Day: January 19, 2021

Genetic rewiring behind spectacular evolutionary explosion in East Africa

IMAGE: Sampling cichlid fish tissues for genome and transcriptome sequencing in Tanzania and Zanzibar Archipelago. Tilapia and haplochromine cichlid fish species were sampled for associated studies on characterising genomic signatures of… view more  Credit: Dr Graham Etherington and Dr Tarang Mehta, Earlham Institue (EI) Genetic rewiring could have driven an evolutionary explosion in the shapes, sizes […]

Monarch butterfly population moves closer to extinction

by Olga R. Rodriguez This Aug. 19, 2015, file photo, shows a monarch butterfly in Vista, Calif. The number of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has plummeted to a new record low, putting the orange-and-black insects closer to extinction, researchers announced Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. A recent count by the Xerces Society […]

1st preserved dinosaur butthole is ‘perfect’ and ‘unique,’ paleontologist says

The first dinosaur butthole ever discovered is shedding light where the sun don’t shine. The discovery reveals how dinosaurs used this multipurpose opening — scientifically known as a cloacal vent — for pooping, peeing, breeding and egg laying.  The dinosaur’s derrière is so well preserved, researchers could see the remnants of two small bulges by […]

Fatty acid may help combat multiple sclerosis, study finds — ScienceDaily

The abnormal immune system response that causes multiple sclerosis (MS) by attacking and damaging the central nervous system can be triggered by the lack of a specific fatty acid in fat tissue, according to a new Yale study. The finding suggests that dietary change might help treat some people with the autoimmune disease. The study […]

Using Earthquake Forensics to Study Subduction from Space

Major earthquakes occur frequently in the subduction zone west of the Andes, the 7,500-kilometer-long mountain belt that runs along the Pacific coast of South America. These earthquakes have been documented since the early expeditions of Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Darwin. Despite all that has been learned through countless investigations across this region […]

Plant pruners to shape up your saplings

Keep your plants in check and where they belong. (Kelli Tungay via Unsplash/) Forget using scissors to tend to your indoor our outdoor plants. A pruner should be your go-tool for trimming and shaping your flora and fauna while preserving plant tissue and extending the life of your greenery. Consider the type of handle, blade, […]

A sea of rubbish: ocean floor landfills

The Messina Strait, a submarine bridge separating the island of Sicily from the Italian Peninsula, is the area with the largest marine litter density worldwide -more than a million objects per square kilometre in some parts-, as reported in a new review paper published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Also, over the next thirty […]

Buildings: The unbreakable bond

ORNL researchers produced self-healable and highly adhesive elastomers, proving they self-repair in ambient conditions and underwater. Credit: ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed self-healing elastomers that demonstrated unprecedented adhesion strength and the ability to adhere to many surfaces, which could broaden their potential use in industrial applications. Elastomers, commonly used […]

Mystery particle may explain extreme X-rays shooting from the ‘Magnificent 7’ stars

More than 400 light-years from Earth, there is a cluster of young neutron stars that are too hot for their age. These stars, known as the “Magnificent Seven,” emit a stream of ultra-high-energy X-rays that scientists haven’t been able to explain.  Now, scientists have proposed a possible culprit: axions, theoretical particles that turn into light […]