Dust may boost planets’ likelihood of habitability Faraway planets are more likely to be habitable if airborne dust is present to help keep temperatures moderate by cooling a planet’s hot side and warming its dark side. “Airborne dust is something that might keep planets habitable, but also obscures our ability to find signs of life […]
Urban foxes in UK becoming more doglike Urban red foxes in the UK appear to be evolving to better adapt to urban life, with a shorter, more powerful snout and a smaller brain than their country cousins. They’re also becoming less afraid of humans, and “adapting to life around humans actually primes some animals for […]
Stronger cyclones could intensify global warming The growing intensity of tropical cyclones in the Pacific may be feeding global warming by speeding up some ocean eddies, suppressing others and carrying more heat via the Kuroshio Current. “The collision of these two giant monsters — tropical cyclones and mesoscale eddies — will probably lead to dramatic […]
Miniature robots can carry cancer drug through blood Researchers have created minuscule robots that they say could one day deliver drugs precisely to cancer cells from within patients’ blood streams. The robots, called microrollers, are spherical with a magnetic nanofilm on one half, are coated with the drug doxorubicin on the other half and can […]
Puhahonu shield volcano is Earth’s biggest Scientists say new research shows the Puhahonu volcano, which is about 1,100 kilometers northwest of Honolulu in the Pacific Ocean and contains about 150,000 cubic kilometers of rock, is the world’s largest shield volcano. About a third of it rises above the seafloor, while the rest is buried under […]
Ridges on moon may indicate tectonic activity Scientists who studied temperature data from a NASA orbiter say ridges on the moon may be evidence of recent tectonic activity. “From this paper, it appears that the moon may still be creaking and cracking — potentially in the present day — and we can see the evidence […]
Ice avalanches linked to features in Mars craters Scientists who analyzed open-source multispectrum and radar data from NASA with a 3-D modeling software program and separate mathematical calculations say large, fast-moving ice avalanches may have created debris in two craters on Mars. The hupothesis could help researchers understand the moraine-like features in the planet’s north […]
Cosmic-ray technique may help forecast volcanic eruptions Scientists used a visual technique known as muography at the active Sakurajima stratovolcano in Kyushu, Japan, in an effort to forecast eruptions. Researchers recorded muon cosmic-ray particles passing through the volcano and used the data collected to create detailed maps of the volcano’s interior, which were then analyzed […]
Range of personalities observed in wild dolphins Some wild bottlenose dolphins in Italy’s Gulf of Aranci are much more bold and adventurous than others, and the bolder dolphins appear to have deeper social connections than shyer dolphins, according to a study published in Animal Behavior. Differences in social behaviors could affect reproductive success and group […]
Elevated amyloid may predict Alzheimer’s in seniors Researchers who used amyloid PET found that older adults with healthy cognition and elevated amyloid levels had poorer test scores and more reports of subtle daily cognition declines, compared with those with lower amyloid deposition. “These results support the hypothesis that elevated amyloid represents an early stage in […]