Machine learning can be used to recognize faces, drive cars, and even spot exoplanets, but now Google is teaching its computers to do something even more unexpected. Researchers at Google have developed a way to predict a person’s blood pressure, age, and smoking status from an image of their retina, …
Read More »Study: Bonobos Prefer Hinderers over Helpers
While humans generally prefer individuals who are nice to others, a new study finds bonobos (Pan paniscus) — our closest relatives in the animal kingdom along with chimpanzees — are more attracted to jerks. Duke University scientists Christopher Krupenye and Brian Hare were surprised by their findings because bonobos have …
Read More »Caffeine May Help Diagnose Parkinson’s Disease in Early Stages
People with Parkinson’s disease have lower levels of caffeine in their blood than people without the disease, even if they consumed the same amount of caffeine, according to new research. Testing the level of caffeine in the blood may provide a simple way to aid the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. …
Read More »Astronomers: ‘Alien Megastructure’ Star Has Nothing to do with Aliens
Astronomers started checking out a novel star a few years ago called KIC 8462852. A series of fluctuations in the star’s brightness brought up a number of interesting possibilities. Perhaps the star had dust clouds or gaggles of comets that periodically blocked out the light. That’s interesting in an expected …
Read More »Researchers Enhance Scientific Understanding of Calcium Taste
Though calcium taste doesn’t fit into the five established tastes the tongue’s receptors can identify, humans describe it as slightly bitter and sour. According to a new study published in the journal Neuron, calcium taste also exists in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Lee et al demonstrated that fruit flies are …
Read More »Artificial Sugar Trehalose Linked to Clostridium difficile Epidemics
An artificial sugar called trehalose enhances the virulence of epidemic lineages of Clostridium difficile, a Gram-positive spore forming bacterium that causes life-threatening inflammation of the colon, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. This digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic image depicts a large grouping of rod-shaped Clostridium difficile. …
Read More »Ancient Beringians: 11,500-Year-Old Genome Reveals Previously Unknown Native American Population
Genetic analysis of DNA from a female infant found at the Upward Sun River archaeological site in Alaska has revealed a previously unknown Native American population, whom scientists have named ‘Ancient Beringians.’ The research appears in the journal Nature. A scientific illustration of the Upward Sun River camp in what …
Read More »Supermassive Black Holes May Eventually Sterilize Galaxies
Lurking in the heart of most large galaxies is a supermassive black hole holding it all together. According to new research from the University of California Santa Cruz, these supermassive black holes could also spell eventual doom for galaxies. They might not just be gobbling up nearby stars, but could …
Read More »SpaceX Posts Drone Flyby Video of Falcon Heavy Rocket
SpaceX has ironed out all the wrinkles with its Falcon 9 launches, but it’s about to try something new and potentially crazy. In a few weeks, SpaceX is expected to launch its first Falcon Heavy rocket. This vehicle will be the most powerful rocket in the world by a factor …
Read More »Researchers Developing Method for Automated Identification of Bird Species
A team of scientists at the College of Engineering (CoE) in Pune, India, is developing an efficient method for monitoring and recognizing bird species that will help in evaluating the avian biodiversity of a specific region. A keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) in Costa Rica. Image credit: T. Tschleuder / CC …
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