Satellite Data Reveal an Alarming Trend in Antarctica

Medicine & Technology May 23, 2015

Antarctica is a truly massive continent. At over 5 million square miles, the whole of the US could fit securely within its borders. It boasts the highest, driest, coldest, and windiest landscape of all seven continents. And the fact that it is losing ice is nothing new. It's the rate at which parts of the continent are melting that is raising new concerns.

Sampling the World’s Oceans on a Global Scale Reveals the Complex Relationship between Viruses and Microbes

May 23, 2015

If you're going to study something as vast as the world's oceans, it helps if you have a large cadre of scientists to sift through the data. And that's just what an international research team, led by University of Arizona scientists, have done. They are rolling out the results of a three-year expedition in which they cataloged over 150,000 tiny ocean creatures, most of which are brand new discoveries.

Paleontologists Unearth Washington’s First Dinosaur: An 80 Million-Year-Old Tyrannosaur

May 22, 2015

In 2012, a team of paleontologists were scouring the rocky shores of what is today the small island of Sucia, located within Puget Sound, between Washington State and Vancouver Island. On the hunt for prehistoric shells, they inadvertently stumbled upon the bone of a creature never known to have ranged that far north - a dinosaur.

In Japan, Dolphin Controversy Continues Despite International Outcry

May 21, 2015

Officials from the small fishing village of Taiji, in Central Japan, remain defiant amidst protests that label their dolphin hunts as cruel. Despite international outcry, the slaughter continues.

Yale Traces the Origins of all Snakes

May 20, 2015

Researchers at Yale University recently delved into the evolutionary history of snakes, and what they discovered was an ancient creature who lived over 120 million years ago in the warm forests of the Southern Hemisphere. And most interesting of all, this creature sported tiny hindlimbs, replete with ankles and toes.

Oldest Stone Tools Discovered in Kenya, Pushing the Technology Back Some 700,000 Years

May 20, 2015

The ancient stone tool industry of our early ancestors was just pushed deeper back in time, based on recent findings near the western shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya. Tools dating to over 3 million years ago - some 700,000 years earlier than previous finds - indicate the technology arose even before the genus Homo roamed the planet.

Panda Poo Reveals a Mismatched Gut

May 19, 2015

In an ongoing attempt to boost the dwindling number of pandas on the planet (currently tallying just under 2,000), scientists have discovered what appears to be a physiological roadblock to the bear's good health: they possess the wrong type of gut.

The Forecast Calls for Chance of Spiders in Australia

May 19, 2015

Australia has always been a land of the strange and bizarre. It is home to some of the world's most unique animals, from the kangaroo, to the wombat, to the lovable Tasmanian devil. So the fact that it's raining spiders should come as no surprise.

New Research Isolates Speech Center in the Human Brain

May 19, 2015

In our quest to understand the complex inner workings of the human brain, researchers at New York University have brought us one step closer. They have pinpointed a region of the brain exclusively devoted to processing speech, which not only provides a better understanding of the cerebral landscape, but settles a long-standing dispute concerning the brain's perception of sound.

Zoos Raise Awareness of Endangered Species by Making their Animals Disappear

May 16, 2015

May 15th marked the 10th anniversary of Endangered Species Day, which kicked off awareness events across the country. More than 200 zoos participated by restricting access to some of their endangered species, with the aim of giving visitors a glimpse of a world where such animals no longer existence.

Research on a Grand Scale: Over 5,000 Scientists Come Together for Record-Breaking Publication

May 16, 2015

If only the world were as unified as the field of particle physics, what a grand world it would be... Over 5,000 of them have come together in what is the largest scientific collaboration on record. Their paper, which was published on May 14th in Physical Review Letters, is a joint effort between members from ATLAS and CMS, two teams that operate detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of our universe.

New and Improved Stem Cells Have the Potential to Restore Sight and Heal Damaged Brains

May 16, 2015

An exciting breakthrough in stem cell research was just announced by the University of Toronto. Using a gel-like biomaterial, scientists were able to prolong the lives of stem cells, improve their integration in living tissues, improve motor coordination following stroke, and even restore partial vision to the blind.

Up From the Depths: The First Warm-Blooded Fish

May 15, 2015

In the cold waters off the California coast, researchers have discovered something no one ever knew existed: a warm-blooded fish. Not only can this large fish regulate its body temperature, but it does it through a truly unique mechanism.

The Trap-Jaws’ Mighty Mandibles Propel Them from Danger

May 15, 2015

The mighty mandibles of the trap-jaw ants are legendary in the animal kingdom. Members of the genus Odontomachus have specialized spring-loaded jaws that can snap shut at speeds of 60 meters per second, with forces that exceed 300 times their body weight. But in four species, those powerful jaws are not only great at catching prey, they can also aid in the ant's escape.

Drug Testing for Cocaine Gets Personal

May 15, 2015

Outwitting a drug test just got harder. Instead of relying on blood or urine, which can be switched, researchers at the University of Surrey have devised a technique that uses fingerprints to test for cocaine. And it not only tests whether a person has handled the drug; this new technique confirms cocaine actually entered the body.