Category: Science

Tanks of the Triassic: New crocodile ancestor identified

Tanks of the Triassic: New crocodile ancestor identified

Dinosaurs get all the glory. But aetosaurs, a heavily armored cousin of modern crocodiles, ruled the world before dinosaurs did. These tanks of the Triassic came in a variety of shapes and sizes before going extinct around 200 million years ago. Today, their fossils are found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. …read more

Backyard insect inspires invisibility devices, next gen tech

Backyard insect inspires invisibility devices, next gen tech

Leafhoppers, a common backyard insect, secrete and coat themselves in tiny mysterious particles that could provide both the inspiration and the instructions for next-generation technology, according to a new study. In a first, the team precisely replicated the complex geometry of these particles, called brochosomes, and elucidated a better understanding of how they absorb both visible and ultraviolet light. …read more

Two artificial intelligences talk to each other

Two artificial intelligences talk to each other

Performing a new task based solely on verbal or written instructions, and then describing it to others so that they can reproduce it, is a cornerstone of human communication that still resists artificial intelligence (AI). A team has succeeded in modelling an artificial neural network capable of this cognitive prowess. After learning and performing a series of basic tasks, this AI was able to provide a linguistic description of them to a ‘sister’ AI, which in turn performed them. …read more

Holographic message encoded in simple plastic

Holographic message encoded in simple plastic

Important data can be stored and concealed quite easily in ordinary plastic using 3D printers and terahertz radiation, scientists show. Holography can be done quite easily: A 3D printer can be used to produce a panel from normal plastic in which a QR code can be stored, for example. The message is read using terahertz rays — electromagnetic radiation that is invisible to the human eye. …read more

Breathe, don’t vent: Turning down the heat is key to managing anger

Breathe, don’t vent: Turning down the heat is key to managing anger

Venting about a source of anger might feel good in the moment, but it’s not effective at reducing the rage, new research suggests. Instead, techniques often used to address stress — deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation, yoga or even counting to 10 — have been shown to be more effective at decreasing anger and aggression. …read more

Gut bacteria make neurotransmitters to shape the newborn immune system

Gut bacteria make neurotransmitters to shape the newborn immune system

Investigators discovered that unique bacteria colonize the gut shortly after birth and make the neurotransmitter serotonin to educate gut immune cells. This prevents allergic reactions to food and the bacteria themselves during early development. …read more

Shark-bitten orcas in the Northeastern Pacific could be a new population of killer whale

Shark-bitten orcas in the Northeastern Pacific could be a new population of killer whale

Researchers believe a group of killer whales observed hunting marine mammals including sperm whales, as well as a sea turtle, in the open ocean off California and Oregon could be a new population. Based on available evidence, the researchers posit that the 49 orcas could belong to a subpopulation of transient killer whales or a unique oceanic population found in waters off the coast of California and Oregon. …read more

How the brain translates motivation into goal-oriented behavior, according to new study

How the brain translates motivation into goal-oriented behavior, according to new study

Hunger can drive a motivational state that leads an animal to a successful pursuit of a goal — foraging for and finding food. In a highly novel study, researchers describe how two major neuronal subpopulations in a part of the brain’s thalamus called the paraventricular nucleus participate in the dynamic regulation of goal pursuits. This research provides insight into the mechanisms by which the brain tracks motivational states to shape instrumental actions. …read more

Breakthrough could make automated dosing systems universal

Breakthrough could make automated dosing systems universal

Automated insulin dosing systems combine low-cost blood-glucose monitors with insulin pumps that use precision dosing to continuously regulate blood-sugar and hold it steady. Synthetic biologists have found a way to piggyback on the technology and make it universally applicable for the precision dosing of virtually any drug. …read more

Groundbreaking study reveals extensive leatherback turtle activity along U.S. coastline

Groundbreaking study reveals extensive leatherback turtle activity along U.S. coastline

A new study provides groundbreaking findings that offer insights on the migration and foraging patterns of leatherback sea turtles along the Northwest Atlantic shelf. …read more