Flamingos have developed an amazing variety of techniques to create swirls and eddies in the water to concentrate and eat brine shrimp and other organisms, a biologist found. They stomp dance to stir organisms from the bottom and concentrate them in whorls. The organisms are then drawn upward by a...
Submarine robot catches an underwater wave
Engineers have taught a simple submarine robot to take advantage of turbulent forces to propel itself through water.
Sunlight-powered system mimics plants to power carbon capture
Current methods of capturing and releasing carbon are expensive and so energy-intensive they often require, counterproductively, the use of fossil fuels. Taking inspiration from plants, researchers have assembled a chemical process that can power carbon capture with an energy source that's abundant, clean and free: sunlight.
From prehistoric resident to runaway pet: First tegu fossil found in the U.S.
Originally from South America, the charismatic tegu made its way to the United States via the pet trade of the 1990s. But a recent discovery shows these reptiles are no strangers to the region -- tegus were here millions of years before their modern relatives arrived in pet carriers.
Cell death discovery could lead to next-gen drugs for neurodegenerative conditions
Researchers have discovered how to block cells dying, in a finding that could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The team has identified a small molecule that can selectively block cell death.
Helping birds and floating solar energy coexist
How might floating solar energy projects impact wild birds and vice versa? A paper outlines key considerations for a growing floating solar industry.
The kids are hungry: Juvenile European green crabs just as damaging as adults
Scientists have found that juvenile European green crabs can do as much damage as adults to shellfish and native sea plants, calling into question current methods to eradicate the invasive crustaceans.
The origins of language
Wild chimpanzees alter the meaning of single calls when embedding them into diverse call combinations, mirroring linguistic operations in human language. Human language, however, allows an infinite generation of meaning by combining phonemes into words and words into sentences. This contrasts with the very few meaningful combinations reported in animals,...
Antibiotics from human use are contaminating rivers worldwide, study shows
Millions of kilometers of rivers around the world are carrying antibiotic pollution at levels high enough to promote drug resistance and harm aquatic life, a new study warns. The study estimated the scale of global river contamination from human antibiotics use. Researchers calculated that about 8,500 tons of antibiotics --...
Ultrasound unlocks a safer, greener way to make hydrogels
Researchers have developed a new way to create hydrogels using ultrasound, eliminating the need for toxic chemical initiators. This breakthrough offers a faster, cleaner and more sustainable approach to hydrogel fabrication, and produces hydrogels that are stronger, more flexible and highly resistant to freezing and dehydration. The new method also...