Rising seas, oxygen depletion led to mass extinction Rising seas likely contributed to high hydrogen sulfide levels and oxygen depletion that killed marine life during Earth’s Devonian period over 350 million years ago. Researchers analyzed black shale samples from the Bakken Formation underlying parts of North Dakota and Canada, finding that waters were drained of […]
Shockwaves through the “cosmic web” spotted Astronomers have detected the first evidence of shockwaves in intergalactic magnetic fields running throughout the cosmic web. Researchers combined data from four radio wave detection sites to identify the waves resulting from merging matter in the network of filaments that weave galaxies together. Full Story: Space First wiring map […]
Phytoplankton increasingly blooming on coastlines Phytoplankton blooms increased around 13% in extent and occurred 59% more often along global coastlines between 2003 and 2020. The microscopic algae are both beneficial to fisheries and potentially dangerous for marine animals in large amounts, researchers note, and the increase in phytoplankton blooms is caused by warmer ocean temperatures […]
Ancient fish that ate humans’ ancestors discovered Researchers have excavated the remains of a giant ancient bony fish species with fangs from about 350 million years ago in what is now South Africa. The findings, published in the journal PLOS One, indicate that the Hyneria udlezinye species measured up to 2.7 meters long and likely […]
Analysis of cell villages yields insight into Zika infections Studying cell villages, or samples from different donors in a shared environment, is an effective method “to identify genes and genetic variants that change a cell’s phenotype.” Scientists used the method along with the Dropulation and Census-seq algorithms to assess genetic variation in cell villages and […]
Astronomers puzzled by distant planet’s ring Astronomers have discovered a ring around the distant minor planet Quaoar that defies scientific understanding of how and where rings are formed. Quaoar’s ring exists in a location outside of where scientists believe particles should remain in a disk formation, prompting questions about the nature of celestial rings. Full […]
Human brain tissue successfully implanted in rats A new study shows that balls of human brain neurons can be implanted and integrated into the brains of rats. Researchers reveal that lab-grown “human brain organoids” integrated into the rats’ brains within three months, which may pave the way for repairing injured human brains in the future […]
Antidepressants may create antibiotic resistance Antidepressants may cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics, according to a study exposing the bacterium E. coli to five common antidepressants. Researchers need to further explore the effect, which was found in Petri dishes, to study whether these antidepressants can cultivate superbugs in the human body or natural environment […]
Several genes play a role in whales’ enormous size Biologists have identified evolutionary changes in DNA that allowed whales to grow larger over time. The researchers found that despite having bigger bodies with more chances for cancer to develop in cells, whales have genes that not only contribute to body size but reduce the impacts […]
Scientists find aging mechanism — and how to reverse it Biologists have developed a new model for understanding aging based on the degradation in how DNA is organized and regulated, identifying the epigenome as the predominant factor in the aging process. The findings may help scientists develop treatments to reverse aging and delay the onset […]