Science

The oldest example of a tick wrapped in spider silk has been found, preserved in Burmese amber. It dates from the Cretaceous period, about 99 million years ago. A unique example of a fossil tick preserved wrapped in a spider web from the Cretaceous Burmese amber; it is the oldest …

A new analysis of data collected by NASA’s Dawn orbiter suggests that organic molecules may exist in surprisingly high concentrations on the surface of Ceres. The study appears in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Organic deposits in Ernutet crater on Ceres. Image credit: Kaplan et al / NASA. Organic molecules …

Two cups (330 grams) of mangoes a day have beneficial effects on systolic blood pressure and gut fermentation among healthy postmenopausal women, according to a study presented this week at Nutrition 2018, the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting. Mangoes are rich in mangiferin, a phenolic acid that has multiple …

Loneliness is a strong predictor of premature death, worse mental health, and lower quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. Christensen found that feeling lonely was a stronger predictor of poor outcomes than living alone, in both men and women. Image credit: Marco Massimo. …

Samples of interplanetary particles — collected from the upper atmosphere of Earth and believed to originate from comets — contain presolar dust from variable interstellar environments, a group of researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and elsewhere has discovered. Cometary-type interplanetary dust particle collected by NASA aircraft. Image …

The oldest known animal ‘footprints’ on Earth, left by bilaterian animals with paired appendages about 545 million years ago, have been discovered in the Yangtze Gorges area of South China. Trackways and burrows excavated in situ from the Shibantan Member, Dengying Formation, China: (A and B) epirelief (top bedding surface) …

A group of researchers from Emory University in the United States and Lancaster University and the University of Leeds, both in the UK, has discovered that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea leaves, breaks up and dissolves potentially dangerous protein plaques found in the blood vessels. Green tea …

Around 1.4 billion years ago, a day on Earth lasted approximately 18.7 hours, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And this is at least in part because the Moon was closer and changed the way our planet spun around its axis. Professors …

NASA’s Opportunity rover has survived on Mars much longer than originally intended, but the planet is testing the little robot right now. A massive dust storm is sweeping across the landscape, blotting out the sun and leaving Opportunity stranded. However, NASA says the plucky little rover remains operational, and the …

The ancient people of Easter Island, Chile, were able to move so-called pukao — massive stone hats of the island’s famed monumental statues (moai) — and place them on top of the statues with minimal labor and resources, using a parbuckling technique, according to new research published in the Journal …