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What kinds of seismic signals did Swifties send at LA concert?
Seattle may have experienced its own Swift Quake last July, but at an August 2023 concert Taylor Swift's fans in Los Angeles gave scientists a lot of shaking to ponder. After some debate, a research team concluded that it was likely the dancing and jumping motions of the audience at SoFi Stadium -- not the musical beats or reverberations of the sound system -- that generated the concert's distinct harmonic tremors.
Robot ANYmal can do parkour and walk across rubble
The quadrupedal robot ANYmal went back to school and has learned a lot. Researchers used machine learning to teach it new skills: the robot can now climb over obstacles and successfully negotiate pitfalls.
Cheers! NASA's Webb finds ethanol, other icy ingredients for worlds
What do margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings have in common? They contain chemical ingredients that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has identified surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385. Although planets are not yet forming around those stars, these and other molecules detected there by Webb represent key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds.
The future is likely less skiable, thanks to climate change
Annual snow cover days in all major skiing regions are projected to decrease dramatically as a result of climate change, with 1 in 8 ski areas losing all natural snow cover this century under high emission scenarios, according to a new study.
Supply chain disruptions will further exacerbate economic losses from climate change
Global GDP loss from climate change will increase exponentially the warmer the planet gets when its cascading impact on global supply chains is factored in, finds a new study.
Menopause explains why some female whales live so long
Females of some whale species have evolved to live drastically longer lives so they can care for their families, new research shows.
Explaining a supernova's 'string of pearls'
Physicists often turn to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability to explain why fluid structures form in plasmas, but that may not be the full story when it comes to the ring of hydrogen clumps around supernova 1987A, research suggests. It looks like the same mechanism that breaks up airplane contrails might be at play in forming the clumps of hydrogen gas that ring the remnant of supernova 1987A.
Giant volcano discovered on Mars
A deeply eroded giant volcano, active from ancient through recent times and with possible remnants of glacier ice near its base, had been hiding near Mars' equator in plain sight. Its discovery points to an exciting new place to search for life, and a potential destination for future robotic and human exploration.
Scientists develop ultra-thin semiconductor fibers that turn fabrics into wearable electronics
Scientists have developed ultra-thin semiconductor fibers that can be woven into fabrics, turning them into smart wearable electronics.
Drought, soil desiccation cracking, and carbon dioxide emissions: an overlooked feedback loop exacerbating climate change
Soil stores 80 percent of carbon on earth, yet with increasing cycles of drought, that crucial reservoir is cracking and breaking down, releasing even more greenhouse gases creating an amplified feedback loop that could accelerate climate change.
Milk to the rescue for diabetics? Cow produces human insulin in milk
An unassuming brown bovine from the south of Brazil has made history as the first transgenic cow capable of producing human insulin in her milk. The advancement could herald a new era in insulin production, one day eliminating drug scarcity and high costs for people living with diabetes.
Grounding zone discovery explains accelerated melting under Greenland's glaciers
Researchers have conducted the first large-scale observation and modeling study of northwest Greenland's Petermann Glacier. Their findings reveal the intrusion of warm ocean water beneath the ice as the culprit in the accelerated melting it has experienced since the turn of the century, and their computer predictions indicate that potential sea level rise will be much worse than previously estimated.
Alaska dinosaur tracks reveal a lush, wet environment
A large find of dinosaur tracks and fossilized plants and tree stumps in far northwestern Alaska provides new information about the climate and movement of animals near the time when they began traveling between the Asian and North American continents roughly 100 million years ago.
Mars attracts: How Earth's interactions with the red planet drive deep-sea circulation
Scientists have used the geological record of the deep sea to discover a connection between the orbits of Earth and Mars, past global warming patterns and the speeding up of deep ocean circulation. The patterns they discover suggest that warming seas could produce deep whirpools in ocean currents.
A coral superhighway in the Indian Ocean
Despite being scattered across more than a million square kilometers, new research has revealed that remote coral reefs across the Seychelles are closely related. Using genetic analyses and oceanographic modelling, researchers demonstrated for the first time that a network of ocean currents scatter significant numbers of larvae between these distant islands, acting as a 'coral superhighway.'
