Rare 'superflares' could one day threaten Earth
These events occur when stars, for reasons that scientists still don't understand, eject huge bursts of energy that can be seen from hundreds of light years away.
Topic
Science
A collection of 664 articles
Bitcoin causing carbon dioxide emissions comparable to Las Vegas or Hamburg: Hardware and IP addresses analyzed to assess the carbon footprint of the cryptocurrency
Although Bitcoin is a virtual currency, the energy consumption associated with its use is very real.
Could climate change make Siberia more habitable?
A study team from the Krasnoyarsk Federal Research Center, Russia, and the National Institute of Aerospace, USA, used current and predicted climate scenarios to examine the climate comfort of Asian Russia and work out the potential for human settlement throughout the 21st century.
They published their results today in Environmental
CRISPR baby mutation significantly increases mortality: Two copies of mutated CCR5 gene associated with lower survivability
The researchers scanned more than 400,000 genomes and associated health records contained in a British database, UK Biobank, and found that people who had two mutated copies of the gene had a significantly higher death rate between ages 41 and 78 than those with one or no copies. Previous
How multi-celled animals developed: Evolutionary discovery to rewrite textbooks
Using new technology to investigate how multi-celled animals developed, their findings revealed a surprising truth.Professor Bernie Degnan said the results contradicted years of tradition.
Earth's heavy metals result of supernova explosion, research reveals
In a finding that may overthrow our understanding of where Earth's heavy elements such as gold and platinum come from, new research by a University of Guelph physicist suggests that most of them were spewed from a largely overlooked kind of star explosion far away in space and time from
Origin of life: A prebiotic route to DNA
How were the building-blocks of life first formed on the early Earth? As yet, only partially satisfactory answers to this question are available.
Two hours a week is key dose of nature for health and wellbeing
Research led by the University of Exeter, published in Scientific Reports and funded by NIHR, found that people who spend at least 120 minutes in nature a week are significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological wellbeing than those who don't visit nature at all during an
New evidence links ultra-processed foods with a range of health risks: Policies that limit ultra-processed food intake are urgently needed, say researchers
The researchers say further work is needed to better understand these effects, and a direct (causal) link remains to be established, but they call for policies that promote consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods over highly processed foods. Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary
Translation of genes more complex than expected
From gene to protein Each cell in our body contains the same DNA, yet different cells, like brain cells or muscle cells, have different functions..
Global commodities trade and consumption place the world's primates at risk of extinction
The world's primate fauna, distributed in the Neotropics, Africa and in South and Southeast Asia, represents an important global component of the Earth ́s land-based biodiversity..
Africa's elephant poaching rates in decline, but iconic animal still under threat
However, the team say the continent's elephant population remains threatened without continuing action to tackle poverty, reduce corruption and decrease demand of ivory..
How old are your organs? To scientists' surprise, organs are a mix of young and old cells: Scientists discover cellular structures with extreme longevity, leading to insights for age-associated diseases
"We were quite surprised to find cellular structures that are essentially as old as the organism they reside in," says Salk Vice President, Chief Science Officer Martin Hetzer, senior author and professor. "This suggests even greater cellular complexity than we previously imagined and has intriguing implications for how we think
The fellowship of the wing: Pigeons flap faster to fly together
Birds that fly in 'V'-formations, such as geese, are able to conserve energy by flying in aerodynamically optimal positions.
Small cluster of neurons is off-on switch for mouse songs: With precise control, researchers could make a mouse sing or not on command
In fact, they now understand these neurons well enough to be able to make a mouse sing on command or to silence it so that it can't sing, even when it wants to impress a mate.