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Recent findings document the domestication of cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, its region of origin, by at least 5,300 years ago. Lanaud et al. demonstrate the large landscape of domestication of cacao, out of its area of origin, along the Pacific coast of South America, occurring concurrently during this same early time period and in subsequent time periods. Image credit: Fernando Graniel.

Cacao May Have Spread from Amazonia to Other South and Central American Regions 5,000 Years Ago

Mar 20, 2024 by News Staff

Humans have a long history of transporting and trading plants, contributing to the evolution of domesticated plants. The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao),...

The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus). Image credit: Trebol-a / CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed.

Scientists Decode Etruscan Shrew Genome

Mar 20, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

Scientists have sequenced and analyzed the genome of the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), one of the world’s smallest mammals, with an average body...

The modified Majorana module in the assembly glovebox with germanium detector crystals and tantalum samples installed. Image credit: Majorana Collaboration.

Nuclear Physicists Searching for Decay of Tantalum-180m

Mar 20, 2024 by News Staff

Tantalum-180m (180mTa), a rare isotope of tantalum whose decay has never been observed, is expected to have a lifetime approximately 1 million times longer...

Khinjaria acuta. Image credit: Andrey Atuchin.

New Mosasaur Species from Morocco Had Dagger-Like, Interlocking Teeth

Mar 19, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have described a bizarre new species of mosasaurid based on a skull and parts of the skeleton collected from a phosphate mine southeast...

Cranberry supplementation for 28 days appeared to improve running speed as well as aerobic performance in trained runners. Image credit: Michael Reichelt.

Study: Cranberry Consumption Improves Physiological Markers of Performance in Trained Runners

Mar 19, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Cranberries have the highest polyphenol and antioxidant capacity among fruits and vegetables and may protect against exercise-induced free radical production,...

This artist’s impression shows the evolution of the Universe beginning with the Big Bang on the left followed by the appearance of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The formation of the first stars ends the cosmic dark ages, followed by the formation of galaxies. Image credit: M. Weiss / Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Universe Has No Room for Dark Matter, Astrophysicist Says

Mar 19, 2024 by News Staff

University of Ottawa’s Professor Rajendra Gupta challenges the current theoretical model for the composition of the Universe by showing that, in fact,...

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Image credit: NOAA.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Blue Whale

Mar 19, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of scientists has produced a reference-quality, long-read-based genome assembly for the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). The blue...

Storey-Fisher et al. present the all-sky quasar catalog Quaia, that samples the largest comoving volume of any existing spectroscopic quasar sample. Image credit: Storey-Fisher et al., doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad1328.

Astronomers Create Largest-Ever Map of Universe’s Quasars

Mar 19, 2024 by News Staff

The new map, dubbed Quaia, includes around 1,295,502 quasars from across the visible Universe and could help astronomers better understand the properties...

An artist’s reconstruction of the spinosaurid dinosaur Baryonyx. Image credit: Andrey Atuchin / CC BY 4.0 Deed.

New Spinosaurid Dinosaur Species Identified in Spain

Mar 18, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of spinosaurid dinosaur being named Riojavenatrix lacustris has been discovered by University of the Basque Country paleontologist...

This view of Titan is among the last images NASA’s Cassini spacecraft sent to Earth before it plunged into the giant planet’s atmosphere. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.

Tricarbon Molecule Detected in Atmosphere of Titan

Mar 18, 2024 by Natali Anderson

The tricarbon molecule (C3) is likely produced in the upper atmosphere of Titan by the reaction of abundant acetylene with atomic carbon. This view of...

Minor planets with activity discoveries resulting from the Active Asteroids project: (a-f) active asteroids and main-belt comet candidates; (g) an active Centaur; (h-l) active active quasi-Hilda asteroids; (m-t) Jupiter-family comets. Image credit: Chandler et al., 10.3847/1538-3881/ad1de2.

Citizen Science Project Discovers 15 New Active Asteroids

Mar 18, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

Active asteroids behave dynamically like asteroids but display comet-like comae. These objects are poorly understood, with fewer than 60 identified to...

The green Anjou fruit. Image credit: USA Pears.

Scientists Sequence Genome of D’Anjou Pear

Mar 18, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Researchers from the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and elsewhere have generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for the d’Anjou pear, a...

This Hubble image shows UGC 5829, an irregular galaxy some 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo Minor. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / R. Tully / M. Messa.

Hubble Space Telescope Captures Stunning Shot of Spider Galaxy

Mar 18, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new photo from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the nearby irregular galaxy UGC 5829, which is also known as the Spider Galaxy. This Hubble...

Life reconstruction of Franconiasaurus brevispinus. Image credit: Joschua Knüppe.

New Species of Plesiosaur Unearthed in Germany

Mar 15, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of plesiosaur that lived near the onset of the Early-Middle Jurassic turnover has been identified from two exquisite, three-dimensionally...

Jupiter is revisited by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in these images, taken on January 5-6, 2024, capturing both sides of the giant planet. Image credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / Amy Simon, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Hubble Space Telescope Captures Beautiful New Images of Jupiter

Mar 14, 2024 by News Staff

The many large storms and small white clouds seen in the new Hubble images, taken on January 5 and 6, 2024, are evidence for a lot of activity going on...

Life reconstruction of Peltocephalus maturin. Image credit: Júlia d‘Oliveira.

Fossil of Giant Freshwater Turtle Discovered in Brazilian Amazon

Mar 14, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

Peltocephalus maturin possibly reached about 1.8 m (5.9 feet) in carapace length and is among the largest freshwater turtles ever found. This finding presents...

This image, taken by Webb’s MIRI instrument, shows a region near the IRAS 23385+6053 protostar. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / W.R.M. Rocha, LEI.

Webb Detects Complex Organic Molecules in Interstellar Ices toward Two Protostars

Mar 14, 2024 by News Staff

Astronomers using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have detected a variety of molecules ranging from relatively...

Miassite is one of only four minerals found in nature that act as a superconductor when grown in the lab and the only mineral known so far that reveals unconventional superconductivity in its clean synthetic form. Image credit: Paul Canfield.

Physicists Identify First Unconventional Superconductor with Composition Also Found in Nature

Mar 13, 2024 by News Staff

Solid state chemistry has produced a plethora of materials with properties not found in nature. For example, high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide...

Noctis Mons. Image credit: NASA / USGS / Lee et al.

Planetary Scientists Discover Giant Shield Volcano on Mars

Mar 13, 2024 by News Staff

Provisionally designated Noctis Mons, the newly-discovered volcano is located just south of Mars’ equator, in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus, west of Valles...