Ryan Wallace

Ghosts of Quasars Past—Hubble Telescope Reveals Phantom of Eight Galaxies

In a new series of images captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, researchers with the US space agency discovered an eery green hue spiraling and braiding shapes around eight active galaxies. And while the wisps of glowing structures “don’t fit a single pattern”, lead researcher of the study, Bill Keel believes that the bright green lights may reveal the high energy at the core of these eight galaxies.

Astronomers Adopt a Forming Star, Watching it Grow for 18 Years 4200 Light-Years Away

While researchers may have missed the formation of our very own Sun by a few billion years, in essence they have become surrogate parents to many other stars formed since the dawn of the telescope. Watching one such infant star well into its adulthood, researchers with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory this week released a time lapse of one such star, affectionately named “W75N(B)-VLA 2”, which reveals the earliest formations of a massive young star over the course of 18 years. The beginning and ending images released this week reveal a dramatic difference in the star’s developmental stages and highlights theories that astronomers have posited for decades, as they wondered if they would ever catch a glimpse of stars forming in such a way as researchers today have been able to do.

New Issue of ‘Science’ Tackles Individualized Immunotherapies and the Future of Cancer Research

When it comes to tackling important issues within the science community that address realistic needs of the public, few publications are quite as thoughtful as the journal Science when it comes to curating the best of the best research, in any given field. Though the journal often covers a wide breadth of topics, this week they’re headed in a new direction, talking about game-changing cancer immunotherapy and the future possibility of individualized treatments that will take every patient’s genetic makeup and mutations into consideration. And it has become a conversation led by many hopeful researchers at the helm, backed by promising data.

The Foodies Beneath Our Feet—Urban Ants Like Human Food Too

It might be a sad fact, but in our daily lives, the most obvious example of species cohabitation may just be that of humans and ants. Now they’re not man’s best friend, that’s an obvious fact, but these little pests get away with a lot and whether we like it our not they tend to keep coming back. But when researchers looked into the tiny species, they revealed that the reason for their blissful cohabitation may be a lot more similar to why dogs like human homes as well—namely table scraps.

Could Your Immune System Be to Blame for the Spread of Breast Cancer?

For years researchers have been quite confused as to the contrary correlation between immunological responses and the spread of cancers. Though a strong immune system is often an indicator of a healthy attack against disease, in some forms of cancer it can also indicate civil war that will undoubtedly aid the cancer in the course of its infection. In particular, researchers investigating lethal forms of breast cancer have found shockingly active immune systems causing metastases of the cancer to other regions of the body, and now they think that they understand why.

‘Lightning Strikes’ in the Process of Learning

Neurobiology can be quite a difficult to subject to wrap our minds around, especially considering that every individual’s neurochemistry is unique unto itself. But with a bit of persistance, four years to be exact, and a bit of innovative technology in the field of biophotonics researchers with NYU’s Langone Medical Center have finally revealed just how brains sort, store and process information in the process of learning new tasks.

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria—Could Swimming This Spring Break Land You In the Hospital?

Using coastal waters can often be quite a finicky endeavor. Working your plans around algal blooms, red tides and even the occasional sewage mishap, can often be a pretty unpleasant mess. But it turns out that swimmers and surfers may have more to fear than getting a little dirty at the beach. Aside from Giardia, a parasite that is often passed in coastal waters, it turns out that recreational swimmers at local beaches may also be at a significantly higher risk of transmitting deadly antibiotic resistant bacteria—landing them in the hospital or worse.

The Charming Tale of Giant Pandas—Why These Wall Flowers are the Life of the Party

When they’re chomping down on bamboo shoots they may not seem like the lives of the party, but in a new study published this week in the Journal of Mammalogy researchers with Michigan State University provided the first in-depth look into the lives of Giant Pandas and revealed that there may be more than meets the eye with this not so colorful bunch. Though the endangered species has been the face of many international campaigns, little is truly known about the species and their behavior in the wild. So to find out the truth, researchers electronically tracked five wild pandas for more than 2 years, while they explored the bamboo forests of southwestern China and revealed that though they seem like solitary creatures it appears that panda bears can party with the best of them.

