Air pockets inside pronghorn antelope hairs are smaller in summer (left) than in winter (right). Credit: Taylor Millett Unique adaptations allow wild animals to survive temperature extremes that would quickly kill an unprotected human. For example, certain animals can withstand bitterly cold weather, thanks to the insulating properties of the hollow hairs that make up … Read more
In a glass jar, a kombucha pellicle—the rubbery puck of cellulose that holds most of the bacteria and yeast culture—forms at the surface (top). With the silicone bags, however, the researchers noticed that the pellicle formed all the way around the inside (bottom). The increased surface area of the culture in the silicone bag may … Read more
Credit: CC0 Public Domain “Dune,” widely considered one of the best sci-fi novels of all time, continues to influence how writers, artists and inventors envision the future. Of course, there are Denis Villeneuve’s visually stunning films, “Dune: Part One” (2021) and “Dune: Part Two” (2024). But Frank Herbert’s masterpiece also helped Afrofuturist novelist Octavia Butler … Read more
West Greenland Ice Sheet total ice discharge and surface melting for April 2022 to April 2023. Credit: Ing et al. 2024. Ice melting has become an ever-pressing concern in recent decades as climate change has brought evocative images of lone polar bears floating on unsustainable small blocks of sea ice. Yet, the consequences are far-reaching … Read more
The health of a coral reef – like this one in Key West, Florida – can be heard in the sounds produced by the species living there, scientists say. Audio recordings of healthy reefs—an underwater chorus of fish songs and crackles from snapping shrimp—may help efforts to restore coral ecosystems harmed by climate and human … Read more
Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock Since the 1990s, fast fashion has enabled everyday people to buy the latest catwalk trends. But the sheer volume of garments being whipped up, sold and soon discarded is contributing to a global sustainability crisis. Now, just when the fashion industry should be waking up and breaking free of this vicious … Read more
A beluga whale, one of the very few other animals that experience menopause, which remains an evolutionary puzzle. Why do humans experience menopause? It’s a question that some women going through the symptoms might have asked themselves more than once. Scientists are also baffled. From an evolutionary perspective, animals generally take every chance they can … Read more
Wager’s Action off Cartagena, 28 May 1708 by Samuel Scott (1772), a painting showing the moment the San José was blown up. Credit: National Maritime Museum The San José was a galleon ship owned by King Philip V of Spain (1683–1746) in the 18th century. It sailed from Portobelo in present-day Panama to Cartagena in … Read more
Spectators watch plumes of smoke from volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stóri-Skógfell, Iceland, Saturday, March 16, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Marco di Marco A volcano in Iceland erupted Saturday evening for the fourth time in three months, sending orange jets of lava into the night sky. Iceland’s Meteorological Office said the eruption opened a fissure in … Read more
Model of VP35 interacting with Ubiquitin. (A) The complex of VP35 (PDB ID 3JKE) and Ubiquitin (PDB ID 1UBQ) modeled using a combination of protein docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Within the complex, VP35 is shown on the left and Ubiquitin on the right. The K48 and K63 Ub residues are shown in cyan on … Read more
