September 22: Pesto manages to make an average-sized king penguin look small Bronwyn Thompson/New AtlasA new viral sensation is taking the spotlight: Pesto, a nine-month-old king penguin chick, whose unusually large size has made him a global star. Hatched from an avocado-sized egg on January 30, 2024, at Sea Life Melbourne, Australia, Pesto now weighs...
Credit: PixabayHave you ever found yourself caught in a flurry of water droplets as a wet dog shook to dry off? Well, it’s not a choice. Scientists have discovered the mechanism that drives dogs—and many other furry mammals—to shake off water with intense vigor. This behavior is involuntary and has fascinating genetic roots.Discovering the...
Image from pixabayAccording to a recent study, human sperm use their slender tails to navigate through thick fluids, appearing to defy Newton's third law of motion. This research also examines the movement patterns of these sex cells alongside single-celled algae.Exploring Non-Reciprocal Interactions in Microscopic SwimmersKenta Ishimoto, a mathematical scientist at Kyoto University, and his...
Credit: PixabayThe Origins of KissingMost of us kiss at some point, whether romantically, with family, friends, or formally. However, the origin of this behavior and how it emerged among humans remain subjects of intense debate among historians and anthropologists. A new theory suggests that the evolutionary loss of body hair could be at the...
Fluorescent microscope image of the animal cells with embedded chloroplasts (magenta)R. Aoki, Y. Inui, Y. Okabe et al. 2024/ Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series BHybrid Plant-Animal Cells Developed in JapanScientists in Japan have developed hybrid plant-animal cells, allowing animal cells to harness energy from sunlight like plants. This innovation could bring significant benefits...
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...
Mice and rats could use ultrasonic pulses to boost their sense of smell. Credit: PixabayRodents communicate in sounds too high-pitched for human hearing, but scientists have discovered these vocalizations may serve another function—enhancing their sense of smell.The high-pitched squeaks of cartoon mice aren't too far from reality. For decades, scientists have documented rodents using...
Credit: PixabayA groundbreaking study has identified, for the first time, the genes that enable plants to thrive in stressful conditions, offering potential solutions for creating more sustainable food crops amid global climate change.A study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) has uncovered the genes that allow plants to produce a novel anti-stress...
A scanning electron microscope image of a cell sitting atop the nanopillarsAli SarikhaniResearchers have discovered a way to pierce the nucleus of a cell without damaging the rest of its structure, similar to puncturing the yolk of an egg without breaking the white or the shell. This breakthrough could have significant implications for medical...
Credit: PixabayA study released on Wednesday found that playing a monotonous sound enhances the activity of a fungus that supports plant growth, suggesting that music could potentially benefit crops and gardens.The question of whether playing Mozart could enhance plant growth has been debated for a long time. The US TV show "MythBusters" even tested...
