Science
Wild marmots’ social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action
Wild marmots’ social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action A small group of wild yellow-bellied marmots near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado. D.T. Blumstein It probably feels obvious that having a close friend can influence your well-being. But do the groups that you’re a part of also affect your well-being? For example, […]
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Watch: Robot leaps and lands like a squirrel
Watch: Robot leaps and lands like a squirrel Based on studies of leaping squirrels, researchers have designed a robot that can stick a landing on a branch. Engineers have designed robots that crawl, swim, fly, and even slither like a snake, but no robot can hold a candle to a squirrel, which can parkour through […]
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Visiting Mars on the Way to the Outer Solar System
Visiting Mars on the Way to the Outer Solar System Explore This Section Perseverance Home Mission Overview Rover Components Mars Rock Samples Where is Perseverance? Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Mission Updates Science Overview Objectives Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Perseverance Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars […]
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Understanding Cosmic Explosions: StarBurst Arrives at NASA for Testing
Understanding Cosmic Explosions: StarBurst Arrives at NASA for Testing From left to right, NASA Marshall engineers Carlos Diaz and John Luke Bili, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory mechanical engineer contractor Eloise Stump, and Marshall engineers Tomasz Liz, David Banks, and Elise Doan observe StarBurst in the cleanroom environment before it’s unboxed from its shipping container. The […]
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Turning Vanes inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel
Turning Vanes inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel NASA Men stand in front of turning vanes inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT) at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in this February 1944 publicity photo. The photo was taken just weeks after the tunnel became operational. The AWT was the only wind […]
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Sols 4493-4494: Just Looking Around
Sols 4493-4494: Just Looking Around Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions […]
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Rethinking repression − why memory researchers reject the idea of recovered memories of trauma
Rethinking repression − why memory researchers reject the idea of recovered memories of trauma Memories and photos both can misrepresent the past. Westend61 via Getty Images In 1990, George Franklin was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison based on the testimony of his 28-year-old daughter Eileen. She described seeing him rape her […]
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NEO Surveyor Instrument Enclosure Inside Historic Chamber AxA0
NEO Surveyor Instrument Enclosure Inside Historic Chamber AxA0 NASA The instrument enclosure of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor is prepared for critical environmental tests inside the historic Chamber A at the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in December 2024. Wrapped in silver thermal blanketing, the 12-foot-long (3.7-meter-long) angular structure was […]
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NASA Boosts Efficiency with Custom X-66 Flooring
NASA Boosts Efficiency with Custom X-66 Flooring 2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Eric Garza, an engineering technician in the Experimental Fabrication Shop at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, cuts plywood to size for temporary floorboards for the X-66 experimental demonstrator aircraft on Aug. 26, 2024. NASA/Steve […]
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Model hints more Earth-like planets may exist
Model hints more Earth-like planets may exist New research on super-Earths and mini-Neptunes suggests more Earth-like planets may exist. The new study by Rice University researchers Sho Shibata and Andre Izidoro presents a compelling new model for the formation of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes—planets that are 1 to 4 times the size of Earth and among […]
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Meet the Space Ops Team: Anum Ashraf
Meet the Space Ops Team: Anum Ashraf 3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) For Anum Ashraf, Ph.D., the interconnectedness of NASA’s workforce presents the exciting opportunity to collaborate with a multitude of people and teams. With more than 11 years at the agency, Ashraf has played a fundamental role in […]
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Hubble Spots a Chance Alignment
Hubble Spots a Chance Alignment Explore Hubble Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science […]
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How will climate change affect America’s rivers?
How will climate change affect America’s rivers? Researchers are integrating traditional geochemistry with artificial intelligence to forecast the impact of climate warming and population growth on the alkalinity and salt levels in rivers nationwide. The chemistry of US rivers is changing—and will change further in complex ways in different regions of the country. Scientists are […]
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How snakes use patterns of invisible colors
How snakes use patterns of invisible colors A new study uncovers the secret color language of snakes. The new study examines a color range that humans can’t see and often ignore: color in the ultraviolet range. Examining snakes, the researchers categorized how the animals used patterns of UV color and tested for factors that promote […]
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How many types of insects are there in the world?
