A new panel report contends that compelling evidence backs a natural origin for the COVID-19 outbreak that first walloped Wuhan, China, in January 2020.HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES The acrimonious disscussion over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic flared up again this week with a report from a specialist panel concluding that SARS-CoV-2 likely spread...
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The natural world has its own intrinsic electrical grid composed of a world web of tiny bacteria-generated nanowires in the soil and seas that "breathe" by exhaling excess electrons. In a new study, Yale College researchers found that light is an unexpected ally in fostering this electronic activity within biofilm bacteria. Revealing bacteria-produced...
Several science students may imagine a ball rolling down a hill or a car skidding due to friction as prototypical examples of the systems physicists care about. However, much of modern physics consists of looking for objects and essentially invisible sensations: the small electrons of quantum physics and the particles concealed within odd steels...
Bacteria culture. Credit: John Wilkinson Engineering enzymes to execute reactions not found in nature can address longstanding challenges in synthetic chemistry, such as transforming plant-based oils into helpful biochemicals. A team of scientists has developed an easy yet effective strategy for developing new enzymes with novel reactivity that can generate beneficial chemical compounds. Consequently, improving their...
LG Electronics revealed its Signature Kitchen Suite built-in french door fridge at KBIS 2022. Characterized by flexibility, precise temperature control, and optimal user experience, the 48-inch ample French-Door fridge is the most recent addition to LG's premium built-in kitchen appliance brand. This LG model is provided with a convertible drawer offering a wide temperature level...
Students from Monash Chemical Engineering developed a sustainable, autonomous water treatment system that eliminates persistent organic pollutants from industrial wastewater using nature's natural water treatment cycle as inspiration. The unique Stand Alone Sunflow System (SASS) - developed by Ph.D. students Mostafa Dehghani and Mahdi Naseri, and also undergraduate student Clare Carew - utilizes conveniently accessible as...
Credit: Pixabay Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has long been a planetary icon. However, UC Berkeley astronomers have now identified equally massive, Earth-sized dark spots at the planet’s poles. These UV-dark ovals, which appear within the stratospheric haze at the poles, come and go unpredictably. Notably, they sit just below the auroral zones and absorb more...
A study led by MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy researchers shows that there is enough land to support efforts to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius while addressing competing needs for long-term food security and ecosystem health. Credit: U.S. Department of Energy Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is a challenging task. Reaching...
Footage of the explosion, slowed down 400 times Thorogood, C. et al/CC By 4.0 "Ballistic seed dispersal" is a rare phenomenon in the plant world, and for good reason, as demonstrated by the squirting cucumber's impressive abilities. Rather than relying on external factors like wind or animals, this cucumber takes matters into its own hands, launching...
Credit: Pixabay Measuring time in our world of ticking clocks and swinging pendulums is as straightforward as counting seconds between "then" and "now." However, at the quantum scale, where electrons buzz unpredictably, "then" becomes difficult to pinpoint, and "now" often dissolves into uncertainty. In such cases, a traditional stopwatch is simply ineffective. A potential answer may lie...
