Mutation found to affect circadian rhythm Researchers have discovered genetic mutations in hamsters that speed up the animals’ internal clock and affect circadian rhythms. “We suspect this might be relevant in understanding the effects of jet lag and shift work,” said neurobiologist Eric Bittman, a co-author of the study. Full Story: ScienceDaily Viruses found active […]
Discarded electronic devices, such as cell phones, are a fast-growing source of waste. One way to mitigate the problem could be to use components that are made with renewable resources and that are easy to dispose of responsibly. Now, researchers have created disposable papertronics, a prototype circuit board that is made of a sheet of […]
Black hole collision behaves as Einstein predicted Scientists studying the collision of two huge black holes observed massive gravitational waves and a phenomenon known as precession, which resembles the wobbling motion of a spinning top. Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicted a century ago that precession would occur in massive objects — but this […]
Long-lost moon may have been cause of Uranus’ stark tilt Astronomers have long suspected that a series of giant impacts early in the planet’s formation flipped Uranus on its side, but new research suggests the planet’s 98-degree-tilt could have been caused by a long-lost moon. It is possible that the tilt was caused by the […]
Climate change boosted hurricane rainfall Using the scientifically-accepted attribution technique they developed and shared earlier this year, a pair of researchers have released a subsequent study finding climate changes has led to at least 10% more rainfall during Hurricane Ian, which struck the US this week, than in a world without excess greenhouse gases trapping […]
Optimal workout timing may depend on gender Research on the relationship between exercise timing and gender indicates that women may see greater abdominal fat and blood pressure benefits with morning workouts, and evening exercise may help men burn more fat and better control their blood pressure. Working out in the evening also appeared to improve […]
Perseverance captures sun halo Despite decades of exploration on the surface of Mars and thousands of photographs of the skies above the red planet, scientists only observed signs of a sun halo recently. NASA’s Perseverance rover finally documented the phenomenon, which occurs when atmospheric ice crystals warp sunlight to create the appearance of a halo […]
Spaceflight alters DNA of astronauts’ blood Blood samples collected from all 14 astronauts who traveled to space as part of NASA’s space shuttle program between 1998 and 2001 showed evidence of DNA mutations after being stored for 20 years. While the mutations are below a key threshold for concern, researchers suggest astronauts submit to periodic […]
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 […]
New research has unearthed evidence that points to a strong relationship between the magnitude of mass extinctions and global temperature changes in geologic times. Abrupt climate change, accompanied by environmental destruction from large volcanic eruptions and meteorites, has caused major mass extinctions throughout the Phanerozoic Eon, covering 539 million years to the present. To date […]