Science & Technology
Neurobiology: How mice see the world
Researchers have developed an open-source camera system that images natural habitats as they appear to rodents.
Smart technology is not making us dumber
There is no scientific evidence that shows that smartphones and digital technology harm our biological cognitive abilities.
Why does Mercury have such a big iron core? Magnetism!
A new study disputes the prevailing hypothesis on why Mercury has a big core relative to its mantle. For decades, scientists argued that hit-and-run collisions blew away much of Mercury’s rocky mantle and left the big, dense, metal core inside. But new…
After routing de Soto, Chickasaws repurposed Spanish objects for everyday use
Archaeologists have unearthed a rare trove of more than 80 metal objects in Mississippi thought to be from Hernando de Soto’s 16th-century expedition through the Southeast. Many of the objects were repurposed by the resident Chickasaws as household too…
A globally important microbial process hidden on marine particles
Nitrogen is essential for all life on Earth. In the global oceans however, this element is scarce, and nitrogen availability is therefore critical for the growth of marine life. Some bacteria found in marine waters can convert nitrogen gas (N2) to ammo…
Lottery-based incentives do not increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, study finds
Researchers found that Ohio’s ‘Vax-a-Million’ lottery-based incentive system, intended to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, was not associated with an increase in COVD-19 vaccinations.
Insect-sized robot navigates mazes with the agility of a cheetah
Engineers have created an insect-scale robot that can swerve and pivot with the agility of a cheetah, giving it the ability to traverse complex terrain and quickly avoid unexpected obstacles. Small, robust robots like these could be ideal for conductin…
Solving a long-standing mystery about the desert’s rock art canvas
Petroglyphs are carved in a material called rock varnish, the origins of which have been debated for years. Now, scientists argue it’s the result of bacteria and an adaptation that protects them from the desert sun’s harsh rays.
Cancer cells eat themselves to survive
New research shows that in order to survive life threatening injuries, cancer cells use a technique in which they eat parts of the membrane surrounding them.
Pioneering noninvasive technique for neurological conditions
Researchers are developing a new, noninvasive brain stimulation technique to treat neurological disorders, including pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and more.
Color and flavor: Pigments play a role in creating tasty tomatoes
Researchers have found that pigments controlling the color of tomatoes also play a role in determining their flavor. By analyzing the pigment profiles of 157 different tomato varieties, the team showed that fruit with high chlorophyll levels had a high…
Same dance, different species: How natural selection drives common behavior of lizards
A surprising study on the behavior of unrelated lizards in very different parts of the world has demonstrated how evolution can lead to different species learning the same skills. The study documents how the Anolis lizard species in the Caribbean, and …
Researchers explore how children learn language
New research pinpoints how young children quickly learn language, opening new paths to leverage for machine learning.
Muskrats are a bellwether for a drying delta
Downstream of hydroelectric dams and Alberta’s oil sands, one of the world’s largest freshwater deltas is drying out. New research suggests long-term drying is making it harder for muskrats to recover from massive die-offs. It’s a sign of threats to co…
Guadalupe fur seals continue to recover as new colony discovered
Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi) have established a large resting colony in the Gulf of California — bringing the total number of sites where this endangered species now occurs to just four. This new haul-out was discovered on El Farallón…
Uncovering the genetic mechanism behind Rett syndrome
Researchers found that the main gene that causes Rett syndrome, MeCP2, controls the differentiation pattern of neural stem cells through the microRNA miR-199a. Dysfunction in MeCP2 or miR-199a cause neural stem cells to produce more astrocytes than neu…