Possible movements of different models of an elephant’s trunk. At left are a longitudinal activator followed by two activators. Various movements of the trunk are shown in the box with the black background. The gray color indicates no activation in a given fiber. Credit: APS Physics magazine (https://physics.aps.org/articles/v17/98) The trunk of an elephant is among … Read more
An image of the larger system, showing the necessary optics, vacuum components, and control systems to create the most accurate clock. Credit: Kyungtae Kim at JILA Researchers at the Ye Lab at JILA (the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder) and University of Delaware recently created a highly precise … Read more
Satellite-measured nitrogen dioxide air pollution averaged over all days in 2021 near warehousing facilities in Seattle, WA. This large cluster of warehouses includes warehouses and logistics, operations, and fulfillment centers for Macy’s, Amazon, UPS, and other large corporations. Credit: Gaige Kerr, George Washington University America’s demand for products delivered to the doorstep has led to … Read more
In this photo released by the National Park Service, park staff assess the damage to Biscuit Basin boardwalks after a hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Credit: National Park Service via AP A surprise eruption in Yellowstone National Park shot steam, water and dark-colored rock and dirt … Read more
A bed bug works its way through a bed net. Credit: Matt Bertone, NC State University. For decades, insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor insecticide spraying regimens have been important—and widely successful—treatments against mosquitoes that transmit malaria, a dangerous global disease. Yet for a time, these treatments also suppressed undesirable household insects like bed bugs, cockroaches … Read more
A scientist defeathers one of the birds. Credit: Dr. Mariana Nabais. It’s hard to know what Neanderthals ate: food preparation, especially when it comes to smaller items like birds, can leave few archaeological traces. But understanding their diets is critical to understanding these incredibly adaptable hominins, who thrived for hundreds of thousands of years in … Read more
Researchers believe Odaraia could have swum upside down to gather food among its many spines along its legs. Credit: Illustrated by Danielle Dufault. Royal Ontario Museum A new study, led by paleontologists at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is helping resolve the evolution and ecology of Odaraia, a taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the … Read more
Malacosteus niger is one of two species of male dragonfish to reveal they grow larger eyes in order to seek out females in the deep ocean, a sexual dimorphism that makes the dragonfish an anomaly in vertebrate evolution, Boston College researchers report in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters. Credit: Christopher Kenaley A small but … Read more
Peacock butterfly. Credit: Sam England Butterflies and moths collect so much static electricity while in flight, that pollen grains from flowers can be pulled by static electricity across air gaps of several millimeters or centimeters. The finding, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, suggests that this likely increases their efficiency and effectiveness … Read more
Photobiomodulation technique using a novel near-infrared (NIR) phosphor shows unprecedented promise in treating neurodegenerative diseases. Credit: Lei Chen (Hefei University of Technology). As the world grapples with an aging population, the rise in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s is becoming a significant challenge. These conditions place a heavy burden not only on those … Read more
