Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News Bernardo Reyes-Tur A Polymita snail in its native forest habitat in Eastern Cuba Researchers have embarked on a mission to save what some consider to be the world’s most beautiful snails, and also unlock their biological secrets. Endangered Polymita tree snails, which are disappearing from their native forest habitats…
A frog croaks from a walking trail. A hiker snaps a photo and uploads it to iNaturalist. That single act — one person, one amphibian and one click — feeds into a growing global dataset that scientists now use to map shifting species ranges, detect invasive threats and even discover new species. An international study…
A new study from NYU Abu Dhabi has found that high-energy particles from space, known as cosmic rays, could create the energy needed to support life underground on planets and moons in our solar system. The research shows that cosmic rays may not only be harmless in certain environments but could actually help microscopic life…
Immediately after the Big Bang, which occurred around 13.8 billion years ago, the universe was dominated by unimaginably high temperatures and densities. However, after just a few seconds, it had cooled down enough for the first elements to form, primarily hydrogen and helium. These were still completely ionized at this point, as it took almost…
Society has long struggled with petroleum-derived plastic pollution, and awareness of microplastics’ detrimental effects on food and water supplies adds further pressure. In response, researchers have been developing biodegradable versions of traditional plastics, or “bioplastics.” However, current bioplastics face challenges as well: Current versions are not as strong as petrochemical-based plastics and they only degrade…
Most stars in the Universe exist in binary or multiple star systems, where the presence of close-in companion stars in such systems can adversely influence the formation and orbital stability of planets around one of the stars. An international team of astrophysicists led by Professor Man Hoi LEE from the Department of Earth Sciences and…
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a team of astronomers led by Abubakar Fadul from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) has discovered complex organic molecules – including the first tentative detection of ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile – in the protoplanetary disc of the outbursting protostar V883 Orionis. These compounds are considered precursors…
Imogen Foulkes Geneva correspondent BBC In a small village in Switzerland’s beautiful Loetschental valley, Matthias Bellwald walks down the main street and is greeted every few steps by locals who smile or offer a handshake or friendly word. Mr Bellwald is a mayor, but this isn’t his village. Two months ago his home, three miles…
As early humans spread from lush African forests into grasslands, their need for ready sources of energy led them to develop a taste for grassy plants, especially grains and the starchy plant tissue hidden underground. But a new Dartmouth-led study shows that hominins began feasting on these carbohydrate-rich foods before they had the ideal teeth…
It was a single lightning flash that streaked across the Great Plains for 515 miles, from eastern Texas nearly all the way to Kansas City, setting a new world record. “We call it megaflash lightning and we’re just now figuring out the mechanics of how and why it occurs,” said Randy Cerveny, an Arizona State…
