Author - Ana Manuel

Survey Shows How Many People Skip Handwashing After Using the Toilet

Credit: DepositphotosAustralia's Food Safety Information Council recently released a report on the nation's handwashing habits. It revealed that 19% of Australians don’t always wash their hands after using the toilet, and nearly half (42%) confess they don’t consistently wash their hands before handling food.Do you wash your hands every time you use the bathroom?...

Scientists Show How Sperm and Egg Unite Like a Key in a Lock

This microscope image provided by Osaka University and the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in October 2024, shows the fertilization of a mouse egg marked in red and green. DNA is marked in blue, showing in the egg at the top and in a sperm cell at the bottom left. Credit: Yonggang Lu/Osaka University/IMP...

EPFL: Ultra-Deep Fracking Can Enable Limitless Geothermal Energy

Deep geothermal power has a tremendous potential if it can be made practicalQuaise EnergyThe potential for nearly limitless clean geothermal energy has significantly improved. Researchers at EPFL’s Laboratory of Experimental Rock Mechanics (LEMR) have demonstrated that the semi-plastic, viscous rock found at supercritical depths can still be fractured to allow water to flow through.Together...

Need to Tackle a Complex Problem? Applied Mathematics Can Provide the Solution

Credit: PixabayYou’ve likely used math to solve common tasks, like figuring out a restaurant tip or calculating a room's square footage. But how does math contribute to tackling more complex challenges, such as finding a cure for a disease?As an applied mathematician, I use mathematical tools to analyze and solve complex biological problems. My...

As Temperatures Rise, Researchers Reveal How Plants Respond

Credit: PixabayTiny openings on the surface of leaves, known as stomata, allow plants to "breathe" by regulating water loss through evaporation. These pores also manage the intake of carbon dioxide necessary for photosynthesis and growth.Since the 19th century, scientists have known that plants widen their stomatal pores to release water vapor, or "sweat," through...

Megafire Smoke Endangers Orchard Trees, Reducing Nut Yields

Credit: PixabayResearchers at the University of California, Davis, discovered that prolonged smoke exposure from large wildfires depletes orchard trees' energy reserves and can slash nut production by 50%. The smoke impacts trees for months following a megafire, reducing their bloom and next season's yield. This highlights a new wildfire-related threat to plant health in...

The Palletrone Flying Cart Lifts Cargo for Snag-free Movement

The Palletrone flies at roughly chest height and keeps the upper cargo platform level while a human operator pushes it aroundSeoulTechWhether you're at the mall or moving items around the office, you've probably encountered a cart with a faulty wheel. Help may soon arrive in the form of a flying cart called the Palletrone.The...

Earth May Have Had a Ring Like Saturn – and It Caused Havoc

An artist's impression of Earth with a ring – a phase suggested by new evidenceOliver HullNew Evidence of Earth's Potential Ring SystemSaturn's rings are famous, but new evidence suggests that Earth might have also had a ring at some point in its history. This ring would have caused significant impacts on the surface.We...

Surpassing Expectations: First Semi-Submersible Floating Wind Farm

One of three Windfloat Atlantic off-shore floating platformsWindplusThe WindFloat Atlantic project, the first semi-submersible floating offshore wind farm with just three turbines off Portugal's coast, has surpassed expectations in its four years of operation. It has generated 320 GWh of electricity, enough to power around 25,000 homes annually.Connected to the grid and operational since...

Irreversible Climate Damage if Warming Exceeds 1.5°C

Credit: PixabayThe world's climate is at a critical juncture, with uncertain outcomes. A new climate model indicates that exceeding the Paris Agreement's primary target for global warming could trigger a chain of tipping points, making recovery extremely difficult, if not impossible.On our current climate path, there's up to a 45 percent chance of surpassing...