Science & Technology
First case of highly pathogenic avian influenza transmitted from cow to human confirmed
in March a farm worker who reported no contact with sick or dead birds, but who was in contact with dairy cattle, began showing symptoms in the eye and samples were collected by the regional health department to test for potential influenza A. Experts …
Persistent strain of cholera defends itself against forces of change, scientists find
A longstanding mystery about the strain of Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) responsible for the seventh global cholera pandemic is how this lineage has managed to out-compete other pathogenic variants. The team identified a unique quirk of the immune syst…
Insights into protein evolution
A research team has unveiled a breakthrough in understanding how specific genetic sequences, known as pseudogenes, evolve.
Just believing that an AI is helping boosts your performance
Sometimes it seems like an AI is helping, but the benefit is actually a placebo effect — people performing better simply because they expect to be doing so — according to new research. The study also shows how difficult it is to shake people’s trust …
Cats purrfectly demonstrate what it takes to trust robots
Would you trust a robot to look after your cat? New research suggests it takes more than a carefully designed robot to care for your cat, the environment in which they operate is also vital, as well as human interaction.
World’s largest hummingbird is actually two species
The Giant Hummingbird of western South America is not one species but two, according to an international group of researchers. The northern population stays in the high Andes year-round while the southern population migrates from sea level up to 14,000…
Exceptionally large transverse thermoelectric effect produced by combining thermoelectric and magnetic materials
A research team has demonstrated that a simple stack of thermoelectric and magnetic material layers can exhibit a substantially larger transverse thermoelectric effect — energy conversion between electric and heat currents that flow orthogonally to ea…
Today’s world: Fastest rate of carbon dioxide rise over the last 50,000 years
Today’s rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is 10 times faster than at any other point in the past 50,000 years, researchers have found through a detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice.
New gel breaks down alcohol in the body
Researchers have developed a protein-based gel that breaks down alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract without harming the body. In the future, people who take the gel could reduce the harmful and intoxicating effects of alcohol.