Scientists propose new theory that explains sand ripples on Mars and on Earth
Sand ripples are symmetrical. Yet wind -- which causes them -- is very much not. Furthermore, sand ripples can be found on Mars and on Earth. They would be even more fascinating if the same effect found on Mars could be found here on Earth as well. What if one unified theory could explain their formation on both planets?
Cheetahs' unrivalled speed explained by their 'sweet spot' size, finds Imperial study
A new study has answered a long-held question about why medium-sized land animals like cheetahs tend to be fastest.
Peering into the tendrils of NGC 604 with NASA's Webb
The formation of stars and the chaotic environments they inhabit is one of the most well-studied, but also mystery-shrouded, areas of cosmic investigation. The intricacies of these processes are now being unveiled like never before by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
Nasa's Webb, Hubble telescopes affirm universe's expansion rate, puzzle persists
When you are trying to solve one of the biggest conundrums in cosmology, you should triple check your homework. The puzzle, called the 'Hubble Tension,' is that the current rate of the expansion of the universe is faster than what astronomers expect it to be, based on the universe's initial conditions and our present understanding of the universe's evolution.
AI-generated food images look tastier than real ones
Researchers have announced an intriguing discovery -- consumers generally prefer AI-generated images of food over real food images, especially when they are unaware of their true nature.
Research sheds light on new strategy to treat infertility
New research describes the science behind a promising technique to treat infertility by turning a skin cell into an egg that is capable of producing viable embryos. The technique could be used by women of advanced maternal age or for those who are unable to produce viable eggs due to previous treatment for cancer or other causes. It also raises the possibility of men in same-sex relationships having children who are genetically related to both parents.
Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life
For the first time, scientists have developed artificial nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA, with several additional properties in the laboratory.
Good news for coral reef restoration efforts: Study finds 'full recovery' of reef growth within four years
While the majority of the world's reefs are now under threat or even damaged potentially beyond repair, a new study offers some encouraging news: efforts to restore coral reefs not only increase coral cover, but they can also bring back important ecosystem functions, and surprisingly fast.
Balancing training data and human knowledge makes AI act more like a scientist
When you teach a child how to solve puzzles, you can either let them figure it out through trial and error, or you can guide them with some basic rules and tips. Similarly, incorporating rules and tips into AI training -- such as the laws of physics --could make them more efficient and more reflective of the real world. However, helping the AI assess the value of different rules can be a tricky task.
Lack of focus doesn't equal lack of intelligence -- it's proof of an intricate brain
Imagine a busy restaurant: dishes clattering, music playing, people talking loudly over one another. It's a wonder that anyone in that kind of environment can focus enough to have a conversation. A new study provides some of the most detailed insights yet into the brain mechanisms that help people pay attention amid such distraction, as well as what's happening when they can't focus.
Interstellar signal linked to aliens was actually just a truck
Sound waves thought to be from a 2014 meteor fireball north of Papua New Guinea were almost certainly vibrations from a truck rumbling along a nearby road, new research shows. The findings raise doubts that materials pulled last year from the ocean are alien materials from that meteor, as was widely reported.
New study reveals insight into which animals are most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change
In a new study, researchers have used the fossil record to better understand what factors make animals more vulnerable to extinction from climate change. The results could help to identify species most at risk today from human-driven climate change.
Rock weathering and climate: Low-relief mountain ranges are largest carbon sinks
For many hundreds of millions of years, the average temperature at the surface of the Earth has varied by not much more than 20 degrees Celsius, facilitating life on our planet. To maintain such stable temperatures, Earth appears to have a 'thermostat' that regulates the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide over geological timescales, influencing global temperatures. The erosion and weathering of rocks are important parts of this 'thermostat.'
Shape-shifting ultrasound stickers detect post-surgical complications
Gastrointestinal surgeries carry risk of fluid leaks, a potentially life-threatening complication. But no existing methods can reliably and non-invasively detect these leaks. To address this unmet need, researchers developed a tiny, soft, flexible sticker that changes in shape inside the body, enabling standard ultrasound tech to detect leaks for earlier detection and intervention. After the patient has recovered, the soft, tiny sticker simply dissolves away.
Loss of nature costs more than previously estimated
Researchers propose that governments apply a new method for calculating the benefits that arise from conserving biodiversity and nature for future generations.