Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Optics
Published

Artificial compound eye to revolutionize robotic vision at lower cost but higher sensitivity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has recently developed a novel artificial compound eye system that is not only more cost-effective, but demonstrates a sensitivity at least twice that of existing market products in small areas. The system promises to revolutionize robotic vision, enhance robots' abilities in navigation, perception and decision-making, while promoting commercial application and further development in human-robot collaboration.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Mix of factors prompts owl monkeys to leave their parents      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There comes a point in the lives of young owl monkeys when they leave their parents and strike out on their own to find a mate. In a new study of a wild population of Azara's owl monkeys in northern Argentina, researchers reveal that a combination of social and ecological factors influences when these tree-dwelling monkeys peel away from their parents and siblings. According to their findings -- which were based on 25 years of genetic and demographic data for several generations of owl monkeys, covering more than 330 individuals -- none of the individuals, regardless of their sex, reproduced in the same group where they were born. In all cases, the researchers found, the animals either departed from their natal group or died before reproducing.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Lemurs use long-term memory, smell, and social cues to find food      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

How do foraging animals find their food? A new study shows that lemurs use smell, social cues, and long-term memory to locate hidden fruit -- a combination of factors that may have deep evolutionary roots.

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

'Amphibious' sensors make new, waterproof technologies possible      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated a technique for creating sensors that can function both in air and underwater. The approach paves the way for 'amphibious' sensors with applications ranging from wildlife monitoring to biomedical applications.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Zoology
Published

Researchers find gene which determines marsupial fur color      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fur is a defining characteristic of mammals, coming in a wide variety of colors and patterns -- thanks to a world-first study, we now know which genes make a marsupial's coat black or grey.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Fossil shows how penguins' wings evolved      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A tiny fossil penguin plays a huge role in the evolutionary history of the bird, an international study shows.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary
Published

Climate anomalies may play a major role in driving cholera pandemics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research suggests that an El Nino event may have aided the establishment and spread of a novel cholera strain during an early 20th-century pandemic, supporting the idea that climate anomalies could create opportunities for the emergence of new cholera strains.

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).

Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Towards smart cities: Predicting soil liquefaction risk using artificial intelligence      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Soil liquefaction that results in infrastructure damage has long been a point of contention for urban planners and engineers. Accurately predicting the soil liquefaction risk of a region could help overcome this challenge. Accordingly, researchers applied artificial intelligence to generate soil liquefaction risk maps, superseding already published risk maps.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature
Published

Researchers explore cancer susceptibility in birds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In one of the largest studies of cancer susceptibility across bird species, researchers describe an intriguing relationship between reproductive rates and cancer susceptibility.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Scientists discover entirely new wood type that could be highly efficient at carbon storage      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers undertaking an evolutionary survey of the microscopic structure of wood from some of the world's most iconic trees and shrubs have discovered an entirely new type of wood.

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

Platypus and chicken reveal how chromosomes balance between the sexes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Geneticists uncover new insights into how sex chromosome systems work in the platypus and the chicken -- which will lead to better understandings of our own sex chromosome evolution and gene regulation.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

How researchers turn bacteria into cellulose-producing mini-factories      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have modified certain bacteria with UV light so that they produce more cellulose. The basis for this is a new approach with which the researchers generate thousands of bacterial variants and select those that have developed into the most productive.

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

Shape-shifting 'transformer bots' inspired by origami      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Inspired by the paper-folding art of origami, engineers have discovered a way to make a single plastic cubed structure transform into more than 1,000 configurations using only three active motors.

Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Scientists untangle interactions between the Earth's early life forms and the environment over 500 million years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The atmosphere, the ocean and life on Earth interacted over the past 500-plus million years in ways that improved conditions for early organisms to thrive. Now, an interdisciplinary team of scientists has produced a perspective article of this co-evolutionary history.

Biology: Biochemistry Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

New understanding of fly behavior has potential application in robotics, public safety      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have identified an automatic behavior in flies that helps them assess wind conditions -- its presence and direction -- before deploying a strategy to follow a scent to its source. The fact that they can do this is surprising -- can you tell if there's a gentle breeze if you stick your head out of a moving car? Flies aren't just reacting to an odor with a preprogrammed response: they are responding in context-appropriate manner. This knowledge potentially could be applied to train more sophisticated algorithms for scent-detecting drones to find the source of chemical leaks.