]
A multidisciplinary team has uncovered a key mechanism that allows the human bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae—responsible for atypical pneumonia and other respiratory infections—to obtain cholesterol and other essential lipids directly from the human body. [...]
NASA on Saturday rolled out its towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft as it began preparations for its first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years. [...]
Every winter about 10,000 elephant seals make their way to California's Año Nuevo State Park to fight, mate and give birth. The spectacle runs from mid-December through March, drawing wildlife watchers eager for a glimpse of the largest seals on the planet. [...]
These days, the mention of a carthorse or mule plowing a field would transport many people back in time to an era of horse-drawn carriages and pre-industrial agriculture. [...]
Eileen Higgins won a historic victory in December. She became the first woman ever elected mayor of Miami, as well as its first Democratic mayor since 1997. [...]
The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact recently renewed global commitments to sustainable and equitable urban food systems. The pact has been signed by 330 cities around the world that have pledged to improve food production and distribution and to reduce waste. [...]
A mysterious bar-shaped cloud of iron has been discovered inside the iconic Ring Nebula by a European team led by astronomers at University College London (UCL) and Cardiff University. [...]
Opinion polarization is often considered as the primary driver of social friction, leading to exhaustive efforts to force a consensus. However, new research suggests a more pragmatic goal: reducing the friction of disagreement without necessarily eliminating the diversity of opinion. [...]
Growing up in Greece, wildfires were a constant presence each summer. In 2007, I remember watching TV footage of fires ravaging the Peloponnese peninsula and island of Evia, destroying forests and homes, taking lives. The sight of helicopters and firefighting aircraft crossing the smoky skies was both terrifying and awe-inspiring. [...]
People shouldn't be afraid to say what they think, and new research from the University of Virginia bears that out. [...]
As Earth warms due to climate change, oceans are heating up, becoming more acidic, and losing oxygen. These changes threaten marine life, food webs, and global fisheries. Scientists agree that cutting greenhouse gas emissions is essential, but current efforts are not enough to keep global warming below the 1.5–2 degrees Celsius targets set by the Paris Agreement. Because of this, researchers are exploring climate intervention strategies as possible additions to emissions cuts. [...]
A Purple Star Sapphire weighing 3,563 carats which is claimed to be the world's biggest of its kind was unveiled on Saturday in the Sri Lankan capital by the owners, who are ready to sell the precious stone which is estimated to be worth at least $300 million. [...]
Indigenous communities have lived with changes to the climate for centuries. Their adaptations over those many years are based on their close observation of weather, water, soils and seasonal change, and they have been refined through generations of learning. [...]
Taking images of tiny structures within cells is tricky business. One technique, cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET), shoots electrons through a frozen sample. The images formed by the electrons that emerge allow researchers to reconstruct the internal architecture of a cell in 3D with near-atomic resolution. [...]
Intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) reflects how efficiently plants assimilate carbon relative to water loss at the leaf level. While widely studied using carbon isotope and gas-exchange measurements, most existing knowledge is derived from local observations. [...]
UK inflation may be easing, but many households still find their weekly shop getting more expensive. One key reason is something not captured in headline prices: shrinkflation, where manufacturers reduce pack sizes without reducing the price. [...]
Researchers at Colorado State University have determined how to use artificial intelligence to modify antibodies so they act as lightbulbs, enabling scientists to better see inside living cells to track errors in gene expression that can lead to cancer and other disorders. [...]
Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH) and the University of Crete, together with collaborators from Greece, Europe, the U.S., and India, have discovered a novel role of albumin, the most abundant protein in human blood, in protecting against a rare and often deadly fungal infection called mucormycosis. The study is published in Nature. [...]
Understanding human gene function in living organisms has long been hampered by fundamental differences between species. Although mice share most protein-coding genes with humans, their regulatory landscapes often diverge, limiting how accurately mouse models can mimic human biology. [...]
Curtin University researchers have demonstrated a new way to uncover the ancient history of Australia's landscapes, which could offer crucial insights into how our environment responds to geological processes and climate change and even where deposits of valuable minerals may be found. [...]