Tags: Science

Genomic Study Reveals Pre-Cambrian Explosion of Bird Species, Who Faired Better than Gentle Dinosaurs

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE They’re far from the scaled reptilian giants that once walked the Earth, but for decades researchers have sought out an evolutionary connection between our winged bird species of today and the dinosaurs that once took flight in prehistoric times. For the past four years, a team of international researchers have fully developed The Avian Phylogenomics Project, in which they have sequenced genomes of nearly all species of the evolutionary branches including a majority of birds known to man. Now that the research is done, the mapping of 48 bird species genomes has evolved into more than two-dozen articles published in the journal Science, as well as a new understanding of how birds may link to their dinosaur ancestors.

Plans from Peru—United Nations 196 Delegates Propose a Policy to Combat Climate Change

To say that 2014 was a year for change would be quite an understatement, but when it comes to climate change this year has perhaps been the most dynamic. From the UN Summit in New York held earlier this summer, to the nomination of a new Messenger of Peace (actor Leonardo DiCaprio), members of the United Nations (UN) have sought out an effective way to best approach the changing climate looming over future forecasts. This past Saturday, Dec. 13, these discussions came to a climax as negotiators from the world’s 196 countries who have been staying in Lima, Peru for the past two weeks haggled over the final elements to be implemented in a draft of a climate change deal that will potentially, for the first time in history, commit all nations in the world to limit emissions greatly impacting global warming.

Bouncing Philae Takes Award for Breakthrough of the Year

It’s no big surprise that this year when reporters and editors of the journal Physics World came together to award the top-10 revolutionary breakthroughs of the year, that the team would have many breakthroughs to consider for the year of 2014. And though perhaps not necessarily the most technically successful mission this year, on account of the vast distances between Earth and itself as well as it bouncy landing, the team narrowed down the prospective list down to one to name the November 12, 2014 touchdown of the Philae Lander to be the most historic moment of the year.

Strange Andromeda Transmission May be First Sign of Dark Matter

While the ever elusive “dark matter” was first proposed by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the early 1930s, a team of European scientists this week believe that they may have detected the first ever evidence of dark matter in mysterious photo emissions of the X-ray spectra, emitting from the Andromeda galaxy, the Draco dwarf galaxy, and other galactic clusters far outside our own solar system.

Sugar May Be Worse for Blood Pressure Than Salt

Both sugar and salt have gotten bad publicity over the years as far as healthy diet is concerned. Sugary food consumption has been linked to diabetes and obesity, while excessive intake of salt and salty foods has been associated with cardiovascular illnesses, particularly high blood pressure. However, a recent study puts sugar in a worse light as it claims that sugar may increase blood pressure more than salt does.

Will Double the Dose Just Be Twice the Trouble?—Ebola Update December 2014

For the past few months, researchers in the field of pharmacology and immunology have frantically struggled towards finding an effective treatment or cure to the 2014 Ebola outbreak. But it’s not entirely new research begin with in the first place. Since the original outbreak of Ebola in West Africa during the 1970’s, researchers at labs worldwide have tried unsuccessfully to study and cure the pestilent virus. So with the help of a little new knowledge, a global need knocking down the door, and a strong basis in creation of vaccines, researchers today are able to look towards a potential immunization practice that may better safe than sorry.

Could Water Have Changed the Face of Mars, or Is the Habitability Question too Much to Bare?

While some parts of the nation are fighting Winter storms of snow and sleet, eyes this week are o water of the liquid variety. And more specifically, researchers and reporters are looking towards the molecule’s importance in developing life, as well as its origins story too. News this week of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta Mission, revealed a recently published study reporting that the sustenance of our Earth and of all life, water, may in fact have not originated on comets from the Kuiper Belt as once believed. And what’s more, now that researchers have debunked false origin stories of the miracle molecule, they’re now beginning to question whether water alone can make a planet habitable for life, or if there are other mitigating conditions as well.

Can A Peripheral Anomaly Cause Hummingbirds to Crash?

For decades now, man has modeled their methods of flight from the majestic bird species that have conquered the skies. But what if there’s a glitch in birds’ programming that remains hidden in the secrets of aviation?

More Seafloor Methane Released Into the Pacific Ocean

Increased Seafloor Methane Released Into the Pacific Ocean Water at intermediate depths is observed to be warming up as seafloor methane released into the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate, a recent study found.

SHOCKER—Senate Committee Finds Waterboarding and Torture Methods to be Ineffective Against Terrorists

We may live in the 21st century, with many conventions in place to protect the rights of the general public, but if you’re a prisoner of war you’re likely to find that those same courtesies are not extended to you too. In fact, as it so happens, torture may be on your captor’s list of to-do’s. It’s been a long-awaited document, approached with some hesitation by the Senate’s Intelligence Committee, but on Tuesday, Dec. 9, the Senate released its torture report, recounting endless accounts of post-9/11 detention and interrogation programs initiated by the United States’ CIA in more horrific detail than you could imagine. But what’s worse, is that the report revealed that the tactics of torture likely had little to no efficacy, even when inflicting bodily harm to acquire intel.

Comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko Reveals Origins of Water May Not be From Comets

After an arduous ten year journey throughout some tough terrain of space, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission set records this past summer for being the first spacecraft to orbit a comet in mid-flight. And while many expected the mission to reveal a bit more insight into the behavior and composition of comets from the outer edges of our solar system, no one expected to learn exactly how Earth came to be so unique and the perfect host to life, only three planets away from our sun.

A Historian’s Paradise—Albert Einstein Archives Continue to Grow

Often referred to in academic circles as the Dead Sea Scrolls of physics, the remaining letters and writings of revered scientist Albert Einstein have been a major feat for archiving since Princeton University Press and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem inherited over 80,000 documents the late physicist wrote in 1986. But in spite of the sheer volume of works he left behind, that could be enough to overwhelm the senses, researchers over the past two decades have dedicated their lives and their careers to telling the true story behind the scientist’s brilliant brain.

Next Stop for Curiosity Rover? Lava Mound May Hold Answers to Ancient Martian Lava Flows

While NASA’s Curiosity Rover revealed a possible location for reoccurring lakes on the surface of the red planet last week, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is finding even larger discoveries from its vantage point in the sky. Capturing new images with its HiRISE camera, one of six onboard instruments used by the orbiter, Reconnaissance has found evidence of one of the largest lava mounds found to date. And while it looks like a crispy pie pulled right from the oven, researchers say that the 1.2-mile wide circle of Martian crust is composed of iron-rich metamorphic rock, created thousands of years ago in a series of lava flows.

What’s Happening to All Our Giraffes? The Disappearing Species Faces Silent Extinction

In what perhaps may be the most shocking upset in the news this week, ecologist revealed last Friday, Dec. 5, that giraffes may be headed towards extinction – and it’s in part due to a lack of awareness of dangers facing the African species. While contemporary studies in Africa’s central savannahs have revealed the collected threats that human encroachment , habitat loss and black market poaching has posed to wildlife communities, researchers say that giraffes are amongst some of the hardest hit populations in the long list of black market species. And without significant change in the way giraffes are protected, they may disappear all together within a matter years.

E=MC^2 Wasn’t His Only Thought—New Archive Reveals Einstein’s Love and Laughter

Albert Einstein was undoubtedly a scientist not of his era. But in spite of his very public persona, living his life in the limelight, many are still not exactly sure who the man was behind the science. Living a life as exciting as his discoveries in the field of physics, Einstein is a man of many mysteries. And who better to divulge the secrets than the mad scientist himself?

Albert Einstein Archive Sparks Even More Reasons to Love the Man Behind the Theory—E=MC^2

There’s a point in nearly every individual’s life when they come to realize that their idol is nothing if not human beneath their perfect façade. And for some it’s a tragic state of affairs that reveals this shocking truth. But for others, it’s a sobering revelation that creates a tangible connection between them and their idol. If you’re a fan of genius Albert Einstein, and you’ve even got his haircut to match, this week you will be surprised to learn that you’ll have over 80,000 more reasons to idolize the beloved scientist, including perhaps a love letter or two that reveal a bit of a playboy side to the rebellious physicist. Released beginning this past Friday, Dec. 5, the Princeton University Press and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, whom inherited Albert Einstein’s vast written history in the form of some 80,000 documents he left behind, have digitized what is left of Einstein’s written words in a new online archive called “Digital Einstein”.

Dwindling Ice in Antarctica Spurs Questions Over Climate Change and The Point of No Return

As impending threats of “climate change” and “ecological disaster” have loomed over international affairs this year, to the point that even the United Nations spearheaded a campaign and led a summit to discuss future changes that may amend for some of humanity’s grave mistakes, new research published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters looks to a place much colder than our metropolises for evidence of a rapidly shifting climate.

NATURE Says Mammals Developed 3D Neural Compass to Better Navigate Terrain

Ever wonder how you could lose your way on the freeway, and still find your destination without Google Maps or MapQuest as an aid? Or how a dog with an attention span of only mere minutes can recall the path least travelled, and find its way home, in spite of the baffling sounds and smells around it? Well as it so happens, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel believe that new research reveals that mammals have developed an internal compass that guides our way. And it’s not just dogs and humans that have evolved the nifty trick deep within the brain.

Violent Californian Subculture Faces Bans as Advocates Stand Up for Coyotes

While California may be one of the most progressive states in terms of animal rights, there’s a subculture that exists within the Western state where marksmen find that wildlife is their main target. Organized coyote hunts, where legal, are sparking a clash between wildlife advocates and anti-coyote interest groups, and marksmen are making money off of the deaths of these key landscape species.
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