OpenET: Transforming Water Management in the U.S. West With NASA Data
Building upon more than two decades of research, a new web-based platform called OpenET will soon be putting NASA data in the hands of farmers,…
Science News
Dutch Students Develop a “Living Coffin”
The Delft University of Technology student start-up Loop has developed a living coffin made from mycelium. The Living Cocoon helps the body to ‘compost’ more…
Unlocking the Mysteries of Brain Chemistry With New Dopamine Sensors
Researchers develop a wider spectrum for dLight1 sensor, allowing multiplex imaging of neurotransmitters. In 2018, Lin Tian and her team at UC Davis Health developed dLight1, a…
Our Early Ancestors May Have Boiled Their Food in Hot Springs Long Before Learning to Control Fire
Scientists have found evidence of hot springs near sites where ancient hominids settled, long before the control of fire. Some of the oldest remains of…
Why Pandemics and Epidemics – Such As COVID-19 – Can Exacerbate Racism and Xenophobia
When viruses, parasites, and other pathogens spread, humans and other animals tend to hunker down with immediate family and peer groups to avoid outsiders as…
Giant 100 Million Year Old Sperm Cells Discovered – The Oldest Known Sperm Cells
In another fascinating snapshot from deep time, an international team of paleontologists has reported the discovery of specimens of a minuscule crustacean that dates back…
Fearsome 2,000 Pound Beast: Solving the Mystery of a 13,000 Year-Old Bone Discovered on the California Channel Islands
The California Channel Islands are renowned for their archaeological, biological, and paleontological significance and richness, containing some of the most important early human sites in…
MIT BodyCompass: Monitoring Sleep Positions for a Healthy Rest
Wireless device captures sleep data without using cameras or body sensors; could aid patients with Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, or bedsores. MIT researchers have developed a…
Why Flat-Faced Dogs, Like Pugs and Bulldogs, Remain Popular Despite Substantial Health Risks
Owners of bulldogs, French bulldogs and pugs are highly likely to want to own their breed again in the future, and to recommend their breed…
Reconstructing the Meals That People Consumed in the Past From Chemical Residues on Ancient Cooking Pots
Archaeologists find that unglazed ceramic cookware absorbs the chemical residue of present and past meals. If you happen to dig up an ancient ceramic cooking…
Why Time Sometimes Flies or Drags: How the Brain Creates the Experience of Time
Time-sensitive neurons fatigue and skew our perception of time. On some days, time flies by, while on others it seems to drag on. A new…
Many U.S. Metro Areas Could Grow All the Food They Need Locally
Some but not all U.S. metro areas could grow all the food they need locally, according to a new study estimating the degree to which…
NASA Wants Help Collecting Moon Rocks
While NASA is working aggressively to meet our near-term goal of landing the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, our Artemis…
COVID-19 Pandemic Spawns “Infodemic” in Scientific Literature
New policies, technologies could help make sense of flood of information. The science community has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with such a flurry of…
Genetic Evidence From Fossilized Remains Show Climate Change Drove Mastodons Vast Distances Across North America
New research from an international team of evolutionary geneticists, bioinformaticians, and paleontologists suggests that dramatic environmental changes accompanying the shift or melting of continental glaciers…
Unconscious Learning Underlies Belief in God – Stronger Beliefs in People Who Can Unconsciously Predict Complex Patterns
Individuals who can unconsciously predict complex patterns, an ability called implicit pattern learning, are likely to hold stronger beliefs that there is a god who…
New Fossil Ape Discovered in India Fills Major Gaps in the Primate Fossil Record
The 13-million-year-old gibbon ancestor fills major gaps in the primate fossil record. A 13-million-year-old fossil unearthed in northern India comes from a newly discovered ape,…
Global Warming Could Cause Viruses to Evolve, Making Them Harder to Kill
Enteroviruses and other pathogenic viruses that make their way into surface waters can be inactivated by heat, sunshine and other microbes, thereby reducing their ability…