Mindfully Curated
There’s an intriguing exoplanet out there — 400 light-years out there — that is so tantalizing that astronomers have been studying it since its discovery in 2009. One orbit for WASP-18 b around its star that is slightly larger than our Sun takes just…
About two-thirds of the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is thought to arise from genetic influences, but about a third could be influenced by environment and lifestyle, opening the door for behavioral interventions that could delay or prevent pathoph…
Research using the world’s most energetic laser has shed light on the properties of highly compressed matter — essential to understanding the structure of giant planets and stars, and to develop controlled nuclear fusion, a process that could harvest …
Geneticists have unearthed a major event in the ancient history of sturgeons and paddlefish that has significant implications for the way we understand evolution. They have pinpointed a previously hidden ‘whole genome duplication’ (WGD) in the common a…
Chemists add another powerful tool to their ‘molecular editing’ toolkit for crafting pharmaceuticals and other valuable compounds.
Scientists have identified a key chemical associated with lethal bronzing (LB) infected palm trees. LB is a bacterial disease that kills more than 20 species of palm trees in the Southern United States and Caribbean and has been devastating the Florida…
Researchers suggest a simple tweak to the first meal of the day might help people living with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) better control their blood sugar levels. Switching from a traditional western-style low-fat breakfast, like oatmeal, toast and fruit, to…
In the first-ever ‘before and after’ assessment of the impact of establishing Mexico’s Revillagigedo National Park on the fishing industry, a team of US and Mexican researchers found that Mexico’s industrial fishing sector did not incur economic losses…
The ground beneath Antarctica’s most vulnerable glacier has now been mapped, helping scientists to better understand how it is being affected by climate change. Analysis of the geology below the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica shows there is less s…
Chemical and environmental engineering scientists have identified two species of bacteria found in soil that break down a class of stubborn ‘forever chemicals’– per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, that have contaminated groundwater below in…
Municipal climate action plans often identify equity and justice as goals, but engagement with these concepts is mostly rhetorical. A new study details how planners can bridge the gap and challenge the current state of climate change and social inequity.
Scientists show that a thin layer of plasma, created by ionizing air, could be promising as an active sound absorber, with applications in noise control and room acoustics.
Influenza epidemics, caused by influenza A or B viruses, result in acute respiratory infection. They kill half a million people worldwide every year. These viruses can also wreak havoc on animals, as in the case of avian flu. A team has now identified …
Even without nerves, plants can sense when something touches them and when it lets go, a study has found. In a set of experiments, individual plant cells responded to the touch of a very fine glass rod by sending slow waves of calcium signals to other …
Some foods and medicines, such as many COVID-19 vaccines, must be kept cold. As a step toward a robust, stable technique that could indicate when these products exceed safe limits, researchers report a class of brilliantly colored microcrystals in mate…
Consuming nutritious food can improve metabolic health and delay aging. But what are the appropriate quantities of dietary macronutrients that can help achieve this? To answer this, researchers fed isocaloric diets with varying amounts of protein to yo…
A team of researchers has been developing accessible and creative means of communicating sustainability research from the social sciences for policymakers and the wider public. Using fairy tale characters — mermaids, vampires, and witches — as metaph…
Starting in the 1990s, Island Fox populations began to dwindle due to an outbreak of canine distemper and an increase in attacks by golden eagles. Some islands saw their population drop to as low as 15 individuals, but conservation efforts by the Feder…
A new study examined how bivalves — the group that includes clams, mussels, scallops, and oysters — evolved among many others in the period of rapid evolution known as the Cambrian Explosion. The team found that though many other lineages burst into …