Physics
- Up to one-third of all new asthma cases each year are attributed to the harmful air pollutants that are emitted by gas-powered automobiles.
- There are roughly a trillion species of microorganisms on Earth—the vast majority of which are bacteria.
- Yodelers of the world, you never stood a chance: Monkeys will always be better at yodeling than humans because they have a "cheap trick" hidden in their voice box, scientists revealed Thursday.
- Street trees usually grow in appalling soils, have little space for their roots, are rarely watered and often get aggressively trimmed by road authorities or utility companies.
- Top minds at the world's largest atom smasher have released a blueprint for a much bigger successor that could vastly improve research into the remaining enigmas of physics.
- This week, researchers reported on nine rivers and lakes in the Americas that defy hydrologic expectations. Geologists report that Earth's first crust probably had chemical features similar to today's continental crust. And engineers advanced quantum technology by merging two exotic, lab-synthesized materials into an artificial structure, atom by atom.
Environment
- As AI developers harvest Wikipedia content to train their models, the resulting surge in automated traffic is driving up costs for the non-profit that runs the popular crowdsourced encyclopaedia
- A spider species eat their siblings as soon as they die but tolerate each other when they are alive, suggesting a mysterious signal helps them to determine when to dine on a nest mate
- Beekeepers often experience some seasonal losses, but this past winter, more than half of all US honeybee colonies died off, potentially the largest loss in US history
- Wakes from offshore wind farms can reduce the power generated by neighbouring farms – an issue that is growing more prevalent as turbines get bigger and more numerous
- The US anti-vaccine movement is now firmly embedded in the highest levels of government, where those overseeing public health agencies are making drastic cuts both wide and deep
- The way bonobos combine vocal sounds to create new meanings suggests the evolutionary building blocks of human language are shared with our closest relatives
General
- by C.C. WeissIf there's one thing you want to do immediately after completing the kind of long, exhausting hike that's mandatory when backpacking, it's rip off those shoes and let your fiery, achy feet breathe a little. But as much as you'd like to whip out your most comfortably broken-in set of slippers or sandals, it can […]
- by Abhimanyu GhoshalDeep sea mining has been off limits thus far, both because it's awfully hard, and because governments haven't yet firmed up regulations around extracting minerals offshore. That might soon change, as an ambitious company is moving steadily to secure permission to begin operations with the Trump administration's blessing – perhaps sooner than it should.Continue ReadingCategory: […]
- by Adam WilliamsDespite its relatively modest length of 34 ft (10 m), Mint Tiny House Company's Violet Edition – Scarlett Loft squeezes in three bedrooms, offering an impressive sleeping capacity of six – or even up to eight if a couple don't mind sleeping on a sofa bed.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, LifestyleTags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, […]
- by Paul McClureTaking advantage of a unique public health policy in the UK, a new study has found that receiving the shingles vaccine reduces dementia risk by 20%. The findings bolster a growing body of research linking the vaccine to lower numbers of dementia cases.Continue ReadingCategory: Brain Health, Body & MindTags: Dementia, Shingles, Vaccines, Herpesvirus, Stanford University
- by Paul McClureScientists have discovered how an Australian jumping spider's semi-hydraulics allows it to speed jump long distances with precision while experiencing g-forces higher than those of fighter pilots. Their insights might help robotics research.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Spiders, Biomechanics, Hydraulics, Robotic construction, Macquarie University
- by Utkarsh SoodWhat you're looking at is a one-off, mid-engine, hand-built wedge car with an exterior fashioned almost entirely of mirror-polished aluminum. Its exposed-metal design puts a certain Tesla Cybertruck to shame.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Maserati, Supercar, Tesla Motors, Cybertruck, Custom, McLaren