Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered that structural features of the brain are nearing a critical point similar to a phase transition, observed in species as diverse as humans, mice and fruit flies. This discovery suggests that a universal principle may guide the structure of the brain, which may inspire new computational models to mimic … Read more
Paleontologists in South Africa say they have found the world’s oldest known burial site, containing the remains of a small-brained distant relative of humans previously thought incapable of complex behavior. Led by renowned paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, researchers said in 2023 that they had discovered several specimens of Homo naledi – a tree-climbing Stone Age hominid … Read more
NASA’s Perseverance Rover has left Mount Washburn behind and arrived at its next destination, Bright Angel. There he found an unusual type of rock that scientists are calling ‘popcorn rock’. The strange rock is more evidence that water was once present in Jezero Crater. The Perseverance mission is focused on life on ancient Mars. Along … Read more
Goldenrod plants can sense other nearby plants through reports of far-red light and adapt their responses when eaten by herbivores, suggesting a form of plant intelligence. Andre Kessler, a chemical ecologist, argues for plant intelligence by defining it as the ability to solve problems based on environmental information. His research shows that goldenrod releases chemicals … Read more
Communications companies like Starlink plan to launch tens of thousands of satellites into Earth orbit over the next decade or so. The growing swarm is already causing problems for astronomers, but recent research has raised another question: what happens when they start to descend? When these satellites reach the end of their useful lives, they … Read more
Chemical structure for thiamine pyrophosphate and protein structure of transketolase. Cofactor thiamine pyrophosphate in yellow and substrate xylulose 5-phosphate in black. Credit: Thomas Shafee/Wikipedia Scientists have prototyped a new method for “rational engineering of enzymes” to deliver improved performance. They have created an algorithm, which takes into account the evolutionary history of an enzyme, to … Read more
Start summary: Scroll down for live coverage of the Thursday, June 20 liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40. Embedded content: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/spacex/2024/06/20/spacex-rocket-falcon-9-launch-ses-astra-satellite-from-florida- cape-canaveral-space-force-station/74101199007/ After another cleanup Wednesday afternoon, SpaceX successfully launched the Astra 1P/SES-24 satellite from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40. It comes after the Space Coast went 13 … Read more
Scientists have discovered a 246-million-year-old marine reptile fossil, the oldest of its kind found in the Southern Hemisphere, shedding new light on the early evolution of marine mammals. The largest mass extinction event in the fossil record—known as the “Great Dying”—occurred about 252 million years ago, wiping out about 95% of species on land and … Read more
In February 2016, astronomers broke the news that the T Coronae Borealis star system had entered a “phase of unprecedented high activity.” Eight years later, that solar activity may finally result in a nova event large enough to be visible from Earth with the naked eye. The upcoming celestial display is thanks to an expected … Read more
The main line Skygazers are in for another rare astronomical event this week called a lunar eclipse, a spectacle that archaeologists hope will finally shed light on historic sites like Stonehenge, after other celestial wonders for American observers, including the apparitions see the Northern Lights and the Great American Eclipse. The full moon sets behind … Read more