With the arrival of spring, bumblebee queens take their first wing beat of the season and set out to find new nesting sites. But they are flying earlier in the year, as a result of a warmer climate and a changing agricultural landscape, according to new research.
How consciousness in animals could be researched
Animal consciousness should not be thought of as a light switch, which can be on or off, philosophers say. They advocate a different approach.
Edible electronics: How a seaweed second skin could transform health and fitness sensor tech
Scientists have developed biodegradable algae-based hydrogels for strain sensing devices -- such as those used in health monitors worn by runners and hospital patients to track heart rate -- using natural elements like rock salt, water and seaweed, combined with graphene. As well as being more environmentally friendly than polymer-based...
Researchers provide proof of the helical coiling of condensed chromosomes
In early cytological studies chromatids of metaphase chromosomes were suggested to coil into a spiral called chromonema. This assumption was recently supported by chromosomce conformation capture sequencing. Still, the direct visualization of the coiled chromonema confirming the helical model was lacking. Now, an international research team provides the direct proof...
74,000 fruit fly brain images released
Neuroscience research just got a little bit easier, thanks to the release of tens of thousands of images of fruit fly brain neurons.
Researchers bioengineer an endocrine pancreas for type 1 diabetes
Scientists recently developed an efficient way to transplant pancreatic islets and demonstrated that the method can effectively reverse type 1 diabetes in nonhuman primates.
Study forecasts tile drainage and crop rotation changes for nitrogen loss
Midwestern agriculture contributes the vast majority of nitrogen in the Gulf of Mexico, causing an oxygen-starved hypoxic zone and challenging coastal economies. State and federal policies have tried for decades to provide solutions and incentives, but the hypoxic zone keeps coming back. A recent study offers a new way to...
Hubble captures movie of DART asteroid impact debris
In 2022 NASA embarked on a bold experiment to see if they could change an asteroid's velocity by smacking it with a ballistic probe -- kind of like hitting it with a hammer. This experiment was to test a potential technique to someday deflect an asteroid on a collision course...
Lending a paw for defense veterans: ‘Clear evidence’ that assistance dogs help improve mental health
A new study focused on defense veterans' mental health has found strong evidence that assistance dogs used in conjunction with traditional therapies provide the most effective treatment outcomes.
America on the move: How urban travel has changed over a decade
The most notable trend of new study on urban travel behaviors reveals that although private automobiles continue to be the dominant travel mode in American cities, the share of car trips has slightly and steadily decreased since its peak in 2001. In contrast, the share of transit, non-motorized, and taxicab...