Bird skull evolution slowed after the extinction of the dinosaurs
From emus to woodpeckers, modern birds show remarkable diversity in skull shape and size, often hypothesized to be the result of a sudden hastening...
Exploding stars may have caused mass extinction on Earth, study shows
Imagine reading by the light of an exploded star, brighter than a full moon—it might be fun to think about, but this scene is...
A stepping stone for measuring quantum gravity
A group of theoretical physicists, including two physicists from the University of Groningen, have proposed a 'table-top' device that could measure gravity waves. However,...
Recent global warming trends are inconsistent with very high climate sensitivity
Research published this week in Earth System Dynamics reports that the most sensitive climate models overestimate global warming during the last 50 years.Three scientists from the...
Flies and mosquitoes beware, here comes the slingshot spider
Running into an unseen spiderweb in the woods can be scary enough, but what if you had to worry about a spiderweb—and the spider—being...
How a protein stops cells from attacking their own DNA
Viruses multiply by injecting their DNA into a host cell. Once it enters the intracellular fluid, this foreign material triggers a defense mechanism known...
Restoring degraded tropical forests generates big carbon gains
More than half of the world's aboveground carbon is stored in tropical forests, the degradation of which poses a direct threat to global climate...
Systemic racism has consequences for all life in cities
Social inequalities, specifically racism and classism, are impacting the biodiversity, evolutionary shifts and ecological health of plants and animals in our cities.
That's the main...
New quantum paradox reveals contradiction between widely held beliefs
Quantum physicists at Griffith University have unveiled a new paradox that says, when it comes to certain long-held beliefs about nature, "something's gotta give."
Quantum...
New tool helps interpret future searches for life on exoplanets
Is there life on a distant planet? One way astronomers are trying to find out is by analyzing the light that is scattered off...
New superlattice material for future energy efficient devices
A team of international physicists including Jennifer Cano, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University, has created a new material layered by two structures, forming a...
