Voyager data measure higher pressure at fringes of solar system The Voyager probes have provided NASA scientists with data that suggest the pressure at the outer edges of our solar system is much higher than previously believed. Astronomers also discovered a reduction in the intensity of cosmic rays there. ScienceAlert Bronze Age households had mix […]
Gene editing gives fruit flies monarch abilities Researchers have edited the genes of fruit flies to make them able to digest the toxins in milkweed like monarch butterflies do. It took just three genetic tweaks to give the fruit flies that ability. Science News Bumblebees lose sleep over parental duties Bumblebees have been observed refraining […]
Bright gamma-ray flashes found around pulsars Extremely bright gamma-ray flashes known as Cherenkov emissions have been detected circling around pulsars, created when charged particles moving in a sense faster than light travel through the pulsar’s surrounding quantum vacuum. “This is a very exciting new prediction because it could provide answers to basic questions such as […]
Mode of delivery may affect breast milk’s bacterial composition Canadian researchers found that pumped breast milk had reduced levels of healthy bifidobacteria and elevated levels of some infection-causing bacteria, such as Pseudomonadaceae and Stenotrophomonas, compared with directly breastfed milk. Health Day Honeybees’ brains tracked while navigating VR maze Researchers got a glimpse into honeybee brains […]
By the end of the first part of this series I listed the most important norms included in what Ian Jarvie calls Karl Popper’s ‘Proto-constitution of science’. Now I will start discussing several important problems of this Popperian rules. One first problem we can identify is whether Popper proposes these norms as just a suggestion […]
Genome structures in baby mice influenced by maternal attentiveness Maternal behavior may affect the genome structures of baby mice. Researchers found more copies of retrotransposon LINE-1 in the hippocampal neurons of baby mice whose mothers were less attentive to their needs than in those whose mothers gave them more attention. The Scientist Enzymes help bees […]
Varying levels of pesticides found in most honey samples collected worldwide Scientists have found varying levels of neonicotinoid pesticides in 75% of samples of honey from almost 200 areas around the world. Neonicotinoid pesticides are believed to cause such health issues in bees as impaired brain function and slowed colony growth. Nature New genus, species […]
Plants emit a great amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They are mainly produced in flowers and fruits and confer them their classical pleasant smell. However, leaves and roots also emit an important quantity of volatiles. VOCs have different functions mostly related with the communication of the plant with the environment. They are responsible of […]
Molecules in larvae’s food determine whether honeybees are queens or workers Plant microRNA plays a key role in determining whether a female honeybee develops into a queen or a sterile worker. The tiny molecules are present in bee bread, a mixture of pollen and honey that is fed to larvae that become workers, and they […]
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 […]