The discovery of more than 15,000 kilometers of ancient riverbeds on Mars suggests that the Red Planet may once have been much wetter than previously thought. Researchers looked at fluvial sinuous ridges, also known as inverted channels, across Noachis Terra – a region in Mars’ southern highlands. These are believed to have formed when sediment…
On its record-breaking pass by the Sun late last year, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe captured stunning new images from within the Sun’s atmosphere. These newly released images — taken closer to the Sun than we’ve ever been before — are helping scientists better understand the Sun’s influence across the solar system, including events that can…
Nerve cells are not just nerve cells. Depending on how finely we distinguish, there are several hundred to several thousand different types of nerve cell in the human brain according to the latest calculations. These cell types vary in their function, in the number and length of their cellular appendages, and in their interconnections. They…
A University of Portsmouth student has discovered a new species of prehistoric mammal dating back 145 million years to the Berriasian age, providing fresh insights into the diversity of early mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs. carried out “digital dental surgery” using CT scanning to isolate individual teeth for detailed study A University of Portsmouth student…
Archaeologists from the University of Houston working at Caracol in Belize, Central America have uncovered the tomb of Te K’ab Chaak, the first ruler of this ancient Maya city and the founder of its royal dynasty. Now in ruins, this metropolis was a major political player in Maya history, dominating the southern part of the…
For decades, the story of Alzheimer’s research has been dominated by a battle between A-beta and tau amyloids, both of which can kill neurons and impact the brain’s ability to function. A new study suggests, however, that these sticky brain plaques may not be operating alone. Johns Hopkins University researchers have identified more than 200…
Pepper, the pet cat who made headlines last year for his role in the discovery of the first jeilongvirus found in the U.S., is at it again. This time, his hunting prowess contributed to the identification of a new strain of orthoreovirus. John Lednicky, Ph.D., Pepper’s owner and a University of Florida College of Public…
An artistic rendering based on a real image of the IceCube neutrino detector at the South Pole IceCube/NSF We are zeroing in on the true composition of the rarest, highest-energy cosmic rays – which could help reveal their unknown origins. The universe is constantly showering us with bursts of particles, says Brian Clark at the…
A mystery interstellar object spotted last week by astronomers could be the oldest comet ever seen, according to scientists. Named 3I/Atlas, it may be three billion years older than our own solar system, suggests the team from Oxford university. The preliminary findings were presented on Friday at the national meeting of the UK’s Royal Astronomical…
It turns out color isn’t just fashionable for guppies: According to a new UBC study, the more orange a male, the more virile it is. The research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution shines light on an enduring evolutionary mystery: why male guppies have such vibrant and varied colors and patterns. Virile me up Zoologists…
