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The south pole of Mars. Image credit: NASA.

Underground Volcanism on Mars May Have Been Active Extremely Recently

Feb 14, 2019 by News Staff

Recent radar observations from ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft were interpreted as evidence for melting beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. Now, a...

Two fossil specimens from the extinct spider family Lagonomegopidae had reflective eyes, a feature still apparent under light. Image credit: Paul Selden.

Some Cretaceous Spiders Had Reflective Eyes, New Fossils Reveal

Feb 13, 2019 by News Staff

In a paper published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, an international team of paleontologists from the University of Kansas, the Korea Polar...

Bibita Mountain dwarf puddle frogs (Phrynobatrachus bibita), females. Image credit: S. Goutte & J. Reyes-Velasco, New York University Abu Dhabi.

New Species of Puddle Frog Discovered in Ethiopia

Feb 13, 2019 by News Staff

A team of researchers from New York University Abu Dhabi has described a new species of frog from Bibita Mountain, an unexplored and isolated mountain...

Illustration of a plasma jet impact (yellow) generating standing waves at the boundary (blue) of Earth’s magnetic shield (green). Image credit: E. Masongsong, UCLA / M. Archer, QMUL / H. Hietala, UTU.

Earth’s Magnetopause Vibrates Like Giant Drum When Hit by Strong Impulses

Feb 13, 2019 by News Staff

As strong impulses strike the Earth’s magnetopause, the abrupt boundary between the planet’s magnetosphere and the surrounding plasma, ripples travel...

The bright spots near the center of Occator crater are shown in enhanced color in this view from NASA’s Dawn robotic spacecraft. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA / PSI / LPI.

Ceres’ Crust Kept Cryomagma Liquid for Millions of Years, Researchers Say

Feb 13, 2019 by News Staff

NASA’s Dawn mission recently spotted mysterious bright spots in the center of Occator Crater on the dwarf planet Ceres. According to a new study published...

Weiler et al show that, for postural hand control, even the fastest spinal feedback pathway can produce efficient corrective responses, forcing a re-evaluation of how the nervous system derives the control laws that support motor behavior. Image credit: Medium69 / Jmarchn.

Study: Spinal Cord Contributes to Sophisticated Hand Function

Feb 13, 2019 by News Staff

It is well known that neural circuits in the spinal cord control seemingly simple things like the pain reflex in humans, and some motor control functions...

Ceratogyrus attonitifer. Image credit: Ian Enelbrecht.

Newly-Discovered Tarantula Species Has ‘Horn’ on Its Back

Feb 12, 2019 by News Staff

A duo of researchers from South Africa has discovered a remarkable new species of tarantula living in central Angola. Ceratogyrus attonitifer. Image credit:...

Abramson et al developed a drug capsule that could be used to deliver oral doses of insulin. Image credit: Felice Frankel.

Microneedle Pill Could Be Used to Deliver Oral Doses of Insulin

Feb 12, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from the United States, Denmark and Sweden has pioneered a new approach that brings an oral formulation of insulin...

Just 114 miles from the recently-discovered Hiawatha impact crater under the ice of northwest Greenland, lies a possible second impact crater. The 22.7-mile-wide feature would be the second crater found under an ice sheet, and if confirmed, would be the 22nd-largest crater on Earth. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Jefferson Beck.

Scientists Find Possible Second Subglacial Impact Crater in Northwest Greenland

Feb 12, 2019 by News Staff

Following the discovery of the 19.2-mile (31 km) wide Hiawatha impact crater beneath the northwest margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet, Dr. Joe MacGregor...

This is the first textile to automatically change properties to trap or release heat depending on conditions. Image credit: Faye Levine, University of Maryland.

‘Cool’ Textile Automatically Regulates Amount of Heat that Passes through It

Feb 11, 2019 by News Staff

Made from specially engineered infrared-sensitive yarn, which responds to changes in the temperature and humidity of a person’s skin by dynamically collapsing...

In a normal magnetic material, dense magnetic moments try to align with their neighbors (left); by contrast, in a singlet-based material, unstable magnetic moments pop in and out of existence, and stick to one another in aligned clumps (right). Image credit: Lin Miao, New York University.

New Type of Magnet Discovered: Singlet-Based Magnet

Feb 11, 2019 by News Staff

In conventional magnets, small magnetic constituents align with one another to create a strong magnetic field. By contrast, the newly-discovered type of...

The yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus). Image credit: Mark Sandfoss, University of Florida.

Sea Snakes Drink from Oceanic Freshwater Lenses, New Study Shows

Feb 11, 2019 by News Staff

Acquisition of freshwater is problematic for sea snakes living in oceanic environments that are distant from sources of freshwater associated with land....

Wei et al developed a biomimetic self-propelling micromotor formulation for use as an oral antivirulence vaccine; the propulsion is provided by a magnesium-based core, and a biomimetic cell membrane coating is used to detain and neutralize a toxic antigenic payload; the resulting motor toxoids leverage their propulsion properties in order to more effectively elicit mucosal immune responses. Image credit: Wei et al, doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b05051.

Self-Propelling Micromotors Deliver Oral Vaccines

Feb 11, 2019 by News Staff

A team of scientists at the University of California San Diego has developed oral antivirulence vaccines powered by self-propelling micromotors that target...

Neptune and Uranus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / A. Simon, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / M. Wong & A. Hsu, University of California, Berkeley.

Hubble Spots New Dark Storm on Neptune, Giant Polar Cap on Uranus

Feb 8, 2019 by News Staff

Since its launch into orbit in 1990, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has helped astronomers to amass an album of outer planet images. Yearly monitoring...

Mosquitoes can hear up to 32 feet away. Image credit: Egor Kamelev.

Mosquitoes Can Hear Sound over Surprisingly Long Distances

Feb 8, 2019 by News Staff

Yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) can use their antennae to detect sounds that are at least 32 feet (10 m) away, according to a new study published...

This image from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the Sun. Image credit: NASA / SDO.

Alfven Waves: Solar Magnetic Waves Behave Differently than Previously Thought

Feb 8, 2019 by News Staff

A team of physicists at Northumbria University, UK, has found that magnetic waves in the corona of our Sun — its outermost layer of atmosphere —...

Consuming walnuts may be associated with a lower prevalence and frequency of depression symptoms among American adults. Image credit: Alicja.

Walnut Consumption May Lower Risk of Depression

Feb 8, 2019 by News Staff

In an epidemiological study using data on walnut consumption and depression from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a team...

A close-up of the tentacles of a male Ancistrus patronus. The male’s tentacles look like the eggs that the male cares for. Image credit: Jonathan W. Armbruster.

Scientists Discover Six New Species of Bristlenose Catfish

Feb 7, 2019 by News Staff

Six new species of tentacle-nosed catfish have been discovered in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins. A close-up of the tentacles of a male Ancistrus...

Gobiraptor minutus. Image credit: Do Yoon Kim.

New Species of Oviraptorid Dinosaur Unearthed: Gobiraptor minutus

Feb 7, 2019 by News Staff

A new species of oviraptorosaur has been unearthed in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Gobiraptor minutus. Image credit: Do Yoon Kim. Named Gobiraptor minutus,...