Science

Lush green forests grew on Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg islands of the Canadian High Arctic 56 million years ago (Paleocene-Eocene boundary), according to a new study published in the journal Palaeontographica Abteilung B. Dr. West hunts for fossils using a rock hammer to split apart shale on Ellesmere Island. Image …

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), one of the principle polyphenolic compounds found in the leaves of the green tea plant (Camellia sinensis), is effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium that causes tuberculosis in humans, according to new research from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Green tea leaves. Image credit: Highnesser. “Though tuberculosis …

Common mealworms, the larvae of the darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor), can consume toxic additives in polystyrene with no ill effects; the worms can then be used as a safe, protein-rich feed supplement, according to new research from Stanford University. Brandon et al investigated the fate of the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane …

The early Earth could have hosted many carbonate-rich lakes, which would have had high enough phosphorus concentrations to get life started, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lake Magadi. Image credit: Stig Nygaard, Flickr / CC BY 2.0. “For 50 years, …

Beta-carophyllene, a bicyclic sesquiterpene found in lavender, rosemary and ylang ylang, as well as various herbs and spices, has the capability to improve wound healing, an effect generated by synergetic impacts of multiple pathways, a new study conducted in mice shows. Beta-carophyllene, a compound included in essential oils, improves the …

  Plant-based meat substitutes are becoming increasingly popular as the quality increases and costs fall. You can even buy an Impossible burger from Burger King now. This situation has clearly caused some alarm among meat producers, and they’ve dug up some old pseudoscience to try and convince people that meat …

A research team led by University of Konstanz scientists has demonstrated that light waves can be used to transport electrons at sub-femtosecond speeds (i.e. faster than 10-15 seconds). Electrons move between two arms of a metallic nanoantenna driven by a single-cycle light wave. Image credit: University of Konstanz. “This may …

A research team led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine scientists has identified a previously undescribed mechanism of insecticide resistance that is highly relevant to malaria control efforts. After studying malaria-carrying mosquitoes of the genus Anopheline, the researchers found that a particular family of binding proteins situated in the insect’s …

A team of archaeologists from the University of Cincinnati has found two Bronze Age tombs in Pylos, an ancient city on the southwest coast of Greece, while investigating the area around the recently-discovered tomb of the Griffin Warrior. The 3,500-year-old beehive-shaped tombs contained a wealth of cultural artifacts and jewelry …

An international team of scientists has used the CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing technology to restructure vine-like tomato plants into extremely compact, early yielding plants suitable for urban agriculture and even space missions. A gene-edited tomato plant. Image credit: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The new gene-edited tomato plants look nothing like the long …