COVID-19 Genetic Risk Variant Inherited From Neanderthals Protects Against HIV
A COVID-19 risk variant inherited from Neanderthals reduces a person’s risk of contracting HIV by 27 percent. Some people become seriously ill when infected with…
Max Planck Institute
New World Record: “Ghost Particle” Experiment Limits Neutrino Mass With Unprecedented Precision
Neutrinos Are Lighter Than 0.8 Electronvolts New world record: KATRIN experiment limits neutrino mass with unprecedented precision. Neutrinos are arguably the most fascinating elementary particle…
JET Fusion Facility – At Temperatures 10x Higher Than the Center of the Sun – Sets a New World Energy Record
European joint experiment prepares transition to large-scale ITER project. Following the example of the sun, fusion power plants aim to fuse the hydrogen isotopes deuterium…
Black Death Mortality Not As Widespread as Long Thought – Bubonic Plague Had No Impact on Parts of Europe
Pollen data from 19 modern European countries reveals that although the Black Death had a devastating impact in some regions, parts of Europe experienced negligible…
Massive Sponge Gardens Discovered on the Peaks of Extinct Underwater Volcanoes in the Arctic Deep Sea
Sponges grow in large numbers and to impressive size on the peaks of extinct underwater volcanoes. Massive sponge gardens thrive on top of seamounts in…
Solving One of the Biggest Mysteries in the Universe: Gravitational Wave Scientists Set Their Sights on Dark Matter
Incredibly sensitive instruments used in landmark discoveries could help solve one of the biggest remaining mysteries in the Universe. The technology behind one of the…
Massive Filament Structure – 3900 Light-Years Long – Discovered in the Milky Way
A Gigantic Lane Made of Raw Material for New Stars Astronomers discover a huge filament of atomic hydrogen, a possible precursor to star-forming clouds. A…
DNA Mutations Do Not Occur Randomly – Discovery Transforms Our View of Evolution
Beating the Odds in Mutation’s Game of Chance Discovery that plants protect their most essential genes transforms our view of evolution. Mutations of DNA do…
Ancient Ostrich Eggshell Beads Reveal 50,000-Year-Old Social Network Across Africa
New archeological study shows ancient connection between populations 3,000 km apart, and provides first direct link between climate change and ancient human social behavior. Humans…
High-Energy Oxygen Ions Discovered in Jupiter’s Innermost Radiation Belts
Researchers find high-energy oxygen and sulfur ions in Jupiter’s inner radiation belts — and a previously unknown ion source. Nearly 20 years after the end…
How To Weigh a Quasar: Directly Measuring Masses of Supermassive Black Holes
Testing a new, direct method for determining the masses of supermassive black holes. Astronomers of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have, for the first…
Einstein Proven Right Yet Again: Theory of General Relativity Passes a Range of Precise Tests
The theory of general relativity passes a range of precise tests set by pair of extreme stars. An international team of researchers from ten countries…
James Webb Space Telescope – “We Expect Ground-Breaking Findings”
Interview with Oliver Krause from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy about the James Webb Space Telescope. It will be the largest observatory ever stationed…
Three Rings To Bind Them: Cosmic History Can Explain the Properties of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
Astronomers have managed to link the properties of the inner planets of our solar system with our cosmic history: with the emergence of ring structures…
How Ancient Human and Animal DNA Is Preserved in Archaeological Sediments for Thousands of Years
Ancient human and animal DNA can remain stably localized in sediments, preserved in microscopic fragments of bone and feces. Sediments in which archaeological finds are…
Scientists Have Cultivated a “Miracle Microbe” That Converts Oil Into Methane
Scientists have succeeded in cultivating an archaeon that converts oil into methane. They describe how the microbe achieves the transformation and that it prefers to…
Differentiating Friends From Foes Genetically in Fungal Root Microbiomes
Complex microbial communities inhabit plants and modulate their development. Roots especially, host a wide diversity of micro-organisms – including bacteria and fungi – that directly…
Catch Me if You Can: Scientists Discover How mRNA Therapeutics Are Delivered Into Cells
Researchers have found where and how mRNA arrives in a cell to modify or deliver genetic information, a crucial process for the development of novel…
