Science

SpaceX has gotten quite adept at launching its Falcon 9 rocket. In fact, it’s becoming commonplace for it to do something no one else can do — land the first stage of that rocket for reuse. SpaceX is not content to just putter around in low-Earth orbit, though. The next …

The term ‘overfat’ refers to the presence of excess body fat that can impair health, even for normal weight individuals. In the U.S., New Zealand, Greece, and Iceland, prevalence of the overfat condition is at an alarmingly high rate of 90% in adult males and up to 50% in children, …

A team of scientists from Northwestern University, the Field Museum of Natural History and Phoenix Zoo has discovered and described a distinctive new subspecies of the yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus) from the inner-basin waters of Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. Although predominantly yellow, the yellow sea snake (Hydrophis platurus xanthos) …

Archaeologists have found a collection of 1,900 year old ink documents at the Vindolanda Roman fort in Northumberland, northern England, one of the most exciting archaeological sites in Europe. Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian’s Wall. The fort was founded in 85 CE by Belgian auxiliary …

In a study in mice, a research team at Albert Einstein College of Medicine has found that stem cells in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that controls an immense number of bodily functions, govern how fast aging occurs in the body. Electron microscopic images (false color) of hypothalamic …

Researchers using archival data from the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) have found evidence that molecules of vinyl cyanide, also known as acrylonitrile, are present on Saturn’s hazy moon Titan. Under the right conditions, like those found on Titan’s surface, vinyl cyanide may naturally coalesce into microscopic spheres resembling cell …

Scientists have spotted a few thousand exoplanets, or planets orbiting stars other than our sun. Exomoons are another story. There have been some potential exomoons, but nothing definitive. Now, a team from Columbia University thinks it might have the first solid evidence of a moon outside our solar system, and …

According to new research published in the journal eLife, the dragonfly brain can perform visual tasks that were previously associated only with mammals. Wiederman et al have shown how a dragonfly’s brain anticipates the movement of its prey. Image credit: Komkrich Srigoson. “Until now, scientists have primarily considered the capabilities …

An international team of arachnologists has discovered and described three new species of Neotropical ‘club-tailed’ scorpions: Ischnotelson peruassu and Physoctonus striatus from Brazil and Rhopalurus ochoai from Venezuela. A known species of club-tailed scorpion from Brazil. Image credit: Humberto Yamaguti. Scorpions are found in every ecosystem on the planet, from …

Attaching curcumin — a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric — to ceria (cerium oxide) nanoparticles can be used to target and destroy treatment-resistant neuroblastoma tumor cells, according to a team of researchers led by University of Central Florida Professor Sudipta Seal. Curcumin is a major constituent of turmeric …