Category: Global News

Bacteria of the genus Pandoraea have not been studied much to date. Their name is reminiscent of Pandora’s box from Greek mythology, which is a symbol of uncontrollable dangers. “We have been working with an antibiotic-resistant bacterium,” says Elena Herzog. She is the first author of the publication and works…

Astronomers have discovered a huge filament of hot gas bridging four galaxy clusters. At 10 times as massive as our galaxy, the thread could contain some of the Universe’s ‘missing’ matter, addressing a decades-long mystery. The astronomers used the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton and JAXA’s Suzaku X-ray space telescopes to…

The cement industry produces around eight percent of global CO2 emissions – more than the entire aviation sector worldwide. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed an AI-based model that helps to accelerate the discovery of new cement formulations that could yield the same material quality with a…

A team of cognitive psychologists from the Michigan State University Department of Psychology have received a $860,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research to develop assessments for identifying people who are good at performing complex procedural tasks, even under challenging conditions like sleep deprivation and frequent interruptions. “If we…

As electric cars become more common, vulnerable road users are encountering more and more warning signals from them. Now, new research from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, shows that one of the most common signal types is very difficult for humans to locate, especially when multiple similar vehicles are…

In 1859, Darwin imagined evolution as a slow, gradual progress, with species accumulating small changes over time. But even he was surprised to find the fossil record offered no missing links: the intermediate forms which should have told this story step by step were simply not there. His explanation was…

New research reveals the importance of winter sea ice in the year-to-year variability of the amount of atmospheric CO2 absorbed by a region of the Southern Ocean. In years when sea ice lasts longer in winter, the ocean will overall absorb 20% more CO2 from the atmosphere than in years…

Astronomers have created a galactic masterpiece: an ultra-detailed image that reveals previously unseen features in the Sculptor Galaxy. Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), they observed this nearby galaxy in thousands of colors simultaneously. By capturing vast amounts of data at every single location, they created…

Most treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD) only slow disease progression. Early intervention for the neurological disease that worsens over time is therefore critical to optimize care, but that requires early diagnosis. Current tests, like clinical rating scales and neural imaging, can be subjective and costly. Now, researchers in ACS’ Analytical…

Sandia National Laboratories has joined a new partnership aimed at helping the United States regain its leadership in semiconductor manufacturing. While the U.S. was considered a powerhouse in chip production in the 1990s, fabricating more than 35% of the world’s semiconductors, that share has since dropped to 12%. Today, the…

Once in a while, scientific research resembles detective work. Researchers head into the field with a hypothesis and high hopes of finding specific results, but sometimes, there’s a twist in the story that requires a deeper dive into the data. That was the case for the University of Colorado Boulder…

A patch containing tens of millions of microscopic nanoneedles could soon replace traditional biopsies, scientists have found. The patch offers a painless and less invasive alternative for millions of patients worldwide who undergo biopsies each year to detect and monitor diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. Biopsies are among the most…

The human brain is very good at solving complicated problems. One reason for that is that humans can break problems apart into manageable subtasks that are easy to solve one at a time. This allows us to complete a daily task like going out for coffee by breaking it into…

Insect eyes are generally sensitive to ultraviolet, blue and green light. With the exception of some butterflies, they cannot see the color red. Nevertheless, bees and other insects are also attracted to red flowers such as poppies. In this case, however, they are not attracted by the red color, but…

Astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA) have discovered the most energetic cosmic explosions yet discovered, naming the new class of events “extreme nuclear transients” (ENTs). These extraordinary phenomena occur when massive stars—at least three times heavier than our Sun—are torn apart after wandering too close to…

A giant, strong-jawed salamander once tunneled through ancient Tennessee soil. And thanks to a fossil unearthed near East Tennessee State University, scientists now better understand how it helped shape Appalachian amphibian diversity. The giant plethodontid salamander now joins the remarkable roster of fossils from the Gray Fossil Site & Museum.…

Researchers at Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have demonstrated an innovative method to control magnetism in materials using an energy-efficient electric field. The discovery focuses on materials known as magnetoelectrics, which offer promise for next-generation energy technologies, data storage, energy conversion, and medical devices. The findings are published in the journal…

An international team of scientists has published a new report that moves towards a better understanding of the behaviour of some of the heaviest particles in the universe under extreme conditions, which are similar to those just after the big bang. The paper, published in the journal Physics Reports, is…

A USC-led research team has created a series of supercomputer-simulated twins of our Milky Way galaxy — which could help scientists unlock new answers about one of the biggest mysteries in the universe: dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up about 85% of all matter in existence. The research…

New research led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History sheds light on the ancient origins of biofluorescence in fishes and the range of brilliant colors involved in this biological phenomenon. Detailed in two complementary studies recently published in Nature Communications and PLOS One, the findings suggest that…

Nematodes are the most abundant animal on earth, but when times get tough, these tiny worms have a hard time moving up and out. So, they play to the strength of their clade. If food runs out and competition turns fierce, they slither towards their numerous kin. They climb onto…

While you’re probably not pouring your morning cup for the long-term health benefits, coffee consumption has been linked to lower risk of mortality. In a new observational study, researchers from the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found the association between…

Scientists have developed a low-cost, durable, highly-sensitive robotic ‘skin’ that can be added to robotic hands like a glove, enabling robots to detect information about their surroundings in a way that’s similar to humans. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and University College London (UCL), developed the flexible, conductive…

As a child, I was fascinated by reports and documentaries about field research and often wondered what it took to be there and what kind of knowledge was being produced. Later, as an ecologist, I felt the need for approaches that better connected scientific research with real-world contexts. I became…

The Apollo astronauts didn’t know what they’d find when they explored the surface of the moon, but they certainly didn’t expect to see drifts of tiny, bright orange glass beads glistening among the otherwise monochrome piles of rocks and dust. The beads, each less than 1 mm across, formed some…

Air pollution causes health problems and is attributable to some 50,000 annual deaths in the United States, but not all air pollutants pack the same punch. Scientists have tracked the scope of “PM 2.5” pollution over decades. PM 2.5 is a size of “particulate matter” that is less than 2.5…

A new study from the University of Vienna reveals that sea anemones use a molecular mechanism known from bilaterian animals to form their back-to-belly body axis. This mechanism (“BMP shuttling”) enables cells to organize themselves during development by interpreting signaling gradients. The findings, published in Science Advances, suggest that this…

A recent survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC — James) focused on Americans’ perceptions of testicular cancer. The results suggest more can be done to educate the public about the disease, which affects…

Thanks to its newly tilted orbit around the Sun, the European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft is the first to image the Sun’s poles from outside the ecliptic plane. Solar Orbiter’s unique viewing angle will change our understanding of the Sun’s magnetic field, the solar cycle and the workings of…

When the brain is under pressure, certain neural signals begin to move in sync – much like a well-rehearsed orchestra. A new study from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is the first to show how flexibly this neural synchrony adjusts to different situations and that this dynamic coordination is closely…