Each "sentinel mollusk" used in a molluSCAN-eye setup provides water quality readings 24 hours a day, 365 days a yearmolluSCANScientists have developed a commercial water-quality monitoring system, molluSCAN-eye, which uses live, electronically enhanced mollusks to detect pollution. Filter-feeding mollusks like oysters and mussels naturally respond to pollutants by altering how they open their shells,...
The RAVEN robot in flight, showing off its bird legs© 2024 EPFL/Alain Herzog (CC-BY-SA 4.0)While autonomous flying robots hold promising potential, their usefulness is limited if they cannot navigate uneven terrain after landing. However, an experimental bio-inspired robot overcomes this limitation by mimicking the raven's gait.Named RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for Multiple Environments), the...
The world's only known specimen of kyawthuite. (Kampf et al., Mineral. Mag., 2017)A mineral so rare that only one specimen has ever been found in the world exists: kyawthuite (cha-too-ite). This tiny, tawny-hued grain weighs just a third of a gram (1.61 carats), and at first glance, it might resemble amber or topaz. However, its...
(bodnarchuk/Getty Images)Scientists have discovered a high-quality gold deposit in central China containing approximately 1,000 metric tons (1,100 US tons) of the precious metal, according to Chinese state media.Valued at around 600 billion yuan (US$83 billion), this find could be the largest and most lucrative gold reservoir ever uncovered, surpassing the 900 metric tons estimated...
Skeletal muscle fibers (multinucleated cells) with their nerve connections. (Ed Reschke/Stone/Getty Images)We all wish for a longer life—at least, I know I do—but what about ensuring that we enjoy good health during the time we have?Over the past century, human life expectancy has significantly increased for several reasons, particularly advances in sanitation, public health, nutrition,...
Credit: PixabayManmade noises, like vehicle traffic, can reduce the stress-relieving effects of natural soundscapes, according to a November 27, 2024, study in PLOS ONE by Paul Lintott and Lia Gilmour.Previous research shows natural sounds, such as birdsong, lower blood pressure, heart rate, and stress. In contrast, human-made noises like traffic negatively affect health....
The almost complete skeleton of a young marine crocodile. (Ernesto Benavides/AFP)On Wednesday, paleontologists revealed the fossil of a young marine crocodile, estimated to be 10 to 12 million years old, uncovered in a Peruvian desert. The three-meter-long (nearly 10-foot) gharial, or fish-eating crocodile, was discovered in late 2023 in the Ocucaje Desert, about 350 kilometers...
Credit: PixabayAir fryers emit significantly less indoor air pollution than other cooking methods, such as pan and deep frying, according to a new study.While cooking is a major source of indoor air pollution, much of the research has focused on air fryers' energy efficiency, leaving their environmental benefits less explored. Since most people spend...
Credit: PixabayKristian Riesbeck, a professor of clinical bacteriology at Lund University, was approached by Ukrainian microbiologist Oleksandr Nazarchuk for help in assessing antibiotic resistance in bacteria from severely injured, infected war patients. Using samples from 141 individuals, including 133 adults and 8 newborns with pneumonia, the study revealed widespread resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Alarmingly,...
Credit: PixabayJupiter’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...
