WEIRD NATURE
VFTS 243 is a binary system of a large, hot blue star and a black hole orbiting each other, as seen in this animation. ESO/L.Calçada, CC BY – By Idan Ginsburg, Academic Faculty in Physics & Astronomy, Georgia State University Published: 2022 Jul …
Plastic in the depths: Scientists spent decades on the trail of a mystery toxin killing salmon en masse. A recent breakthrough revealed the culprit. Tyre wear particles are considered by environmental scientists to be one of the most significant sources of microplastics in …
The pictures from 2000, 2021 and 2022 offer a new view into its dramatically low water levels, now at just 27% capacity. Lake Mead supplies water to nearly 25 million people across the American west. Photograph: NASA – Gabrielle Canon @GabrielleCanon Last modified …
The universe could end in a myriad of ways. Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2022 Jul 22 – Everything has to end eventually – but does that include the universe itself? And if so, how? And when? It might be hard to imagine a …
Telomeres (red) at the ends of chromosomes protect your DNA from damage. Thomas Ried/NCI Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health via Flickr, CC BY-NC – By Patricia Opresko, Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh Health …
Elephants were found to have 20 copies of a cancer-suppressing gene, while humans only have one copy. Depositphotos – By Rich Haridy 2022 Jul 17 – An exciting new study from an international team of scientists has shed some light on exactly why elephants, …
Some cities never sleep. Noam Cohen/EyeEm via Getty Images – By Yuyu Zhou, Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Iowa State University Published: 2022 Jul 12 – The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea City lights that …
Looking from Antarctica’s Scott Base towards Antarctica’s McMurdo Station. Stuart Shaw/Fly On the Wall Images – By Nick Lavars 2022 Jul 14 – Researchers stationed in Antarctica have been left mesmerized by the skies brought on by the aftereffects of a volcanic eruption. The …
Scientists Wilhelmina van de Ven, Katayoon Dehesh and Jin-Zheng Wang have furthered our understanding of the way plants produce salicylic acid. UCR – By Nick Lavars 2022 Jul 12 – Much like we take aspirin to alleviate a splitting headache, plants also have their …
Rarely seen above-ground, a pocket gopher peeks out of one its tunnels. Veronica Selden/University of Florida – By Ben Coxworth 2022 Jul 11 – When we think of our fellow plant-eating mammals, we tend to picture them just eating whatever they find while foraging. …