New study demonstrates that one type of lipid is so critical for immune evasion that certain cancers cannot proliferate without them. Modulating intake of dietary lipids could open up an avenue for treatment.
Fruit flies’ visual navigation tactics differ by environment
Fruit flies use vision to head toward interesting things, but also to stay steady during flight. To accomplish this, the eyes need to fixate on the visual background while noticing objects that might indicate food or danger. Using a device that lets flies interact with a virtual environment, biologists have...
Slow-moving landslides a growing, but ignored, threat to mountain communities
As urban centers in mountainous regions grow, more people are driven to build on steeper slopes prone to slow-moving landslides, a new study finds. Slow-moving landslides are frequently excluded from estimates of landslide risk, but they could threaten hundreds of thousands of people globally, the researchers conclude.
Antarctic Krill Can Lock away Similar Levels of Carbon as Seagrass and Mangroves
Small marine crustaceans are as valuable as key coastal habitats for storing carbon and should be similarly protected, according to new research.
Researchers Working to Keep Electric Vehicles Charging, Even When the Lights Go Out
It’s stormy and the power just went out. With no electricity flowing to your electric vehicle, you’re stranded for the night.
Improved epidemic monitoring via sewage
Analyzing wastewater has the potential to alert authorities about thousands of health threats at once, from antimicrobial resistance to cholera, according to new research.
Paving the way for antivirals against Ebola virus and its deadly relatives
Scientists share detailed, complete images of a viral structure called the Ebola virus nucleocapsid. This breakthrough may accelerate the development of antivirals that target this viral structure to combat several filoviruses at once.
A Wobble From Mars Could Be Sign of Dark Matter, MIT Study Finds
Watching for changes in the Red Planet’s orbit over time could be new way to detect passing dark matter.
An unexpected result: The mammalian inner ear is a striking example of convergent evolution
A new study reveals the surprisingly convergent evolution in the inner ear of mammals. An international research team showed that a group of highly divergent mammals known as Afrotheria and distantly related, but ecologically very similar mammals independently evolved similar inner ear shapes.
Beneath the brushstrokes, van Gogh’s sky is alive with real-world physics
Van Gogh's brushstrokes in 'The Starry Night' create an illusion of sky movement so convincing it led researchers to wonder how closely it aligns with the physics of real skies. Marine sciences and fluid dynamics specialists analyzed the painting to uncover what they call the hidden turbulence in the artwork....