A team of researchers from Australia, China and the United Kingdom has sequenced and analyzed the genome of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. This breakthrough, reported in the journal Science, reveals the origins of the genetic pathway leading to the production …

According to a large new study of twins, genetics explains more than 60% of individual differences in school achievement. Rimfeld et al use twin analyses and genome-wide polygenic score analyses of longitudinal data from the Twins Early Development Study from age 7 to age 16, including GCSE scores, to investigate …

An international team of scientists has sequenced and analyzed the draft genome of the cane toad (Rhinella marina), a poisonous amphibian native to Central and South America that has spread across many regions of the globe. The findings appear in the journal GigaScience. A cane toad (Rhinella marina), adult female. …

The groundcherry (Physalis pruinosa), also called ‘husk cherry’ and ‘strawberry tomato,’ is native to Central and South America. This tropical-tasting fruit is approximately the same size as a cherry tomato, but with a much sweeter flavor. It contains vitamins B and C, beta-carotene, phytosterols and antioxidants, and has anti-inflammatory and …

A research team led by Washington University scientists has found that children with severe scoliosis are twice as likely as children without the disease to carry a gene variant that makes it hard for their cells to take in and use manganese. The findings are published in the journal Nature …

There may be more habitable exoplanets than we previously thought, according to Pennsylvania State University researchers Bradford Foley and Andrew Smye, who suggest that plate tectonics are in fact not necessary. Their work is published in the journal Astrobiology. An artist’s impression of a potentially habitable exoplanet. Image credit: Sci-News.com. …

Marking the anniversary of New Horizons’ historic flight through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015, NASA released high-resolution natural-color images of Pluto and Charon. Pluto in true color. Image credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute / Alex Parker. These color images result …

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has revealed a stunning close-up shot of the asteroid Ryugu captured by its Hayabusa-2 spacecraft. Hayabusa-2 image of the asteroid Ryugu as seen from a distance of 3.7 miles. A particularly large crater is visible near the center of the image. Image credit: JAXA …

Northwest Africa (NWA) 11119, a stone meteorite found in December 2016 in Mauritania, is the world’s oldest igneous meteorite, according to new research. An artist’s rendition of NWA 11119 (far right bottom corner of illustration), the oldest-ever igneous meteorite. Image credit: University of New Mexico. “The age of NWA 11119 …

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe launched yesterday (August 12) from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, rising off the pad atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket at 3:31 a.m. EDT. At 5:33 a.m. EDT, the mission operations manager reported that the car-sized spacecraft …