Yawunik Arthropod Revealed—The Toothsome Creature that Gave Rise to Lobsters, Spiders and Butterflies

When you watch butterflies flutter through the sky and lobsters waddle in the sea, you may not readily believe that the two far off species have anything in common. But along with spiders, butterflies and lobsters share quite an interesting collective history-one where an ancient ancestor may have emerged from the sea. Cover the ocean, the land and the skies above the radiation of species into many forms are believed to have originated with a common ancestor as long as 508 million years ago. And in a new study published this week in the journal Paleontology researchers are finally giving a face to ancestor known as Yawunik kootenayi.

‘Traffic Rules’ In Nature—Being a Little Batty

Sitting in traffic on the 210 Interstate Freeway can be quite a pain when you’re on your way to Los Angeles. In fact, in the stop and go traffic you may find yourself going a “little batty”—and you’d never guess just how right you are. When you’re behind the wheel, abiding by the rules of the road, you may just be revealing a bit more of your bat side than usual as a new study published this week in the journal PLOS Computational Biology reveals that humans aren't the only ones who follow “traffic rules” in nature.

Climate Change And the Urban Heat Island in California's Central Valley

Life’s warm in California, but that doesn’t mean that it’s always a beach. Today is March 27th and it’s barely the start of spring, yet we’re currently in the 90s and four degrees above the anticipated high for the day. And with an ever-changing landscape, going from rural to urban through land conversion, researchers expect for the heat of our situation to continue to rise. But some researchers are hopeful that with new technology and new techniques in urban design, California may be able to keep its cool days and its beach appeal even in the Central Valley.

New GPS Study Reveals Giant Pandas Hang in Packs in the Wild

While they may have millions of admirers around the world for their unique looks and lackadaisical personalities, little is truly known about the nature of China’s giant pandas in the wild. Researchers to date have sought to discover exactly how it is that these picky eaters have survived in the wild bamboo forests, but with strict laws governing who and what research is conducted on the endangered species, biologists have had little to no luck in finding out exactly what happens behind the bamboo curtains of the pandas’ homes. That is, until now.

Can People Really Live Forever in Space? New NASA Study Looks to Answer that Question

While you might think that NASA and other space agencies have made great strides in investigating the final frontiers of space, it turns out that there are far too many limitations for what humans are able to do. Astronauts and cosmonauts train for the better part of the lives, learning technical information and perfecting the physical attributes needed to live in space. But when it comes down to mission time, they only have a few months in space—at best. Considering that new missions to Mars will look towards taking human journeys far deeper into space than anyone has been before, NASA’s new experiment is looking into how long exposure to zero-gravity will affect humans. And they’re using a familiar method of testing their hypotheses—twins.

Paris Shuts Down Traffic in the City, Saving Babies In the Process

In light of thick smog choking the nation’s capital, France shut down half of the traffic in Paris this week in hopes of mitigating surmounting toxins and pollutants in the air, caused as a byproduct of motor vehicles. But in the process of untarnishing the facade of the “City of Lights” it appears that French officials may also be saving the next generation of French citizens as well.

New Morphing Frog Reveals Its Spiny Ability

In the wild, camouflage and mimicry are powerful abilities that often mean the difference between life and death. But while merely hiding in the background may mean going unnoticed, being able to change one’s form can change odds of survival astronomically when it comes to predation. And though the ability to camouflage may be an uncommon attribute that most species can live without, one fingernail-sized frog in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador is revealing a far rarer ability—making it the first shape-shifting amphibian ever found.

Tech Vs. Technique—What Wins the Battle When It Comes to Surgeries?

Ever think that those younger doctors with their new-fangled ways aren’t nearly as good as the seasoned pros? Well while you might think that the veterans have the advantage, researchers are now saying that in the battle of old versus new it’s technique not technology that wins the race. In fact, if properly done, new techniques hold far greater possibilities for improvement than older techniques, and the new surgeons learning these techniques directly in school may be the the best adept to their correct implementation.

How the Neurons of A Sea Slug Could Change Neurobiology Forever

It’s a common belief that when you think of neurobiology you often imagine the brain and the central nervous system one neuron at a time. And for many years, that’s exactly how researchers had to approach the larger questions. By tagging in particular neurotransmitters, that would convey the passing of one signal from neuron to neuron, researchers were able to follow the path of a signal back and forth along an axon. But now, with new imaging technology and a new model organism in mind, researchers in neurobiology are seeking new ways in which we study the brain—mapping neural circuits and their functions in great detail, on the large scale.

