Category archives: Weekly Selection

MI weekly selection #482

MI weekly selection #482

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

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 […]

MI weekly selection #481

MI weekly selection #481

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

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 […]

MI weekly selection #480

MI weekly selection #480

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

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 […]

MI weekly selection #479

MI weekly selection #479

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

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 […]

MI weekly selection #478

MI weekly selection #478

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

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 […]

MI weekly selection #477

MI weekly selection #477

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Mammals became warm-blooded around 233M years ago Warm-blooded mammals evolved roughly 233 million years ago, nearly 20 million years later than previously believed, after studying tiny inner ear canals that carry a viscous fluid called endolymph, which flows more easily when warmed and requires smaller passageways. The study looked at the inner ear canals of […]

MI weekly selection #476

MI weekly selection #476

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Sandy clouds swirl around brown dwarfs According to new modeling based on telescope data collected nearly 20 years ago, silicate-rich clouds swirling around brown dwarfs likely form when the chemistry and temperature –1,000 to 1,700 degrees Celsius — of the atmospheres of the substellar objects align. Full Story: Space Plant cycles affected by urban lighting […]

MI weekly selection #475

MI weekly selection #475

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Robots recreate evolutionary journey of ancient ammonites By studying the dynamic interaction between maneuverability and stability in robotic ammonites, a team of researchers has traced the evolution of shell variations of live ammonite shells in response to different needs and advantages. “Throughout their evolution, externally shelled cephalopods navigated their physical limitations by endlessly experimenting with […]

MI weekly selection #474

MI weekly selection #474

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Jawbone discovery shows vicious bear dog’s power, reach The discovery of a near-complete jawbone of a newly identified species of “bear dog” indicates the ancient beasts were powerful predators with a global presence when they roamed the earth up to 23 million years ago. The flat-footed, long-snouted bear dogs ranged in size from 9 to […]

MI weekly selection #474

MI weekly selection #474

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Tissue study shows ancient squid as ferocious predator The modern vampire squid may be a docile, soft-bodied animal, but new data suggests its prehistoric ancestor, Vampyronassa rhodanica, was a muscular ocean predator. Researchers analyzed fossilized soft tissues and found that the ancient cephalopods, which date back 164 million years, came equipped with a streamlined body […]