Other Mammals Could Struggle to Fight Extraterrestrial Microorganisms In a new study published in the journal Microorganisms, a team of researchers from the UK, the Netherlands and Germany tested how mammalian immune cells responded to peptides containing two amino acids that are commonly found in carbonaceous meteorites. The immune response …
Read More »
Venus May Be Geologically Active After All Venus is sometimes called Earth’s “sister planet,” a distinction that came about before we knew how profoundly unpleasant it was. The crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of acid make it an unappealing vacation spot, but scientists may have made a discovery that makes …
Read More »
Venus is Still Geologically Active, New Research Suggests A team of researchers from the University of Maryland and the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich has identified 37 active circular volcano-tectonic features called coronae on Venus. Venus in real colors, processed from Mariner 10 images. Image credit: Mattias Malmer / …
Read More »
Microbiologists Discover Bacterium that Eats Manganese A team of microbiologists at Caltech has discovered a species of bacterium that feeds on manganese, one of the most abundant elements on Earth. This SEM image shows manganese oxide nodules generated by Candidatus Manganitrophus noduliformans. The nodules are generally about 0.1 to 0.5 …
Read More »
Two New Cryptic Species of Australian Sugar Gliders Discovered A research team led by Charles Darwin University biologists has identified and raised two additional species within what is currently designated as the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps). The recognition of distinct species is of particular importance given the current climate of …
Read More »
NASA Will Bring SpaceX Dragon Crew Back to Earth August 2 NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley made history in May when they rode the SpaceX Falcon 9 into space and docked the Dragon capsule at the International Space Station (ISS). The pair have been on the station all …
Read More »
Fossils of New Herbivorous Dinosaur Found in China Paleontologists in China have found the fossilized fragments from a new genus and species of non-sauropodan sauropodomorph dinosaur that walked our planet approximately 195 million years ago (Early Jurassic epoch). Life reconstruction of Irisosaurus yimenensis. Image credit: Ang Li. Irisosaurus yimenensis …
Read More »
A research team led by University of Alberta marine biologists has discovered a new species of sea sponge living off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Desmacella hyaline. Image credit: Sally Leys. Glass sponges (class Hexactinellida) are cup-shaped marine animals, ranging from 10 to 30 cm (3.9-11.8 inches) in height, …
Read More »
Biologists Identify 16 Deep-Sea Fish Species with Ultra-Black Camouflage In a paper published today in the journal Current Biology, a team of marine biologists from the United States and the United Kingdom investigated the distribution and production of ultra-black camouflage in deep-sea fish. They found that at least 16 deep-sea …
Read More »
A Partial Supernova Flung This White Dwarf Across the Milky Way Image credit: Sephirohq (CC BY SA 3.0) Supernovas, by their nature, often don’t leave a lot of star behind for astronomers to later peruse. Many of these titanic explosions result in the formation of a black hole or a …
Read More »
