A side view of the speedy new manta ray robot swimming along the surfaceHaitao Qing, NC State UniversityJust two years ago, a tiny robotic manta ray set a record as the fastest-swimming soft-bodied robot. Now, its upgraded successor has shattered that record while using less energy in the process.The original 22.8-mm-long robot was developed by...
Credit: PixabayWhen the Swiss and Italian governments collaborated last year to redraw their shared alpine borders, the retreat of glaciers brought a growing global challenge into sharp focus: how to manage shifting borders defined by natural landmarks. This issue is expected to affect many nations as environmental changes continue to reshape the landscape.Fortunately, the...
Dulcibella camanchaca, a newly identified amphipod from the Atacama Trench. (Johanna Weston/WHOI)Earth’s oceanic trenches, plunging as deep as 11 kilometers (6.8 miles), remain one of the planet’s most mysterious realms. Their pitch-black waters endure crushing pressures of up to 1,088 atmospheres (16,000 pounds per square inch), yet life somehow thrives in these extreme environments. Despite...
Credit: PixabayAround 900,000 years ago, stone tool technology took a major leap forward in Spain. Anthropologist Diego Lombao from the University of Santiago de Compostela and his team discovered the earliest known European example of advanced stone tool techniques at El Barranc de la Boella in northeastern Spain.This technological advance predates the evolutionary split...
Schistosoma mansoni egg recovered from the medieval latrine in Bruges. Black bar represents 20 µm. Credit: Marissa Ledger, McMaster UniversityThe discovery of a 500-year-old African parasite in a Bruges latrine offers new insights into how medieval trade networks facilitated the spread of infectious diseases. Linked to Spanish merchants and global commerce, this finding sheds...
Credit: PixabayChildren with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not lazy, undisciplined, or lacking manners. Instead, their brains develop and function differently, marked by unique neurological activity patterns and neurochemical imbalances. These differences classify ADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder rather than a behavioral issue.The Neurological Basis of ADHDThe neurological variations in ADHD manifest as...
Credit: PixabayA DNA test designed to screen for fetal abnormalities can sometimes uncover unexpected findings, including hidden cancer in the pregnant individual.A recent analysis revealed that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening, commonly used to detect chromosomal disorders, has the potential to identify undiagnosed cancers. Among patients whose cfDNA test results were ambiguous, nearly half were...
Credit: PixabayIf you've ever had a blood test ordered by a doctor, chances are it included a complete blood count (CBC). As one of the most common medical tests worldwide, CBCs are performed billions of times each year to diagnose conditions and monitor overall health.Despite their widespread use, the way clinicians interpret CBC results...
A moderate solar flare that erupted on 2 October 2014. The flare is the flash of light. (NASA/SDO)The Sun is far from tranquil. Its surface churns with convection, its magnetic field continuously snaps and reconnects, and it releases energy through violent flares and plasma bursts known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs).Most solar activity poses little...
Credit: PixabayIn 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) unveiled the first image of a black hole, showcasing the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy M87. Now, this cosmic giant is surprising scientists with an intense teraelectronvolt gamma-ray flare, the strongest observed in over a decade. Emitting photons billions of times more energetic...
