Ancient stars shed light on Earth's similarities to other planets
Earth-like planets may be common in the universe, a new study implies. The team of astrophysicists and geochemists presents new evidence that the Earth is not unique.
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First scientific description of elusive bird illuminates plight of Borneo's forests
Scientists surveying the birdlife of Borneo have discovered a startling surprise: an undescribed species of bird, which has been named the spectacled flowerpecker. While scientists and birdwatchers have previously glimpsed the small, gray bird in lowland forests around the island, the Smithsonian team is the first to capture and study it, resulting in its formal scientific description as a new species.
Read moreNewly discovered microbes band together, 'flip out'
Scientists have found a new species of choanoflagellate. This close relative of animals forms sheets of cells that 'flip' inside-out in response to light, alternating between a cup-shaped feeding form and a ball-like swimming form. The organism could offer clues about animals' early evolution.
Read moreWhen added to gene therapy, plant-based compound may enable faster, more effective treatments
Today's standard process for administering gene therapy is expensive and time-consuming — a result of the many steps required to deliver the healthy genes into the patients' blood stem cells to correct a genetic problem. Scientists believe they have found a way to sidestep some of the current difficulties, resulting in a more efficient gene delivery method that would save money and improve treatment outcomes.
Read moreA simpler way to make some medicines
Organic chemists have figured out how to synthesize the most common molecule arrangement in medicine, a scientific discovery that could change the way a number of drugs — including one most commonly used to treat ovarian cancer — are produced. Their discovery, published today in the journal Chem, gives drug makers a crucial building block for creating medicines that, so far, are made with complex processes that result in a lot of waste.
Read moreWeaving quantum processors out of laser light
Researchers open a new avenue to quantum computing with a breakthrough experiment: a large-scale quantum processor made entirely of light.
Read moreMale and female mice have different brain cells
Scientists discover that a brain region known to control sex and violence contains rare cell types that differ in male versus female mice.
Read moreStranded whales detected from space
A new technique for analysing satellite images may help scientists detect and count stranded whales from space. Researchers tested a new detection method using Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite images of the biggest mass stranding of baleen whales yet recorded. It is hoped that in the future the technique will lead to real-time information as stranding events happen.
Read moreFundamental insight into how memory changes with age
New research could help explain why memory in old age is much less flexible than in young adulthood. Through experiments in mice the researchers discovered that there were dramatic differences in how memories were stored in old age, compared to young adulthood.
Read morePhylogenetic analysis forces rethink of termite evolution
Despite their important ecological role as decomposers, termites are often overlooked in research. Evolutionary biologists have constructed a new family tree for this unassuming insect brood, shedding unexpected light on its evolutionary history.
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