WEIRD SCIENCE
Report claims 400,000 insect species face extinction amid heavy use of pesticides. Damian Carrington Environment editor @dpcarrington – The study also indicates that insects, including bees, are vanishing due to damage to nature. Photograph: Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters. The “unnoticed insect apocalypse” should set alarm …
A safe, stretchy semiconductor could help save lives. By Thor Benson – Scientists have been struggling to create a semiconductor that is stretchy, conductive and fully degradable—all at the same time. Researchers have now created a semiconductor that meets all of these requirements, …
‘Hot electron’ harvesting could unlock big solar energy gains. By Mike Brown – “Hot electrons” could add a new dimension to harvesting energy from solar panels. Scientists from the University of Groningen and Nanyang Technological University have developed a means of harnessing otherwise-wasted …
Your microbiome begins in your mouth. Why don’t we look there more often? By Derek Beres – Photo by Carl D. Walsh/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images. Eighty percent of patients who’ve had heart attacks have gum disease, says Dr. Shahrzad Fattahi. …
We know what happens if you get too close… By Janie Hoormann – Can Earth be affected by a black hole in the future? – Rakovi, age 12, Dimapur, India. As we know, black holes are called that because the gravity in their …
“We really might be known as the Plastic Age.” By Nina Pullano – We’ve found tiny plastic particles in the depths of the ocean and the air we breathe, fragments of car tires and plastic bags among them. Plastic pollution may seem like …
Two cattle worm infections in human hosts within two years suggests that they might be an “emerging zoonotic disease in the United States,” according to a recent case report. by Maddie Bender – Left: Flickr/Geoffrey Fairchild. Right: Bradbury, Gustafson et. al. – A parasitic worm …
By Rich Haridy – A freely available app can detect early signs of several eye diseases in children as accurately as devices used by professionals. Sheftsoft/Depositphotos. – An app designed to detect early signs of several eye diseases in children has surpassed an …
Just as long as no one gets windmill cancer By Thor Benson – If you’re worried about getting “windmill cancer,” we have some good news for you. According to a new study published recently in the journal Environmental Research Letters, installing more renewable …
Not being vaccinated for measles may put people at higher risk than we thought. By Alexandra Pattillo – Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known to man. It spreads like wildfire — if you catch it, it can spread quickly to other …
