A rare North American bumble bee may have been on a path toward extinction long before modern human impacts, suggesting that its long-term genetic vulnerability made it especially fragile and less able to cope with both past and current environmental stresses. The study focused on the Franklin bumble bee, once found only in parts of […]
A new discovery of how bees use their flight movements to facilitate remarkably accurate learning and recognition of complex visual patterns could mark a major change in how next-generation AI is developed, according to a University of Sheffield study. By building a computational model—or a digital version of a bee’s brain—researchers have discovered how the […]
Map highlights ocean pathways for marine species Researchers have created the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean database, an interactive map that traces routes of 109 marine species. The map, based on 30 years of data, highlights the need for international cooperation to protect these species as their habitats cross national borders. Full Story: ScienceAlert Major […]
Iceland volcano’s magma hits unprecedented speed Magma underneath Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula flows at an “ultra-rapid” 7,400 cubic meters per second, and the same magma river likely caused Thursday’s eruption. The unprecedented speed indicates the role of not only pressure but also tectonic stress and ground fracturing in a volcano’s likelihood to erupt, says Sigrun Hreinsdottir […]
Octopus DNA helps scientists resolve geological mystery Scientists analyzed the genetic history of an octopus species living in the Antarctic to confirm a theory about when the West Antarctic ice sheet last collapsed. The Turquet’s octopus has different populations separated by the West Antarctic ice shelves today, but the creature’s family tree indicates that the […]
Layered rocks may be Earth’s oldest known fossils Researchers have found fossil evidence of what may be the first known life on Earth with the discovery of stromatolites, layered rocks formed by photosynthetic microbes, in Western Australia’s Dresser Formation that date back 3.48 billion years. Full Story: Live Science Sharks face rising extinction risk, other […]
Blazars draw power from black holes High-energy particles such as neutrinos and cosmic rays that pummel the Earth from the depths of space originate in actively galactic nuclei fueled by giant black holes, known as blazars. “The discovery of the connection between these objects and the cosmic rays may be the ‘Rosetta stone’ of high-energy […]
Water may be hidden beneath Europa’s icy surface Beneath the 20-kilometer thick ice crust covering Jupiter’s Europa moon, researchers think an ocean awaits. Scientists studying the frozen surface of Greenland have determined Europa is similar enough that its hidden water store could host microbial life. Space Climate crisis leaves parts of world with 50% fewer […]
Heartbeats as passwords By recording and isolating the unique “musical” properties of a heartbeat — both rhythm and pitch — researchers have created a biometric identification system which can distinguish between people with a 99.6% accuracy rate. “We might use this solution in a building’s access control system where pre-registered users provide a template (a […]
New Horizons finds light in the darkness of space The New Horizons space probe, which has moved beyond its exploration of Pluto, has found evidence that space itself has its own glow. When researchers removed visible light sources from images of the open universe sent back from the space probe, now about 4 billion miles […]