Researchers have now developed a new way to make microbes hardy enough to withstand extreme conditions such as heat and the manufacturing processes used to formulate the microbes into powders or pills for long-term storage.
Migrating starlings are no copycats
Young, na ve starlings are looking for their wintering grounds independently of experienced conspecifics. Starlings are highly social birds throughout the year, but this does not mean that they copy the migration route from each other. By revisiting a classic 'displacement' experiment and by adding new data, a team of...
The dawn of the Antarctic ice sheets
In recent years global warming has left its mark on the Antarctic ice sheets. The 'eternal' ice in Antarctica is melting faster than previously assumed, particularly in West Antarctica more than East Antarctica. The root for this could lie in its formation, as an international research team has now discovered:...
How dust pollution from shrinking Great Salt Lake affects communities disproportionately
Exposure to wind-blown dust from exposed playa of the Utah lake is worse in Hispanic neighborhoods, according to new research. Findings suggest restoring the lake could ease social inequities associated with air pollution.
Not so selfish after all: Viruses use freeloading genes as weapons
Certain pieces of DNA have been labeled as 'selfish genetic elements' due to notions that they don't contribute to a host organism's survival. Instead, researchers have now discovered that these elements have been weaponized and play a crucial role by cutting off a competitor's ability to reproduce.
Researchers capture never-before-seen view of gene transcription
New tech reveals findings that address long-standing theories about how bacteria begin the process of making RNA from DNA.
Early-onset El Niño means warmer winters in East Asia, and vice versa
Researchers have found that the early onset of El Nino around June leads to warm winter climates in Japan, while the late onset of El Nino is associated with colder winters. By analyzing 100-ensemble member climate simulations over the past 61 years, the team found that the warming of the...
Mechanism of bio-inspired control of liquid flow
The more we discover about the natural world, the more we find that nature is the greatest engineer. Past research implied that liquids can only be transported in fixed direction on species with specific liquid communication properties and cannot switch the transport direction. Recently, researchers have shown that an African...
A breakthrough in inexpensive, clean, fast-charging batteries
Scientists have created an anode-free sodium solid-state battery. This brings the reality of inexpensive, fast-charging, high-capacity batteries for electric vehicles and grid storage closer than ever.
Giant clams may hold the answers to making solar energy more efficient
Solar panel and biorefinery designers could learn a thing or two from iridescent giant clams living near tropical coral reefs, according to a new study. This is because giant clams have precise geometries -- dynamic, vertical columns of photosynthetic receptors covered by a thin, light-scattering layer -- that may just...