Early plate tectonics likely played role in Earth’s oxygen event The early days of plate tectonics may have contributed to the Great Oxygenation Event. “It was likely a combination of many of these mechanisms, including subduction, that allowed O2 levels to rise and be maintained for the rest of Earth’s history,” said study co-author Megan […]
Electrical stimulation to brain at right time can improve memory Electrical stimulation sent to the brain at certain times can boost memory. Scientists found that sending a jolt when brain signals suggested a likely memory lapse helped the person’s recall significantly, but a zap when signals indicated something would be recalled reduced the chance a […]
Atmospheric metal layers around Mars found Layers of atmospheric metal ions have been found around Mars by NASA’s MAVEN space probe, puzzling researchers because the layers shouldn’t be there. “Something is causing these layers — something is pushing them around — but we don’t know what,” said NASA’s Joseph Grebowsky, an author of a study […]
Atmosphere found around exoplanet about size of Earth An atmosphere has been discovered for the first time around an exoplanet a little bigger than Earth, according to findings published in The Astrophysical Journal. GJ 1132b, which circles a dwarf star about 39 light-years away, is rocky, and its atmosphere could be made up of methane […]
Reported sightings of Tasmanian tigers to be investigated Recent possible sightings have raised hopes that a marsupial known as the Tasmanian tiger, last seen more than 80 years ago, may not be extinct. Researchers with James Cook University in Australia are mounting a search, placing cameras in areas where there have been sightings in an […]
Experiment hopes to shine intense light on hydrogen fuel production Nearly 150 powerful lamps that together produce light more intense than natural sunlight are the focus of the Synlight experiment in Germany that scientists hope can help create hydrogen fuel. Researchers suspect that, with the right setup, the “artificial sun” can create a reaction that […]
Special genes help tardigrades survive desiccation The sturdy tardigrade, or water bear, can survive desiccation for years, pulling itself into its exoskeleton and rolling up into a ball. Unique genes create tardigrade-specific intrinsically disordered proteins that protect the water bear’s cells when the creature is dried out. The New York Times Parentage of ancient rocks […]
Creation of synthetic yeast genome nearly completed Scientists are close to creating synthetic yeast and could have it completed by the end of this year. The artificial genome has been completely designed and is about one-third complete, and once constructed, it could be used to make new biofuels, drugs and unique materials. Wired New radar […]
DNA-based computer could solve problems faster A theoretical DNA-based computer called a nondeterministic universal Turing machine could work out difficult problems faster than both conventional and quantum computers. The machine works by endlessly rearranging DNA via gene editing. New Scientist Temperature of Earth’s mantle recalculated Earth’s mantle is much hotter than researchers thought, coming in […]
Human gene expression still influenced by Neanderthal DNA Neanderthal DNA is still influencing the expression of human genes, affecting such things as the development of illnesses, height and immune systems. “Strikingly, we find that Neanderthal sequences present in living individuals are not silent remnants of hybridization that occurred over 50,000 years ago, but have ongoing […]