Uncategorized
- Paleontology
The first vertebrates on Earth arose in shallow coastal waters
After appearing about 480 million years ago in coastal waters, the earliest vertebrates stayed in the shallows for another 100 million years.
- Life
To get a deeper tan, don’t sunbathe every day
Skin cells make protective melanin on a 48-hour cycle.
- Plants
Liverwort plants contain a painkiller similar to the one in marijuana
Cannabinoids found in liverwort plants could spell relief for those suffering from chronic pain.
- Archaeology
Ancient Clovis people may have taken tool cues from earlier Americans
Ancient Americans’ spearpoints may have heralded later Clovis weapons.
- Tech
A new palm-sized drone is mini, but mighty
Unlike other small drones, this flying robot can tote objects up to 40 times its own weight.
- Life
Why some people may be more susceptible to deadly C. difficile infections
Proline, a type of amino acid, increases when gut microbe mixes are disturbed, giving this pathogen a ready food source.
- Neuroscience
Messing with fruit flies’ gut bacteria turns them into speed walkers
Without the right gut microbes, fruit flies walk faster and take shorter rests, results that highlight a new connection between the gut and brain.
- Climate
Hurricane Willa breaks an eastern and central Pacific storm season record
The combined might of eastern and central Pacific hurricanes produced a record-breaking year of storm energy.
- Planetary Science
Saturn’s moon Dione has stripes like no others in the solar system
Icy moon Dione has long, thin, bright lines at its equator that run surprisingly parallel to each other for tens to hundreds of kilometers.
- Physics
This cloud-zapping laser could help scientists create a quantum internet
A powerful fast-pulsing laser can bust through clouds to make quantum communication via satellite easier.
- Health & Medicine
Teens use Juul e-cigarettes much more often than other vaping products
Such devices are more popular among youth than other e-cigarettes or regular cigarettes, a study finds.
- Agriculture
Plants engineered to always be on alert don’t grow well
Scientists bred a type of weed to lack proteins that help stem the production of bitter chemicals used to ward off insect attacks.
