Cold weather in Miami brought a warning of iguanas falling from trees, the National Weather Service tweeted last week. Low winter temperatures can put certain lizards into a coma-like state. Reptiles have adapted to land in wondrous ways. […]
A Finnish company has crafted a new protein from air, water, and electricity, “The Huffington Post” reported last week. Living microbes are grown in a lab and fed nutrients from the air to produce an edible protein powder. Will people in future generations thrive on it? […]
An alleged new species of fossilized spider is really a crayfish with legs painted on it, “Science Alert” reported. The fake spider was the subject of a paper published this year, but it has since been debunked. Paleontology tools helped crack the case. […]
As the human brain senses where we touch a held object, it can also pinpoint the exact location of where that object then touches another object, “Science Alert” reported Monday. Mapped neural activity shows our efforts to discern where an object that we’re holding makes physical contact with something else. We experience the sense of touch through a complex network of cells. […]
According to a new report published in “Nature Communications,” scientists have extracted a complete human genome from a 5,700-year-old sample. They took it from a chewed pitch of birch, which is believed to have been used for adhesive and personal health purposes. The human genome is the biggest genetic picture of us. […]
The “epigenetic clock” may gauge life expectancy and aging in dogs, according to an article in Science. By observing chemical changes in canine DNA, scientists can estimate dogs’ relative ages to ours—and maybe even how long they have left. Genes may be part of why we don’t live forever. […]
An ongoing study of babies suggests their native tongues affect their crying sounds, The New York Times reported. Initial findings comparing French and German babies in 2009 have expanded to a worldwide project today. Here’s why it’s possible. […]
Potted plants don’t actually improve the quality of indoor air, according to a new study published in “Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.” Keeping houseplants has long been believed to provide many benefits, but improving air quality no longer appears to be one of them. However, there are still good reasons to keep plants in the house. […]
According to Sweden’s Uppsala University, new evidence points to polar dinosaurs who were feathered and “fluffy.” The feathers were collected from Australian fossils of dinosaurs that once lived near the South Pole. Dinosaur evolution is complex and nuanced. […]
NASA’s spacecraft “Voyager 2” has sent back data from beyond the solar system, according to a statement released last week. The unmanned “Voyager 2” is only the second spacecraft to travel beyond the heliosphere. How did it send data 11 billion miles? […]
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