Top: Black and white image of the Moon from Moon Mineralogy Mapper data. Bottom: Map of water on the Moon. Credit: NASA/ISRO/M3 Team/PSI/R. Clark A new analysis of maps of the near and far sides of the moon shows that there are multiple sources of water and hydroxyl in the sunlit rocks and soils, including … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Many human activities lead to methane being released into the atmosphere. Agriculture, landfills, wastewater, and fossil fuel production and distribution are the biggest contributors. These make up roughly 60% of global methane emissions, and natural sources account for the remaining 40% of emissions. Like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane is a potent … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Peter Neff understands the allure of the world’s fifth-largest continent. The camera roll on his phone is brimming with videos and photos of his trips to Antarctica, where the glaciologist and climate scientist has spent days and weeks at a time collecting ice core samples. His work helps develop a record … Read more
Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which infect the digestive system. Credit: Ronald Taylor, Tom Kirn, Louisa Howard/Wikipedia Experts have used a cutting-edge computational approach to discover the genetic factors that make the bacteria behind cholera so dangerous—which could be key to preventing this deadly disease. The breakthrough study, published in Nature Communications, … Read more
The Kurgan hypothesis argues that the Yamnaya people spread their culture widely across Eurasia, including through the building of burial mounds, or “kurgans,” such as this one on the Mongolian steppe. Credit: William Taylor As anyone who’s spent time in the saddle knows, riding a horse can be hard on your body. But can it … Read more
A hairpin loop from a pre-mRNA. Highlighted are the nucleobases (green) and the ribose-phosphate backbone (blue). Note that this is a single strand of RNA that folds back upon itself. Credit: Vossman/ Wikipedia A new statistical technique developed by a researcher at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health and colleagues elsewhere offers fresh … Read more
A rhino and its calf, on the Red List of Threatened Species according to IUCN (International Union Conservation Of Nature), are seen at Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku The rhino population across the world has increased slightly but so have the killings, mostly … Read more
In 2024 alone, between 50,000 and 60,000 pigs were slaughtered across Italy in efforts to contain swine fever. Pig farmer Alberto Cavagnini has slaughtered 1,600 of his hogs due to swine fever, a virus threatening the 20-billion-euro pork industry in Italy, including its world-famous prosciutto. The disease, which is fatal for pigs and disastrous for … Read more
Debris from flooding piles up at a bridge in Wajima city, which has recorded more than 540 mm of rainfall in the 72 hours to Sunday morning. Floods and landslides killed one person and left at least 11 missing in central Japan, with recovery teams at work on Sunday in a remote peninsula already devastated … Read more
An elderly patient receives an intravenous drip while using a ventilator in the hallway of the emergency ward in Beijing, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong, File Scientists searching for the origins of COVID-19 have zeroed in on a short list of animals that possibly helped spread it to people, an effort they … Read more
