Researchers have come up with a new, more accurate method for detecting in ticks the emerging Powassan virus, which can cause life-threatening neuroinvasive disease, including encephalitis and meningitis.
The behavior of ant queens is shaped by their social environment
The queens in colonies of social insects, such as ants, bees, and wasps, are considered the veritable embodiment of specialization in the animal kingdom. The common perception is that the queen's only task is to lay eggs -- and that this attribute is an inherent trait, not influenced by external...
Severe hurricanes boost influx of juveniles and gene flow in a coral reef sponge
A study is the first to evaluate substrate recolonization by sponges in the U.S. Virgin Islands after two catastrophic storms using genetic analyses to understand how much clonality verses sexual recruitment occurs on coral reefs post-storms. Results show that populations of clonal marine species with low pelagic dispersion, such as...
MIT-Derived Algorithm Helps Forecast the Frequency of Extreme Weather
To assess a community’s risk of extreme weather, policymakers rely first on global climate models that can be run decades, and even centuries, forward in time, but only at a coarse resolution.
Bigger and Better Solar Panel Recycling Centres Needed to Deal with PV Waste, Says Report
The Australian Centre of Advanced Photovoltaics has called for large waste facilities in major cities as photovoltaic waste is predicted to reach 100,000 tonnes annually by 2030.
Artificial Reef Designed by MIT Engineers Could Protect Marine Life, Reduce Storm Damage
The beautiful, gnarled, nooked-and-crannied reefs that surround tropical islands serve as a marine refuge and natural buffer against stormy seas.
New roadmap to prevent pandemics centers on protecting biodiversity
An international team of 25 scientists has proposed a roadmap for how to prevent the next pandemic by conserving natural areas and promoting biodiversity, thereby providing animals with enough food, safe havens and distance to limit contact and the transfer of pathogens to humans.
Scientists on the hunt for evidence of quantum gravity’s existence at the South Pole
An Antarctic large-scale experiment is striving to find out if gravity also exists at the quantum level. An extraordinary particle able to travel undisturbed through space seems to hold the answer.
Mathematical innovations enable advances in seismic activity detection
Scientists successfully addressed mathematical challenges in conventional Spectral Matrix analysis, used to analyze three-component seismic signals, by introducing time-delay components. The new technique enables the characterization of various polarized waves and the detection of seismic events that have previously gone unnoticed by conventional methods. These findings pave the way for...
Crypto, Green Hydrogen Form ‘Dynamic Duo’ to Thwart Climate Change
Pairing cryptocurrency mining – notable for its outsized consumption of carbon-based fuel – with green hydrogen could provide the foundation for wider deployment of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, according to a new Cornell Engineering study.