NASA’s quieter supersonic jet zooms past milestone A supersonic jet under development at NASA that would create a much quieter sound than the loud sonic booms produced by more conventional supersonic aircraft has passed a preliminary design review. The Quiet Supersonic Transport is meant to make a quiet thump when passing the speed of sound […]
Data assimilation to help predict volcano eruptions A new method to forecast volcano activity using data assimilation is being developed by researchers in France. The method uses satellite data to gauge each volcano’s magma overpressure. Scientific American Bees exposed to pesticides even with untreated plants Bees are exposed to neonicotinoid pesticides even with untreated plants […]
Another distant planet suspected to be in Kuiper Belt Another planet, in addition to the so-called Planet Nine predicted last year, may be circling the sun in the Kuiper Belt. Researchers detected something between the size of Earth and Mars causing a warp in the orbits of asteroids, comets and dwarf planets within the Kuiper […]
Genes’ intron retention may be behind sex reversal in reptiles at high temps Australian central bearded dragon embryos, which under normal temperatures would hatch as either male or female, all hatch female regardless of their chromosomes when exposed to high temperatures, raising concerns that climate change could result in a change in the sex ratio […]
Streaks shooting out from Mars impact craters likely caused by high-speed winds Some impact craters on Mars show evidence of wind streaks likely caused by high-speed sideways vortices rolling away following the impacts. “These have tornado-like speeds but do not go straight up; instead, they are horizontal, like a tornado on Earth turned on its […]
HIV treatment’s effectiveness affected by type of bacteria in vagina Unhealthy bacteria colonies in the vagina may hinder the effectiveness of tenofovir, a drug used in gel form to prevent HIV infection. “We went from 60% protection if you have good Lactobacillus to 18% — really no protection at all — if you have bad […]
Cyclones and auroras among Juno’s discoveries about Jupiter Massive cyclones have been spotted near Jupiter’s north and south poles, and the gas giant’s auroras differ greatly from those of Earth, according to findings gathered by the Juno spacecraft in its first close swings by Jupiter’s poles. “Discoveries about its core, composition, magnetosphere, and poles are […]
Moss in Antarctica growing more quickly as temperatures rise Mosses are growing at a faster pace in Antarctica thanks to climate change. The moss is growing on the northern peninsula, making what little green there is on the continent greener as temperatures there rise. The Washington Post Trees moving away from eastern US in response […]
Drug-resistant bacteria’s origins traced back 450M years The drug-resistant bacteria Enterococcus may have evolved from an ancient gut microbe that lived inside some of the first creatures that walked on land about 450 million years ago. Researchers examined the superbug’s genetic history as well as its ability to survive in harsh environments and found that […]
Mature parasite living in fish eyeball helps host become easy prey for birds The parasite Diplostomum pseudospathaceum grows inside fish eyeballs and, depending on its age, either protects its host or compels the fish to become easy prey to birds. When the parasite is young, it wants its fish host to stay alive so it […]