Some species of pterosaurs flew by flapping their wings while others soared like vultures, demonstrates a new study. Findings include a new pterosaur with a five-meter wingspan, which is one of the most complete pterosaurs ever recovered from Afro-Arabia.
New filtration material could remove long-lasting chemicals from water
A new filtration material might provide a nature-based solution to water contamination by PFAS chemicals. The material, based on natural silk and cellulose, can remove a wide variety of these 'forever' chemicals as well as heavy metals, and its antimicrobial properties can help keep the filters from fouling.
‘Ice bucket challenge’ reveals that bacteria can anticipate the seasons
Bacteria use their internal 24-hour clocks to anticipate the arrival of new seasons, according to research carried out with the assistance of an 'ice bucket challenge.'
Scientists make tissue of living animals see-through
In a pioneering new study, researchers made the skin on the skulls and abdomens of live mice transparent by applying to the areas a mixture of water and a common yellow food coloring called tartrazine.
For many animals sleep is a social activity, but it’s usually studied as an individual process
Group sleeping can impact when animals sleep, how long they sleep for, and how deeply they sleep. For example, groups of meerkats time their sleep according to 'sleep traditions'; olive baboons sleep less when their group size increases; bumblebees suppress sleep in the presence of offspring; and co-sleeping mice can...
Travel could be the best defense against aging
Forget about retinol night creams, researchers believe travel could be the best way to defy premature aging. An interdisciplinary study has applied the theory of entropy to tourism, finding that travel could have positive health benefits, including slowing down the signs of aging.
Agriculture accelerated human genome evolution to capture energy from starchy foods
Scientists have suspected that modern humans have more genes to digest starch than our hunter-gatherer ancestors, but the amylase locus of the genome is hard to study. Researchers have now developed new methods to isolate the multiple amylase genes and compare the locus to ancient genomes. They found that amylase...
How Earth’s most intense heat wave ever impacted life in Antarctica
An atmospheric river brought warm, moist air to the coldest and driest corner of the planet in 2022, pushing temperatures 70 degrees above average. A new study reveals what happened to Antarctica's smallest animals.
Fungus-controlled robots tap into the unique power of nature
In creating a pair of new robots, researchers cultivated an unlikely component, one found on the forest floor: fungal mycelia. By harnessing mycelia's innate electrical signals, the researchers discovered a new way of controlling 'biohybrid' robots that can potentially react to their environment better than their purely synthetic counterparts.
Researchers identify mechanism underlying allergic itching, and show it can be blocked
Researchers identified a mechanism for why some people will itch from an allergen or mosquito bite exposure, while others will not in a new study, and showed this pathway can be targeted to prevent allergic responses in preclinical models.