science

Asteroid To Pass By Earth On Christmas Eve

It is going to be a double treat for space enthusiasts this holiday season as two significant events will happen on the eve and the night of Christmas this year.

Endangered Jaguars May Lose Designated Land if Area Ranchers Have their Way

In March 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set aside just over 1,000 acres of land straddling the U.S. and Mexican border in an effort to bolster the rapidly dwindling numbers of jaguars. This beautiful spotted cat, who once roamed from Argentina in South America, all the way up to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, has now been practically wiped out in the United States. But that is irrelevant to the angry ranchers who believe providing room for the cats was "unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious."

The Trap-Jaws’ Mighty Mandibles Propel Them from Danger

The mighty mandibles of the trap-jaw ants are legendary in the animal kingdom. Members of the genus Odontomachus have specialized spring-loaded jaws that can snap shut at speeds of 60 meters per second, with forces that exceed 300 times their body weight. But in four species, those powerful jaws are not only great at catching prey, they can also aid in the ant's escape.

Macaques Prove Quite Handy with a Hammer

It was once believed that tool use was one of the signifying traits distinguishing humans from the rest of the animal world, but research has shown that is simply not the case. Chimps crack nuts, gorillas build rudimentary bridges, and dolphins use sponges to stir up the ocean floor, just to name a few. Scientists can now add macaques to the list, for it turns out they are quite handy with a hammer.

New Therapy Strips Cancer Cells of their Immortality

Cancer's deadly calling card has always been its cells' ability to replicate with abandon. Scientists continue to seek effective means of destroying cancer cells, while at the same time, protecting the healthy cells of the body. New research may have found a way to do just that. By stripping the malignant cells of their immortality.

A New Form of College Rivalry: Genetic Engineering Patents

College rivalries are nothing new. Some even reach legendary proportions. USC vs. Notre Dame, Alabama vs. Auburn, Army vs. Navy. They make for great football. Not so much when it comes to technological rights, as we're discovering in the ongoing battle between UC Berkeley and MIT, as they wrestle over the patent for a machine that just might revolutionize genetic engineering.

Embryological Manipulation Reveals Chicks Can Have Prehistoric Looks

One of the latest breakthroughs from Yale scientists: the mighty dino-chicken. The Yale team used molecular manipulation to grow chicken embryos with Velociraptor snouts and published their results yesterday in the journal Evolution. The embryos did not hatch.

Attenborough, and the Evolution of Life, Continue to Intrigue

Anyone who knows paleontology, knows the older the sediment, the greater the potential for documenting the evolution of life on earth. I guess the same can be said of certain naturalists, namely David Attenborough, who has been exploring life on our planet for almost 90 years.

Fierce Aftershock Compounds Recovery Efforts in Nepal

In the midst of digging out from the magnitude 7.8 quake that struck Nepal just three weeks ago, residents of Kathmandu find themselves once again in recovery mode. A powerful aftershock, with a preliminary magnitude registering 7.3, struck just east of Nepal's capital on Tuesday, sending an already rattled community running for cover yet again.

Egyptian Mummified Animals Contain Hidden Surprises

For over twenty years, scientists have used modern technology, in the form of CT scans and X-rays, to virtually unwrap mummified remains. These powerful tools, which allow researchers to peer inside mummies, provide information as to cause of death, burial treatment, and individual traits of the deceased. But now, this technology is being used to explore a new breed of Egyptian mummies: animals that were preserved to accompany the dead. And perhaps the greatest surprise is what's missing from these mummified treasures.

‘Brainy’ Robots May Revolutionize Underwater Exploration

Exiting news out of MIT: underwater robots just got smarter. Inspired by Star Trek's Enterprise, the folks at MIT have developed a new program that gives AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) greater decision-making capabilities.

On the Ebola Front, Good News for Liberia, Caution for Neighboring Countries

A year later and over 4,000 dead, Liberia can finally breathe a sigh of relief as The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the country Ebola free. "The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over," according to a WHO statement given at the emergency command center in Monrovia, as reported by The New York Times. But this doesn't mean Africa is in the clear. In fact, if the countries surrounding Liberia are included, the death toll from the past year's outbreak soars to more than 11,000, making the current outbreak five times deadlier that all previous outbreaks combined.

Spiders Sprayed with Graphene Weave Futuristic Webs

One of the most amazing materials in nature has got to be spider silk. Although thinner than a human hair, it is stronger by weight than steel, can be stretched up to four times its original length, and is about as durable as Kevlar - of bullet proof vest fame. Yet Italian scientists have recently improved on Mother Nature by applying the latest in nanomaterials technology to those notorious web spinners. Introducing the graphene spiders.
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