Smoke from wildfires may block clouds’ rainmaking ability Water droplets are more abundant in clouds affected by wildfire smoke but, surprisingly, those clouds are less likely to produce rain and may contribute to drought conditions in the Western US. Scientists say the droplets inside the affected cumulus clouds are much smaller and less likely to […]
Early Homo groups once trekked to a well-watered Arabia The Arabian Peninsula was once a green oasis that attracted ancient Homo groups as early as 400,000 years ago during wet periods. Researchers have found evidence of animals migrating to the area’s lakes, rivers and wetlands as well as stone tools. Science News Amputees feel sensations […]
Galaxy photos from Hubble feature merger, 3-armed spiral NASA has released the latest images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope since mission scientists repaired a major computer glitch that hobbled the spacecraft on June 13. The images, which haven’t been colourized, show the merger of a pair of galaxies and an unusual spiral galaxy with […]
Coral cells are seen merging with algae Researchers have observed the merging of coral cells enveloping algae at the start of their symbiotic relationship for the first time. “We were able to directly observe the interactions and symbiosis with video and confirmed what we saw by preserving the cells in plastic resin and taking semi-thin […]
Ancient star yields new idea about origin of heavy elements A magnetorotational hypernova explosion, rather than a neutron star merger, probably created SMSS J2003-1142, an ancient star in the halo of the Milky Way, according to David Yong and Gary Da Costa, who published their team’s findings in Nature. “[N]eutron star mergers, together with magnetorotational […]
Deep Space Atomic Clock aces test Researchers say the Deep Space Atomic Clock has outpaced other kinds of space clocks, heralding what it could do for the future of navigation in space. The atomic clock, which has been orbiting Earth in a satellite for about two years in its first test run, uses ions to […]
Gene found in gecko may have link to melanoma SPINT1, a gene responsible for the skin coloring of Lemon Frost geckos, may play a role in the lizards’ propensity to develop tumors and has also been linked to the development of melanoma in humans, a study in PLOS Genetics suggests. “Studying a gecko is not […]
Coelacanth scales reveal 100-year lifespan Coelacanths, bizarre fish that reside in the deepest ocean depths, can live as long as 100 years, aren’t even mature until they reach about 45 and remain pregnant for as long as five years. Researchers used polarized light to examine the scales of about 30 different coelacanth specimens, finding rings […]
Exoplanet’s atmosphere may contain water clouds The exoplanet TOI-1231 b, about 90 light-years away, may contain water clouds in its atmosphere. Researchers say the exoplanet’s relatively cool temperature hints at the water cloud possibility. CNN Humans may have arrived in Americas even earlier Animal remains dating as far back as 33,000 years ago found in […]
The perplexing ancient shark die-off Sharks have experienced several mass extinctions over their 450 million years on Earth, but one that occurred about 19 million years ago was particularly devastating and scientists aren’t sure how or why it happened. Most sharks didn’t survive the event, causing the extinction of several species. Ars Technica Thick gold […]