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Yearly Archives: 2020
Fossil trees on Peru’s Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change
On an expedition to the Central Andean Plateau, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and colleagues were astounded to find a huge...
A review of ridge subduction, magmatism and metallogenesis
Generally speaking, 'ridge subduction' involves subduction of spreading oceanic ridges, aseismic ridges or oceanic plateaus and inactive arc ridges, and this common and important...
How Neanderthals adjusted to climate change
Climate change occurring shortly before their disappearance triggered a complex change in the behavior of late Neanderthals in Europe: they developed more complex tools....
How bacteria adhere to fiber in the gut
Researchers have revealed a new molecular mechanism by which bacteria adhere to cellulose fibers in the human gut. Thanks to two different binding modes,...
Multidimensional, dual-channel vortex beam generator
Optical vortices, characterized by a helical phase front and doughnut-shaped intensity distribution, contribute to a broad range of applications, from microscopy to optical communications....
Thermodynamics of computation: A quest to find the cost of running a Turing machine
Turing machines were first proposed by British mathematician Alan Turing in 1936, and are a theoretical mathematical model of what it means for a...
Study rules out dark matter destruction as origin of extra radiation in galaxy center
The detection more than a decade ago by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope of an excess of high-energy radiation in the center of...
Gas reaches young stars along magnetic field lines
Astronomers have used the GRAVITY instrument to study the immediate vicinity of a young star in more detail than ever before. Their observations confirm...
Fossil evidence of ‘hibernation-like’ state in 250-million-year-old Antarctic animal
Hibernation is a familiar feature on Earth today. Many animals—especially those that live close to or within polar regions—hibernate to get through the tough...
First complete dinosaur skeleton ever found is ready for its closeup at last
The first complete dinosaur skeleton ever identified has finally been studied in detail and found its place in the dinosaur family tree, completing a...
How plants shut the door on infection
Plants have a unique ability to safeguard themselves against pathogens by closing their pores—but until now, no one knew quite how they did it....
