For The Better

Researchers have shown that solar cells can be used to achieve underwater wireless optical communication with high data rates. The new approach — which used an array of series-connected solar cells as detectors — could offer a cost-effective, low-ene…

A specific group of fungi residing in the intestines can protect against intestinal injury and influence social behavior, according to new preclinical research. The findings extend a growing body of work identifying a ‘gut-immunity-brain axis,’ a signa…

Physicists have measured Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, or more specifically, the effect called time dilation, at the smallest scale ever, showing that two tiny atomic clocks, separated by just a millimeter or the width of a sharp penc…

Physicists have made one of the highest performance atomic clocks ever. ­­ Their instrument, known as an optical lattice atomic clock, can measure differences in time to a precision equivalent to losing just one second every 300 billion years and is th…

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI) has observed a cloud of cosmic dust at the centre of the galaxy Messier 77 that is hiding a supermassive black hole. The findings have confirmed predictions made aroun…

A new study shows that an increase in hot, dry nights in recent decades has resulted in nighttime wildfires becoming more intense and more frequent. Researchers found there are 11 more flammable nights every year in the U.S. West compared to 1979 — a …

A new study found that children from less resourced neighborhoods were at increased odds of presenting with complicated appendicitis, an indicator of delayed access to surgical care. This is the first pediatric study to link many neighborhood-level fac…

A new study among young Danish men confirms the assumption that risk-tolerant, impatient and self-centered people are more likely to commit crimes than risk averse, patient and altruistic people are.

Some undiscovered species are hiding right under our noses. Ormyrus labotus, a tiny parasitoid wasp known to science since 1843, has long been considered a generalist with more than 65 host species. But a new study suggests wasps currently called Ormyr…

Researchers have identified a gene linked to fetal brain development and autism. Their work shows that the gene is influenced by the mother’s early prenatal vitamins use and placental oxygen levels.

A research team has shown how solar power can convert carbon dioxide into fuel, by using advanced materials and ultra-fast laser spectroscopy. The breakthrough could be an important piece of the puzzle in reducing the levels of greenhouse gases in the …

In northern Spain, wild honeybees use hollow electricity poles as nesting cavities. Natural areas in the surroundings promote the colonies’ chances to survive the winter.

How did Baroque period artists/sculputors go about their craft? For the first time, researchers have performed a forensic anthropological analysis of a marble skull carved by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The analysis of this re-discovered sculpture in Dresden…

A framework for identifying the most vulnerable marine species will boost global conservation and policy efforts against anthropogenic climate change.

Researchers have made an android child named Nikola that successfully conveys six basic emotions — happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. Facial expressions are generated by moving ‘muscles’ in Nikola’s face. This is the first time th…

Researchers calculated the optimal search strategy for organisms that employ run-and-tumble motion when looking for a food’s odor. They determined that the chemotaxis demonstrated by E. coli closely resembles this system when accounting for the costs o…

Weight gain produces feelings of despondency and low self-worth among middle-aged men, but it is also seen as an inevitable consequence of family and career responsibilities, according to a new study.

Pharmaceutical residues and chemicals from personal care products in sewage sludge and cattle manure do not have a detectable toxic effect on nematodes living in agricultural fields, according to 14-year-long experiments. At the same time, manure and s…

Highly efficient (electro-)catalysts are essential for the production of green hydrogen, the chemical industry, fertilizer production and other sectors of the economy. In addition to transition metals, a variety of other metallic or non-metallic elemen…

Eyespots, the circular markings of contrasting colors found on the wings of many butterfly species, are used by these fluttering creatures to intimidate or distract predators. A team of scientists conducted a research study to better understand the evo…