Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Rewriting the evolutionary history of critical components of the nervous system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has rewritten the conventionally understood evolutionary history of certain ion channels -- proteins critical for electrical signaling in the nervous system. The study shows that the Shaker family of ion channels were present in microscopic single cell organisms well before the common ancestor of all animals and thus before the origin of the nervous system.

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

Reduce, reuse, 're-fly-cle'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Black soldier flies are now commercially used to consume organic waste -- but genetic modifications proposed by bioscientists could see the insects digesting a wider variety of refuse, while also creating raw ingredients for industry.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

New method for orchestrating successful collaboration among robots      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that programming robots to create their own teams and voluntarily wait for their teammates results in faster task completion, with the potential to improve manufacturing, agriculture and warehouse automation.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

Engineers make tunable, shape-changing metamaterial inspired by vintage toys      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Common push puppet toys in the shapes of animals and popular figures can move or collapse with the push of a button at the bottom of the toys' base. Now, a team of engineers has created a new class of tunable dynamic material that mimics the inner workings of push puppets, with applications for soft robotics, reconfigurable architectures and space engineering.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: General Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Wearable display tech: Full-color fiber LEDs based on perovskite quantum wires      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has developed full-color fiber light-emitting diodes utilizing perovskite quantum wires (PeQWs), paving the way for innovative wearable lighting and display devices.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General
Published

Redefining the computer whiz: Research shows diverse skills valued by youth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have uncovered a more nuanced view of what makes an 'ideal' computer science student, challenging long-held stereotypes of geeky, clever, detail-oriented men, who lack social skills.

Computer Science: General
Published

From doom-scrolling to mindfulness      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have created Mindful Scroll, a mobile app that helps users transition from doom-scrolling to adding mindfulness into their daily routines.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
Published

When mammoths roamed Vancouver Island      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mammoths, the massive pre-historic ice age cousins of the modern-day elephant, have always been understood to have inhabited parts of British Columbia, but the question of when has always been a bit woolly. Now, a new study has given scientists the clearest picture yet when the giant mammals roamed Vancouver Island.

Computer Science: General Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Turning unused signals such as Wi-Fi into energy for electronics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

We are constantly surrounded by electromagnetic waves such as Wi-Fi. Researchers tested a device to convert this ambient energy into energy for electronic devices.

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

Fishing is causing frightened fish to flee when they should flirt      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Populations of squaretail grouper face an uncertain future as new research shows fishing that targets their spawning sites is causing males to be repeatedly scared away from their territories during their short mating meet-ups. By fleeing for safety, individuals are losing valuable time to catch the eye and court female fish.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Social rank may determine if animals live fast, die young      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Social rank may determine whether animals prioritize immediate fitness over long-term health, according to a study. Researchers studied macaques on a Thai island and found that the animals' unusual habit of washing their food is in fact based on social rank. Dominant monkeys quickly brush their food on their fur before eating it, along with mouthfuls of tooth-degrading sand, while lower-ranked monkeys obsessively wash their food in the surf. Citing the disposable soma hypothesis, the researchers suggest that high-ranking macaques are looking to quickly consume energy to mate and fend off challengers. But food-washing monkeys may be preserving their long-term health to produce more offspring over time. The findings could shed light on how the wear observed in the fossilized teeth of early humans relates to social structure.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General
Published

AI for mental health screening may carry biases based on gender, race      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A growing body of AI tools screen how people talk, searching for subtle changes that could indicate mental health concerns like depression or anxiety. A study finds that these tools don't perform consistently across people from different genders and races.

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

When it comes to DNA replication, humans and baker's yeast are more alike than different      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Humans and baker's yeast have more in common than meets the eye, including an important mechanism that helps ensure DNA is copied correctly, reports a pair of studies. The findings visualize for the first time a molecular complex -- called CTF18-RFC in humans and Ctf18-RFC in yeast -- that loads a 'clamp' onto DNA to keep parts of the replication machinery from falling off the DNA strand.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Half a billion-year-old spiny slug reveals the origins of mollusks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Exceptional fossils with preserved soft parts reveal that the earliest mollusks were flat, armored slugs without shells. The new species, Shishania aculeata, was covered with hollow, organic, cone-shaped spines. The fossils preserve exceptionally rare detailed features which reveal that these spines were produced using a sophisticated secretion system that is shared with annelids (earthworms and relatives).

Computer Science: General Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Pursuing the middle path to scientific discovery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have made significant strides in understanding the properties of a ferroelectric material under an electric field. This breakthrough holds potential for advances in computer memory, lasers and sensors for ultraprecise measurements.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Bright prospects for engineering quantum light      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Computers benefit greatly from being connected to the internet, so we might ask: What good is a quantum computer without a quantum internet?

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals Physics: Optics
Published

Super-black wood can improve telescopes, optical devices and consumer goods      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Thanks to an accidental discovery, researchers have created a new super-black material that absorbs almost all light, opening potential applications in fine jewelry, solar cells and precision optical devices.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Researchers develop general framework for designing quantum sensors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have designed a protocol for harnessing the power of quantum sensors. The protocol could give sensor designers the ability to fine-tune quantum systems to sense signals of interest, creating sensors that are vastly more sensitive than traditional sensors.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Injury dressings in first-aid kits provide a new technique to reveal shark species after bite incidents      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have revealed that injury dressings found in first-aid kits can reliably be used to identify shark species involved in bite incidents by deploying medical gauze to gather DNA samples from aquatic equipment, such as surfboards.