Finding Bright Solutions to Smog in the ‘City of Lights’

Can’t find the Eiffel Tower? It appears that most of Paris is choking on a thick smog that is plaguing most of northern France. In recent months French authorities have claimed that major cities in northern France, such as Paris, have been contributing greatly to an ever-growing problem of air pollution in the area. So in order to combat the haze of smog, French officials are coming up with a bright solution to save the tarnished facade of the “City of Lights”.

Can Magnetism Bend Heat And Sound? Study Reveals A New Dimension to Magnetic Fields

For many years researchers have sought to discover just how many uses magnetic fields can have. To date they have become essential in quantum computing, they are vital in medical imaging, and astronomers have even used natural magnetism to amplify the signals of light from far off supernovae and galaxies so that we here on Earth can see them hundreds or thousands of light-years away. But in a new study from researchers at Ohio State University, nanotechnologists have revealed that magnetic fields can impact our lives in far more real ways—controlling heat and sound waves that exhibit magnetic properties of their own.

Frozen In Space—How Comet 67P Is Slowing Down

Researchers this week with the European Space Agency (ESA) may have discovered how comets can remain so cold with the revelation of molecular nitrogen being found on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, but now they need to figure out their movements.

Finding Bright Solutions to Smog in the ‘City of Lights’

Can’t find the Eiffel Tower? It appears that most of Paris is choking on a thick smog that is plaguing most of northern France. In recent months French authorities have claimed that major cities in northern France, such as Paris, have been contributing greatly to an ever-growing problem of air pollution in the area. So in order to combat the haze of smog, French officials are coming up with a bright solution to save the tarnished facade of the “City of Lights”.

Supernovae Dust ‘Goldmine’ Found at the Center of the Milky Way

One of the largest questions to date has been what building materials were present at the formation of our Milky Way galaxy? Astronomers have long theorized that the building material may have come from the death of supermassive stars, however, the galaxy-building dust is thought to burn up in a supernova like that. But now researchers are saying that may not be the case at all. In a new study published this week in the journal Science Express, researchers with Cornell University have made the first direct discovery of dust used to build the cosmos at the center of the Milky Way, and they believe it may have resulted from an ancient supernova.

‘Water Man of India’ Takes Prize for Bringing Hope to A Dry Future

While the Nobel Peace Prize may applaud many great acts of human kindness and perseverance, not every year’s winners are designated as those that feed the masses or even bring essential components of life, such as water, to those in need. In order to applaud these efforts, the Stockholm Water Prize was created as the unofficial “Nobel Prize for water”, and each year it recognizes those fighting in the most impoverished nations for potable water to be brought to masses. This year’s laureate, however, is one for the record books as he alone has brought water to 1,000 villages across northern India.

Tide of the Decade Sweeps Across France’s Atlantic Coast, Turning Islets into Islands

How strong are the sun and the moon’s pull on the tides? A lot stronger than you may have ever believed. In what happened to be a perfect trifecta of cosmic events, this Friday’s alignment allowed for a supermoon, a total solar eclipse, and perhaps one of the greatest ocean surges our generation has seen since the turn of the 21st century. In fact, in what happened to be a tourist’s dream, the picturesque Mont Saint Michel Abbey on the coast of France was turned into a island for a brief while as the “tide of the century” submerged the path that leads to its fortified walls.

Molecular Nitrogen on Comet 67P Reveals a Frigid Start to Our Solar System

For the past several months the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft mission has been tailing the famous Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with many answers at the core of its research. While in orbit the mission has been able to gather an immense amount of data, creating a never-before-seen view of comets as the first spacecraft to ever successfully orbit one in our history. Yet, many molecular ingredients that are thought to have given rise to comets have not been found.

Total Solar Eclipse 2015—Were You Underwhelmed?

It’s the start to the spring today, and with the vernal equinox came a celestial event unlike those in common occurrence. But while flocks of sky-watchers and astronomers ventured north into the Arctic, where a total solar eclipse would be visible for the last time until 2026 in continental Europe, many were left disappointed at the less than “thrilling” display.
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