Where there's water, there are waves. But what if you could bend water waves to your will to move floating objects? Scientists have now developed a technique to merge waves in a water tank to produce complex patterns, such as twisting loops and swirling vortices. Some patterns acted like tweezers...
Study Reveals How Agave Plants Survive Extreme Droughts
Researchers use terahertz spectroscopy to explore how agaves retain water in dry environments, offering insights for drought-resistant crops.
Plastic Recycling Gets a Breath of Fresh Air
Scientists break down plastic using a simple, inexpensive catalyst and air.
U-M Astronomers Peer Deeper Into Mysterious Flame Nebula
Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, a team of researchers, including astronomers from the University of Michigan, are closing in on the answer to a looming cosmic question.
A 62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on an enigmatic mammal
For more than 140 years, Mixodectes pungens, a species of small mammal that inhabited western North America in the early Paleocene, was a mystery. What little was known about them had been mostly gleaned from analyzing fossilized teeth and jawbone fragments. But a new study of the most complete skeleton...
Arctic sea ice loss drives drier weather over California and wetter over Spain and Portugal
On decadal timescales, the loss of Arctic ice favors the climate of the south-west of the United States -- and California in particular -- becoming drier on average, especially in winter. This phenomenon would also affect the climate of Spain and Portugal, favoring conditions of higher humidity in winter, although...
Earth’s ‘dirty mirror’ effect is accelerating climate change
Cloudy areas over oceans are reflecting less sunlight to space than before.
Death by feral cat: DNA shows cats to be culprits in killing of native animals
Feral cats have long been suspects in killing native species reintroduced into Australian conservation areas. DNA testing of the carcasses puts felines firmly in the frame.
Clothes dryers and the bottom line: Switching to air drying can save hundreds
By replacing clothes dyers with line drying, households in the U.S. could save upwards of $2,100 and avoid 3 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the lifetime of a dryer. The exact impacts, however, depend on what kind of dryer you have and where you live, new research shows.
Genetic mutations linked to toxin exposure found in firefighters’ brain tumors
In a study comparing the glioma tumors of firefighters and non-fighters, researchers found a mutational signature tied to exposure to haloalkanes, which are used in flame retardants, fire extinguishers, and pesticides.