“Honey Bee, It’s Me” – Gut Bacteria Is Key to Bee ID
For a honey bee, few things are more important than recognizing your nestmates. Being able to tell a nestmate from an invader could mean the…
Washington University In St. Louis
Vicious Cycle: Climate Change Spreading Infectious Diseases, Which Contribute to Climate Change
Sicker livestock may increase climate woes: More parasites means higher emissions of potent greenhouse gas. Climate change is affecting the spread and severity of infectious…
Looking Skin Deep at the Growth of Neutron Stars to Solve Key Puzzles for Nuclear Physicists
In atomic nuclei, protons and neutrons share energy and momentum in tight quarters. But exactly how they share the energy that keeps them bound within…
New Insight on How to Build a Better Flu Vaccine – For Long-Lasting Immunity Against New Influenza Strains
Flu season comes around like clockwork every year, and sooner or later everyone gets infected. The annual flu shot is a key part of public…
Global Pollution Estimates Reveal Surprises, As Well as Opportunity
Researchers’ hybrid dataset includes satellite images, modeling, and air samples. It is not unusual to come across headlines about pollution or global warming and find…
Unexpected Findings Result in New Origin Theory for Earth’s Water
Enstatite chondrite meteorites, once considered ‘dry,’ contain enough water to fill the oceans — and then some. A new study finds that Earth’s water may…
Storing Electrical Energy in Red Bricks – Walls Could Act As Huge Batteries
Imagine plugging into your brick house. Red bricks — some of the world’s cheapest and most familiar building materials — can be converted into energy…
How’s the Weather on Mars? Electrically Charged Dust Storms Drive Martian Chlorine Cycle
How’s the weather on Mars? Tough on rovers, but very good for generating and moving highly reactive chlorine compounds. New research from Washington University in…
Ancient Micrometeoroids Carried Specks of Stardust, Water to Asteroid 4 Vesta – What About Earth?
Researchers wonder: Could they have delivered water to the early Earth? The formation of our solar system was a messy affair. Most of the material…
Newly Developed Nanotechnology Biosensor Being Adapted for Rapid COVID-19 Testing
Federal funding awarded for rapid COVID-19 test based on a new biolabeling technology called plasmonic-fluor. Engineers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University…
Meteorite Chunk Contains Unexpected Evidence of Solid Interstellar Material Formed Before the Sun Was Born
‘Curious and Curiouser!’ – Meteorite Chunk Contains Unexpected Evidence of Presolar Grains An unusual chunk in a meteorite may contain a surprising bit of space…
De-Domesticated Weedy Rice Is Unintended Legacy of Green Revolution
A new global study reveals the extent to which high-yielding rice varieties favored in the decades since the “Green Revolution” have a propensity to go…
‘Surfing Attack’ – New Way to Hack Siri, Google Assistant With Ultrasonic Waves
Researchers use ultrasound waves vibrating through tables to access cellphones. Ultrasonic waves don’t make a sound, but they can still activate Siri on your cellphone…
Researchers Gain Control Over Transparency With Tuning Optical Resonators
Method has ramifications for quantum computing, communications and more. In the quantum realm, under some circumstances and with the right interference patterns, light can pass…
‘Zee Burst’ – Ghost Particles Studied Through Ultra-High Energy Events
With ‘Zee burst,’ physicists propose new resonance beyond the standard model. Physicists at Washington University in St. Louis have proposed a way to use data…
More Efficient Thermal Cooling Method Bioinspired by Plants
McKelvey Engineering Mechanical Engineer Creates Bioinspired Evaporation Technique When drops of water touch the surface of a lotus flower leaf, they form beads and roll…
When Task Is Complex, Chimpanzees More Likely to Teach Skills and Share Tools
Study has implications for evolution of technology and culture in humans. Teach a chimpanzee to fish for insects to eat, and you feed her for…
Experimental Cultivation of Seed Crops Lost to History Reveals Much Higher Yields Than Expected
‘Lost Crops’ Could Have Fed As Many as Maize Make some room in the garden, you storied three sisters: the winter squash, climbing beans and…