In the deep-sea environment of the East Pacific Rise, where sunlight does not penetrate and the surroundings are known for their extreme temperatures, skull-crushing pressures, and toxic compounds, lives Riftia pachyptila, a giant hydrothermal vent tubeworm. Growing up to 6 feet tall with a deep-red plume, Riftia does not have a digestive system but thrives … Read more
Trematodes, also known as flukes, are a class of parasitic flatworms with intricate lifecycles. This makes them interesting to scientists, but they are also significant to both human health and wildlife conservation. Trematodes can cause infection in humans when people eat food the flatworms have contaminated, including raw fish, crustaceans and vegetables. Though this is … Read more
Soft and organic crystals are a diverse group of materials with connections to biological, environmental, and industrial processes with a wide range of applications, from pharmaceuticals to flexible electronics. Understanding the details of their crystallization pathways is essential to developing the ability to controllably synthesize new materials and structures with targeted properties. A new review … Read more
Both literally and figuratively, light pervades the world. It banishes darkness, conveys telecommunications signals between continents and makes visible the invisible, from faraway galaxies to the smallest bacterium. Light can also help heat the plasma within ring-shaped devices known as tokamaks as scientists worldwide strive to harness the fusion process to generate green electricity. Now, … Read more
Bioenergy sorghum is an important resource for the production of biofuels and bioproducts and a critical component of a sustainable agricultural future. Researchers have been working hard to make this tall, drought-tolerant plant even more productive and resilient to harsh environmental conditions. But those efforts are hampered by a lack of knowledge about the inner … Read more
Proteins are molecular machines, with flexible pieces and moving parts. Understanding how these parts move helps scientists unravel the function a protein plays in living things—and potentially how to change its effects. Biochemists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and colleagues at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have published a … Read more
A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has found an unconventional way to improve catalysts made of more than one material. The solution demonstrates a path to designing catalysts with greater activity, selectivity and stability. A catalyst normally uses a support to stabilize nanometer-sized metal particles that speed … Read more
Human evolution is the process by which Homo sapiens, the modern human species, emerged and diversified from earlier hominin ancestors over millions of years. It is a complex and fascinating journey that spans millions of years and involves numerous species, environmental changes, adaptations, and migrations. Understanding human evolution requires interdisciplinary approaches, drawing insights from paleontology, … Read more
Dr. Seita Watanabe, an assistant professor at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Botanical Gardens and Graduate School of Science, has spearheaded a research team that recently uncovered a previously unknown species of Japanese lily called sukashiyuri. This groundbreaking discovery represents the first identification of a new sukashiyuri species since 1914, marking a significant milestone in botanical research. … Read more
Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago in a group of marine invertebrates called octocorals, according to the results of a new study from scientists with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The results, published April 23, in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, push back the previous record for … Read more
The concept of “coupled oscillations” may not immediately ring a bell, but these phenomena are ubiquitous in nature, manifesting in a variety of systems from mechanical structures to atomic bonds and gravitational interactions. Coupled harmonic oscillators, describing the interactions between masses and springs, serve as a foundational model in science and engineering, offering insights into … Read more
For the first time, a team of researchers at Stanford University and UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography has uncovered a direct genetic link between fluorescence and color in sea anemones—those soft and tentacled tide pool creatures often encountered by beachgoers. In a comprehensive paper, the team illuminates the mysterious role of fluorescent proteins … Read more
A team from the Université libre de Bruxelles’s centre for archaeological research (CReA-Patrimoine) has completed a significant excavation in Pachacamac, Peru, where they have discovered an intact mummy in especially good condition. Pachacamac’s status as a Pre-Colombian pilgrimage site under the Inca empire is confirmed by further evidence. Peter Eeckhout’s latest campaign of archaeological excavations … Read more
Archaeologists have analyzed chemical residues from ceramic vases at the city of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala, revealing physical evidence of tobacco use in Mesoamerica, likely for ritual and therapeutic purposes. Cotzumalhuapa was one of Mesoamerica’s greatest cities during the Late Classic Period (AD 650–950). Its artistic style spread widely across the Pacific coast and highlands of Guatemala, … Read more
It’s one thing for a hybrid citrus tree to tolerate citrus greening disease (a.k.a. Huanglongbing) and quite another if it also produces orange-like fruit—especially if the juice makes for a delicious breakfast beverage. Now, that holy grail of traits could be closer at hand, thanks to the chemical and genetic sleuthing of a team of … Read more
From Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s to cardiac arrhythmia, amyloids are linked to a number of diseases. These aggregates of proteins form in the body when a protein loses its normal structure and misfolds or mutates. And since many of these proteins are large and complicated, just how some of these mutations occur and aggregate remains a … Read more
In 1934, American entomologist Elwood Zimmerman, then an undergraduate student at Berkeley, participated in the “Mangarevan expedition” to Polynesia. Among the samples he collected were three tiny (4 mm long), orange-brown solitary bees found on tahetahe flowers in the Tuamotu Archipelago. The specimens rested undisturbed in the Bernice P Bishop Museum of Honolulu until 1965 … Read more