An adult male loon feeds a small fish to one chick, while the other chick rides on the back of the female parent. Credit: Linda Grenzer The Common Loon, an icon of the northern wilderness, is under threat from climate change due to reduced water clarity, according to a new study authored by Chapman University … Read more
EP-enhanced phase sensing platform. Credit: Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl5037 Optical sensors serve as the backbone of numerous scientific and technological endeavors, from detecting gravitational waves to imaging biological tissues for medical diagnostics. These sensors use light to detect changes in the properties of the environment they’re monitoring, including chemical biomarkers and physical properties like … Read more
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows clouds over North America on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Credit: NOAA via AP Some who hope to witness Monday’s total solar eclipse may see the sun obscured by clouds instead of by the moon. There’s still some time for forecasts to change, but meteorologists predict that eclipse day … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain East Coast residents were jolted Friday by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, with weak rumblings felt as far away as Baltimore and the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. No life-threatening injuries or major damage have been reported. Here’s what to know about earthquakes on the East Coast. How often do … Read more
The recurring nova T Coronae Borealis will shine as brightly as the North Star some time in the next five months, astronomers say. Sometime between now and September, a massive explosion 3,000 light years from Earth will flare up in the night sky, giving amateur astronomers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness this space oddity. The … Read more
DESI making observations in the night sky. The Rochester group has been part of DESI since 2017, with members having played key roles in commissioning and operating the instrument. Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Slovinský Scientists have analyzed the first batch of data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument’s quest to map the universe and unravel the mysteries … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain South Africa’s government is calling for public comments on an updated version of its existing biodiversity economy plan. The National Biodiversity Economy Strategy aims to conserve biodiversity while also contributing to job creation and economic growth. It proposes to do this by promoting sustainable use of the country’s natural resources. The … Read more
Chinook salmon are threatened by the decades-long drought gripping the American West. Tens of thousands of endangered salmon being transported by truck to a US river miraculously survived a road crash by escaping into a nearby creek, officials said. A large tanker vehicle transporting the young salmon—or smolts—was traveling in a mountainous area of the … Read more
Ecological reconstruction of Feredocodon chowi (Right) and Dianoconodon youngi (Left). Credit: IVPP Paleontologists have presented a new insight into the initial dental variations across mammaliaforms, providing a fresh perspective on the evolutionary past of these ancient beasts. The discovery, involving a team of international researchers including Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich from the Monash University School of … Read more
Large-scale language models enable AI agents to evolve various types of personalities in social interactions. Credit: Reiko Matsushita While I was assembling and formatting all these links, we had a 4.8-magnitude earthquake here on the East Coast, so apologies in advance for any misaligned text. This week: Gravitationally accelerated stars! AIs that exhibit cooperative and … Read more