How many types of insects are there in the world? This is a close-up photo of an ordinary garden fly. Amith Nag Photography/Moment via Getty Images Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. How many types of […]
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Gas hunt may reveal signs of alien life on distant planets
Gas hunt may reveal signs of alien life on distant planets Researchers have identified a promising new way to detect life on faraway planets. Their approach hinges on worlds that look nothing like Earth and gases rarely considered in the search for extraterrestrials. In a new Astrophysical Journal Letters paper, the researchers describe these gases, […]
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A steady gaze may set you up for better performance
A steady gaze may set you up for better performance New research identifies the links between a steady gaze and elite performance. In his book on basketball great Bill Bradley, writer John McPhee proposes that Bradley’s greatest asset had little to do with speed, strength, or agility. It had to do, McPhee says, with his […]
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Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work
Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work After gathering data on the captured anole, the team releases it back to the wild. Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods. Every morning in Miami, our fieldwork begins the same way. Fresh Cuban coffee and pastelitos – delicious […]
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What causes the powerful winds that fuel dust storms, wildfires and blizzards? A weather scientist explains
What causes the powerful winds that fuel dust storms, wildfires and blizzards? A weather scientist explains When huge dust storms like this one in the Phoenix suburbs in 2022 hit, it's easy to see the power of the wind. Christopher Harris/iStock Images via Getty Plus Windstorms can seem like they come out of nowhere, hitting […]
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Researchers created sound that can bend itself through space, reaching only your ear in a crowd
Researchers created sound that can bend itself through space, reaching only your ear in a crowd For your ears only. Cinefootage Visuals/iStock via Getty Images Plus What if you could listen to music or a podcast without headphones or earbuds and without disturbing anyone around you? Or have a private conversation in public without other […]
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Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat
Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat Large proportions of plastic waste don't get recycled. Westend61 via Getty Images Plus In 1950, global plastic production was about 2 million tons. It’s now about 400 million tons – an increase of nearly 20,000%. As a material, it […]
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New tech could speed drug development and use fewer mice
New tech could speed drug development and use fewer mice Researchers have developed a technology that can be used to test around 25 antibodies simultaneously in a single mouse. New active ingredients such as antibodies are usually tested individually in laboratory animals. The new work should not only speed up the research and development pipeline […]
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Humans aren’t the only animals with complex culture − but researchers point to one feature that makes ours unique
Humans aren’t the only animals with complex culture − but researchers point to one feature that makes ours unique A ritual dance honoring Yoruban ancestors is one of the countless examples of human culture. Jorge Fernández/LightRocket via Getty Images Of the 8.7 million species on Earth, why are human beings the only one that paints […]
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Cuts to research into inequality, disparities and other DEIA topics harm science
Cuts to research into inequality, disparities and other DEIA topics harm science Scientists across the U.S. and in other countries have rallied in reaction to the Trump administration’s cuts to major science agencies. Mohamad Salaheldin Abdelg Alsayed/Anadolu via Getty Images When I taught research methods to undergraduates, I would start by asking whether anyone in […]
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Cheese made with peas tastes like the real thing
Cheese made with peas tastes like the real thing Researchers have created a hybrid version of paneer, a popular South Asian cheese, with 25% pea protein. The result is a solid step towards more sustainable dairy products with nutritional benefits. It is no secret that, as a dairy product, heavy cheese consumption comes with a […]
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Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new doors to treating wounds
Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new doors to treating wounds Your skin cells can generate electricity when wounded. Torsten Wittmann, University of California, San Francisco/NIH via Flickr, CC BY-NC Your cells constantly generate and conduct electricity that runs through your body to perform various functions. One […]
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Can animals make art?
Can animals make art? A male satin bowerbird stands before his creation. Ken Griffiths/iStock via Getty Images In the forests of eastern Australia, satin bowerbirds create structures known as “bowers.” The males gather twigs and place them upright, in two bundles, with a gap in the middle, resulting in what looks like a miniature archway. […]
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Bacteria technique can boost plant growth
Bacteria technique can boost plant growth Researchers have shown off a new technique for encapsulating bacteria that can then be stored and applied to plants to improve growth and protect against pests and pathogens. The technique opens the door to creating a wide range of crop applications that allow farmers to make use of these […]
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Atlantic sturgeon were fished almost to extinction − ancient DNA reveals how Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries
Atlantic sturgeon were fished almost to extinction − ancient DNA reveals how Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries Sturgeon can be several hundred pounds each. cezars/E+ via Getty Images Sturgeons are one of the oldest groups of fishes. Sporting an armor of five rows of bony, modified scales called dermal scutes and a sharklike tail […]
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62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on mysterious mammal
62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on mysterious mammal A remarkably well-preserved skeleton of Mixodectes pungens offers insights into mammals’ evolutionary trajectory after non-avian dinosaur extinction. For more than 140 years, Mixodectes pungens, a species of small mammal that inhabited western North America in the early Paleocene, was a mystery. What little was known about them had […]
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