Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient Maya blessed their ballcourts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using environmental DNA analysis, an international team of researchers identified a collection of plants used in ceremonial rituals in the ancient Maya city of Yaxnohcah in Mexico. The plants, known for their religious associations and medicinal properties, were discovered beneath a plaza floor where a ballcourt was built.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

More efficient molecular motor widens potential applications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Light-driven molecular motors were first developed nearly 25 years ago. However, making these motors do actual work proved to be a challenge. In a new paper, scientists describe improvements that bring real-life applications closer.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Barley plants fine-tune their root microbial communities through sugary secretions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Different types of barley recruit distinct communities of soil microbes to grow around their roots by releasing a custom mix of sugars and other compounds, according to a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

With hybrid brains, these mice smell like a rat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mice lacking an olfactory system have had their sense of smell restored with neurons from rats, the first time scientists have successfully integrated the sensory apparatus of one species into another.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Diamond dust shines bright in Magnetic Resonance Imaging      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An unexpected discovery surprised a scientist: nanometer-sized diamond particles, which were intended for a completely different purpose, shone brightly in a magnetic resonance imaging experiment -- much brighter than the actual contrast agent, the heavy metal gadolinium. Could diamond dust -- in addition to its use in drug delivery to treat tumor cells -- one day become a novel contrast agent used for MRI?

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

'Like a nanoscopic Moon lander': Scientists unlock secret of how pyramidal molecules move across surfaces      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have watched a molecule move across a graphite surface in unprecedented detail. It turns out this particular molecule moves like a Moon lander -- and the insights hold potential for future nanotechnologies.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

Freeze casting: A guide to creating hierarchically structured materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Freeze casting is an elegant, cost-effective manufacturing technique to produce highly porous materials with custom-designed hierarchical architectures, well-defined pore orientation, and multifunctional surface structures. Freeze-cast materials are suitable for many applications, from biomedicine to environmental engineering and energy technologies.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

How do birds flock? Researchers do the math to reveal previously unknown aerodynamic phenomenon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

How do birds fly in a coordinated and seemingly effortless fashion? Part of the answer lies in precise, and previously unknown, aerodynamic interactions, reports a team of mathematicians. Its breakthrough broadens our understanding of wildlife, including fish, who move in schools, and could have applications in transportation and energy.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Cells may possess hidden communication system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cells constantly navigate a dynamic environment, facing ever-changing conditions and challenges. But how do cells swiftly adapt to these environmental fluctuations? A new study is answering that question by challenging our understanding of how cells function. A team of researchers suggests that cells possess a previously unknown information processing system that allows them to make rapid decisions independent of their genes.

Biology: General Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

These giant, prehistoric salmon had tusk-like teeth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Oncorhynchus rastrosus, a giant species of salmon that lived in the North American Pacific Northwest a few million years ago, sported a pair of front teeth that projected out from the sides of its mouth like tusks, according to a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Color variants in cuckoos: The advantages of rareness      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Every cuckoo is an adopted child -- raised by foster parents, into whose nest the cuckoo mother smuggled her egg. The cuckoo mother is aided in this subterfuge by her resemblance to a bird of prey. There are two variants of female cuckoos: a gray morph that looks like a sparrowhawk, and a rufous morph. Male cuckoos are always gray.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Zebra finch chicks don't babble for no reason      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Their first vocalizations help young zebra finch males to memorize the songs of adults.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

A chemical mystery solved -- the reaction explaining large carbon sinks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A mystery that has puzzled the scientific community for over 50 years has finally been solved. A team has discovered that a certain type of chemical reaction can explain why organic matter found in rivers and lakes is so resistant to degradation.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

Making diamonds at ambient pressure      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have grown diamonds under conditions of 1 atmosphere pressure and at 1025 degrees Celsius using a liquid metal alloy composed of gallium, iron, nickel, and silicon, thus breaking the existing paradigm. The discovery of this new growth method opens many possibilities for further basic science studies and for scaling up the growth of diamonds in new ways.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Lead-vacancy centers in diamond as building blocks for large-scale quantum networks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A lead-vacancy (PbV) center in diamond has been developed as a quantum emitter for large-scale quantum networks by researchers. This innovative color center exhibits a sharp zero-phonon-line and emits photons with specific frequencies. The PbV color center stands out among other diamond color centers due to its ability to maintain optical properties at relatively high temperatures of 16 K. This makes it well-suited for transferring quantum information in large-scale quantum networks.

Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago in a group of marine invertebrates called octocorals, according to the results of a new study. The study focuses on an ancient group of marine invertebrates that includes soft corals, pushes back the previous oldest dated example of trait by nearly 300 million years.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Squids' birthday influences mating      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The day a male spear squid hatches determines which mating tactic he will use throughout his life, according to new research. Spear squid (Heterololigo bleekeri) that hatch earlier in the season become 'consorts' which fight for mating opportunities. Those which hatch later become 'sneakers,' which use more clandestine mating tactics. Researchers found that the mating tactic determined by the birth date was fixed for the squid's whole life. Understanding how mating tactics are influenced by birth date, and the environmental conditions at that time, can help researchers consider how squid might be affected by climate change and the implications for marine resource management.

Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Frog species evolved rapidly in response to road salts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When we think of evolution, we think of a process that happens over hundreds or thousands of years. In research recently published, a species of frog that has evolved over the course of merely 25 years. The adaptation was spurred on by something many assume is innocuous: salt.