Science

Physicists in Germany have developed a novel technique for trapping biological cells with a laser beam. Using this technique, the researchers obtained super-resolution images of chromosomal DNA within E. coli cells. Picture of the distribution of the genetic information in an E. coli cell. Image credit: University of Bielefeld. “One …

According to new research published in the journal Scientific Reports, the secret to reliably diagnosing concussions lies in the brain’s ability to process sound. Kraus et al show that children who sustained a concussion exhibit a signature neural profile. Image credit: Pete Linforth. “Concussions — diffuse, non-penetrating brain injuries following …

Images from NASA’s Dawn probe have revealed a dark, cratered world whose brightest area is made of reflective salts — not water ice. But several new studies show distinct lines of evidence for ice at or near Ceres’ surface. This false-color image shows the dwarf planet Ceres. Image credit: NASA / …

Artemisinin, a natural compound from the sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), has been found to potentially aid in the treatment of tuberculosis. The study was led by Michigan State University researcher Robert Abramovitch and was published recently in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. Artemisinin is derived from the sweet wormwood (Artemisia …

The ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) is one of Europe’s largest native deciduous trees. Image credit: Matthieu Sontag / CC-BY-SA. Ash trees (genus Fraxinus) are widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, but are being devastated in Europe by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, causing ash dieback. The disease is aggressive, spreads quickly through …

A study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets provides new evidence for a warm early Mars that hosted water across a geologically long timescale, rather than in short episodic bursts. This false-color map, produced by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), depicts the topography of the Martian surface. …

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists working at Yehud in the Central District of Israel have uncovered an ancient ceramic jug, about 3,800 years old. The 3,800-year-old jug, which was broken when it was found, being restored in the laboratories of the Israel Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem, Israel. Image credit: Clara Amit …

A team of scientists from the University of Oregon and Texas AM University has sequenced and explored the genome of the gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli), a fish species abundant in seagrass beds of the Gulf of Mexico. The team published its results online Dec. 20 in the journal Genome Biology. …

This image from NASA’s Cassini robotic orbiter is one of the highest-resolution views ever taken of Pandora, Saturn’s F ring shepherd moon. This is one of Cassini’s closest views to date of Pandora, a small, inner moon of Saturn. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute. Pandora, also …

Researchers from the Institute of Planetary Research at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, or DLR) have produced a dramatic 3D animation that simulates a flight over Occator, one of the largest craters on the dwarf planet Ceres. Occator crater is a real eye-catcher: with a …