Mars digger bites the dust after 2 years on red planet
This Dec. 6, 2018 image made available by NASA shows the InSight lander. The scene was assembled from 11 photos taken using its robotic arm. On Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, NASA declared the craft dead after failing to burrow deep into the red planet to take its temperature. (NASA via AP) NASA declared the Mars […]
Mystery of massive, train-stopping millipede swarms solved
For over a century, thousands of poisonous millipedes have swarmed train tracks in the thick, forested mountains of Japan, forcing trains to grind to a halt. These “train millipedes,” so-called for their famous obstructions, would appear every so often — and then disappear again for years at a time. Now, scientists have figured out why. […]
Could delaying a second vaccine dose lead to new coronavirus strains?
Spiking COVID-19 cases, slow vaccine rollout and the emergence of more transmissible coronavirus variants in some countries have sparked debate among scientists over the best way to protect people with recently authorized vaccines. One idea involves delaying when people receive the second of two required vaccine doses, so that more people can receive the doses […]
Population density and virus strains will affect how regions can resume normal life — ScienceDaily
As a new, apparently more transmissible version of the virus that causes COVID-19 has appeared in several countries, new research finds that the transmissibility of viral strains and the population density of a region will play big roles in how vaccination campaigns can help towns and cities return to more normal activities. The findings suggest […]
Deep Decarbonization? Yes We Can!
Staying within a 1.5°C global warming limit will require transformation of our economy to net-zero emissions by 2050, which seems like an enormously ambitious goal. And yet, with new in-depth modeling analysis, Williams et al. [2020] illuminate several technologically and economically feasible pathways to this required deep decarbonization. All pathways require enhanced energy […]
More evidence points to long-lasting COVID-19 immunity
We won’t achieve herd immunity without vaccines. (Navy Medicine/) Immunity is a wildly complicated area, but for the past nine months or so it’s been all anyone wants to hear about. Everyone has been hanging their hope on small bits of evidence that immunity to COVID-19 will be robust and long-lasting. Recent evidence has been […]
Giant 2D atlas of the universe helps dark energy spectroscopic survey
IMAGE: Sky distribution of the latest DESI imaging data release from the website of the DESI imaging legacy surveys. The enlarged image is part of the sky showing the DESI spectroscopic… view more Credit: DESI website The Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey (BASS) team of National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) and their collaborators of […]
Hard to crack research reveals how crop roots penetrate hard soils
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Scientists have discovered a signal that causes roots to stop growing in hard soils which can be ‘switched off’ to allow them to punch through compacted soil—a discovery that could help plants to grow in even the most damaged soils. An international research team, led by scientists from the University of […]
Electric eels can supercharge their attacks by working together
Stunning new video footage captures electric eels in the Amazon hunting in groups of more than 100. Deadly packs then splinter off to collectively deliver a supercharged jolt that blasts fish out of the water, a new study finds. This is the first time such group hunting has been seen in Volta’s electric eels (Electrophorus […]
Some electric eels coordinate attacks to zap their prey
One Volta’s electric eel — able to subdue small fish with an 860-volt jolt — is scary enough. Now imagine over 100 eels swirling about, unleashing coordinated electric attacks. Such a sight was assumed to be only the stuff of nightmares, at least for prey. Researchers have long thought that these eels, a type of […]
