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Categories: Geoscience: Geology, Offbeat: General
Published Detecting odors on the edge: Researchers decipher how insects smell more with less



While humans feature a sophisticated sense of smell, insects have a much more basic olfactory system. Yet they depend upon smell to survive. Scientists have figured out how fruit flies use a simple but efficient system to recognize odors, and the answer lies at the edges of their antennae.
Published Complete stellar collapse: Unusual star system proves that stars can die quietly



University of Copenhagen astrophysicists help explain a mysterious phenomenon, whereby stars suddenly vanish from the night sky. Their study of an unusual binary star system has resulted in convincing evidence that massive stars can completely collapse and become black holes without a supernova explosion.
Published 3D printing robot creates extreme shock-absorbing shape, with help of AI



See how an autonomous robot created a shock-absorbing shape no human ever could -- and what it means for designing safer helmets, packaging, car bumpers, and more.
Published Researchers discover hidden step in dinosaur feather evolution



Scientists discover 'zoned development' in dinosaur skin, with zones of reptile-style scales and zones of bird-like skin with feathers. A new dinosaur skin fossil has been found to be composed of silica -- the same as glass.
Published Can coal mines be tapped for rare earth elements?



A team of geologists analyzed 3,500 samples taken in and around coal mines in Utah and Colorado. Their findings open the possibility that these mines could see a secondary resource stream in the form of rare earth metals used in renewable energy and numerous other high-tech applications.
Published Webb Telescope offers first glimpse of an exoplanet's interior



A surprisingly low amount of methane and a super-sized core hide within the cotton candy -- like planet WASP-107 b.
Published 2D materials: A catalyst for future quantum technologies



Researchers have discovered that a 'single atomic defect' in a layered 2D material can hold onto quantum information for microseconds at room temperature. This underscores the broader potential of 2D materials in advancing quantum technologies.
Published Extreme complexity in formation of rare earth mineral vital for tech industry



Researchers have unveiled that myriad, intricate factors influence the genesis and chemistry of bastnasite and rare earth carbonates, which are critically needed for today's tech industry and its hardware outputs. Their work unveils a newly acquired depth of understanding that had previously been unexplored in this field. In combination, the findings mark a significant advancement and promise to reshape our understanding of rare earth mineral formation.
Published Subduction zone splay faults compound hazards of great earthquakes



Groundbreaking research has provided new insight into the tectonic plate shifts that create some of the Earth's largest earthquakes and tsunamis.
Published Physicists propose path to faster, more flexible robots



Physicists revealed a microscopic phenomenon that could greatly improve the performance of soft devices, such as agile flexible robots or microscopic capsules for drug delivery.
Published World's smallest quantum light detector on a silicon chip



Researchers have made an important breakthrough in scaling quantum technology by integrating the world's tiniest quantum light detector onto a silicon chip.
Published Diamond glitter: A play of colors with artificial DNA crystals



Using DNA origami, researchers have built a diamond lattice with a periodicity of hundreds of nanometers -- a new approach for manufacturing semiconductors for visible light.
Published Ancient arachnid from coal forests of America stands out for its spiny legs



The spiny legged 308-million-year-old arachnid Douglassarachne acanthopoda was discovered the famous Mazon Creek locality.
Published Otters, especially females, use tools to survive a changing world



Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools to access their food, and a new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools -- most of whom are female -- are able to eat larger prey and reduce tooth damage when their preferred prey becomes depleted.
Published How neighboring whale families learn each other's vocal style



Researchers have developed a method to investigate sperm whale communication by determining their vocal style, finding that groups living in close proximity can develop similar styles to each other.
Published How did sabre-toothed tigers acquire their long upper canine teeth?



In a groundbreaking study an international team of scientists has investigated the evolutionary patterns behind the development of sabre teeth, with some unexpected results along the way.
Published To sound like a hockey player, speak like a Canadian



Hockey players are famous for their distinctive jargon, but while researching this phenomenon, a linguist and hockey player realized another interesting pattern in hockey speech: American hockey players adopted aspects of Canadian English pronunciations. Their pseudo-Canadian accent might be a mechanism for the Americans to indicate their identity as hockey players in a sport heavily dominated by Canadians.
Published Spider silk sound system



Researchers have investigated how spiders listen to their environments through webs and found that the webs match the acoustic particle velocity for a wide range of sound frequencies. Playing sound ranging from 1 Hz to 50 kHz for the spiders and measuring the spider silk motion with a laser vibrometer, they found the sound-induced velocity of the silk was the same as the particles in the air surrounding it. This confirmed the mechanism that these spiders use to detect their prey.
Published Building a better sarcasm detector



Sarcasm is notoriously tricky to convey through text, and the subtle changes in tone that convey sarcasm often confuse computer algorithms as well, limiting virtual assistants and content analysis tools. So researchers have now developed a multimodal algorithm for improved sarcasm detection that examines multiple aspects of audio recordings for increased accuracy. They used two complementary approaches -- sentiment analysis using text and emotion recognition using audio -- for a more complete picture.
Published Jet-propelled sea creatures could improve ocean robotics



Scientists have discovered that colonies of gelatinous sea animals swim through the ocean in giant corkscrew shapes using coordinated jet propulsion, an unusual kind of locomotion that could inspire new designs for efficient underwater vehicles.