Five dead in US storms, country girds for more fierce weather

Five dead in US storms, country girds for more fierce weather

Cyclists navigate a snow-covered sidewalk on in Iowa City, Iowa. Swaths of the United States braced for more snow and punishingly low temperatures Wednesday as millions in the east dug out from a previous round of severe winter weather that left at least five people dead. The latest storm, already bringing precipitation to the West, … Read more

How pioneer transcription factors blaze the one trail that determines cell fate

How pioneer transcription factors blaze the one trail that determines cell fate

This graphical abstract outlines how the pioneer transcription factor FOXA works with another transcription factor PRDM1 during liver formation to prevent cells from following incorrect development pathways. Credit: Cincinnati Children’s and Molecular Cell One of the important breakthroughs that made it possible to program or reprogram cell fate more efficiently and with higher fidelity in … Read more

In novel quantum computer design, qubits use magnets to selectively communicate

In novel quantum computer design, qubits use magnets to selectively communicate

Researchers have demonstrated that qubits (represented by the spheres and arrows) can “talk” to each other through a magnet (represented by the rectangular solid) rather than through air. This technology enables the qubits to be situated farther apart than is typical and allows for selective interaction between qubits. Credit: Peter Allen Researchers have begun to … Read more

Moon mission fails and NASA program delayed

Moon mission fails and NASA program delayed

Astrobotic began reporting technical malfunctions, starting with an inability to orient Peregrine’s top-mounted solar panel towards the Sun. A private US lunar lander mission is doomed to fail, and NASA pushes back plans to return astronauts to the moon. The twin developments Tuesday represent blows to America’s ambitions to stimulate a commercial space economy, develop … Read more

Webb finds signs of possible aurorae on isolated brown dwarf

Webb finds signs of possible aurorae on isolated brown dwarf

This artist concept portrays the brown dwarf W1935, which is located 47 light-years from Earth. Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope found infrared emission from methane coming from W1935. This is an unexpected discovery because the brown dwarf is cold and lacks a host star; therefore, there is no obvious source of energy to … Read more

China says it will launch its next lunar explorer in the first half of this year

China says it will launch its next lunar explorer in the first half of this year

In this photoreleased by Xinhua News Agency, the Chang’e 4 lunar probe launches from the the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, on Dec. 8, 2018. China’s space agency said Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 that its latest lunar explorer had arrived at the launch site in preparation for a mission to the … Read more

Nine new snail species discovered in Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot at risk

Nine new snail species discovered in Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot at risk

John Slapcinsky, manager of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s invertebrate zoology collection, named nine new species of carnivorous land snails found in Papua New Guinea. Credit: Florida Museum/Jeff Gage Nine new species of carnivorous land snails have been found in the remote forests of Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot. A new study … Read more

New research sheds light on an old fossil, solving an evolutionary mystery

New research sheds light on an old fossil, solving an evolutionary mystery

Three-dimensional model of the only known picrodontid skull in top (left) and bottom (right) views. CT scan technology revealed previously unknown bones of the skull (colored on the right) that helped demonstrate that picrodontids are not primates as previously believed. Credit: Jordan Crowell A new research paper published in Biology Letters has revealed that picrodontids—an … Read more

2023 hottest recorded year as Earth nears key limit

2023 hottest recorded year as Earth nears key limit

Earth saw its hottest recorded year in 2023. The year of 2023 was the hottest on record, with the increase in Earth’s surface temperature nearly crossing the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius, EU climate monitors said Tuesday. Climate change intensified heat waves, droughts and wildfires across the planet, and pushed the global thermometer 1.48 … Read more

New findings reveal koalas’ health risks following bushfires, will aid in future rescue efforts

New findings reveal koalas’ health risks following bushfires, will aid in future rescue efforts

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new publication featured in Veterinary Sciences will guide future wildlife rescue and rehabilitation after Australian bushfires. These findings provide critical information for improving koala care during subsequent fire seasons. Natasha Speight, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, spearheaded the study, analyzing clinical … Read more