Science & Technology

The 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the largest accidental spill in history, released almost 100 million gallons of oil, causing significant pollution. A decade later, its long-term effects remain unclear. A study investigating the imp…

Animal and plant populations have been extensively studied, which has helped to understand ecosystem processes and evolutionary adaptations. However, this has not been the case with microbial populations due to the impossibility of isolating, culturing…

Twin studies have proven invaluable for teasing out the effects of both genetics and the environment on human biology. Researchers studied pairs of twins to look at how the interplay of genetics and environment affect cognitive processing — the way th…

A geo-environmental scientist from Japan has composed a string quartet using sonified climate data. The 6-minute-long composition — entitled ‘String Quartet No. 1 ‘Polar Energy Budget’– is based on over 30 years of satellite-collected climate data fr…

Superior decision-making in sports such as soccer could come down to the process of inhibiting a motor response, according to a new study.

A sensitive perception of the environment is crucial for guiding our behavior. However, an overly sensitive response of the brain’s neural circuits to stimuli can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy. Researchers now report how neurona…

In posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intrusive thoughts, changes in mood, and other symptoms after exposure to trauma can greatly impact a person’s quality of life. About 6 percent of people who experience trauma develop the disorder, but scientist…

Most cancer patients do not benefit from early targeted therapies. Scientists now describe a new computational pipeline to systematically predict patient response to cancer drugs at single-cell resolution.

The origin of life continues to remain a matter of debate. The ribonucleic acid (RNA) world hypothesis proposes that ‘ribozymes’ which store genetic information and possess catalytic functions may have supported the activities of early life forms. Now,…

Companies can’t simply walk away from old oil and gas wells. They have to be capped in a way that protects the environment and prevents leaks. A new approach to today’s solution could be better for the environment and cheaper, too.

Monitoring and treating a case of multiple sclerosis requires reliable and long-term data on how the disease is progressing in the person in question. Fitness trackers and smartphones can supply this data, as a research team has now shown.

Researchers are targeting the next generation of soft actuators and robots with an elastomer-based ink for 3D printing objects with locally changing mechanical properties, eliminating the need for cumbersome mechanical joints.

Two siblings who have the only known mutations in a key gene anywhere in the world have helped scientists gain new insights that could help progress the search for new treatments in type 1 diabetes.

Researchers have developed a new urine-based test that addresses a major problem in prostate cancer: how to separate the slow-growing form of the disease unlikely to cause harm from more aggressive cancer that needs immediate treatment.