A new discovery beat the record for the oldest preserved protein by over 100 million years. Researchers used a new technique to examine a 195 million-year-old bone of a Lufengosaurus dinosaur without risking contamination. Their analysis showed traces of preserved collagen in parts of the bone where blood would pass through. Typically, soft tissue in […]
Category: Paper of Interest
Brain-computer interface allows locked-in patients to communicate
Imagine being completely paralyzed, but still have the capacity to think and feel without the ability to communicate your thoughts to others. This is what patients experience in what’s called the complete locked-in state, a state in which actions are limited to, at most, eye movements or blinks. It’s these movements that researchers have used to […]
Newly found remnants of an ancient continent of Mauritia
Three billion-year-old minerals found under Mauritius suggest that the island was once part of a lost continent. Zircon crystals ranging from two-and-a-half to three billion years of age were found in lava brought up to the surface of Mauritius by volcanic eruptions. These minerals are part of a growing body of evidence that suggests that […]
Why Salmonella wants its host to stay hungry
The loss of appetite is a common symptom of a bacterial infection, where the spread of the pathogen suppresses the host’s desire to eat, along with other detrimental effects to the host’s health. But a recent study found that a type of Salmonella pathogen, Salmonella Typhimurium, has evolved to become less dangerous to its host […]
Distant relative of the iguana found in Montana
The geographical origin of Pleurodonta, one of the two subdivisions of the Iguania suborder, has been unclear for many years. The oldest representative of the prehistoric iguanas was thought to come from Brazil; but a recent analysis removed it from the iguana’s evolutionary tree altogether. Two skeletons of giant herbivorous lizards found in Montana, US, […]
Here’s why you can’t break an egg by squeezing it
Uncooked chicken eggs break easily if dropped or knocked against a hard surface; but if you try to break one by squeezing it between your palms, you’ll soon find yourself out of luck. Researchers were curious to find out what it is about the avian egg’s shape and the structure of the shell that allows […]
Baby vital signs monitors show little benefit for parents and infants
In the era of the Quantified Self, it comes as no surprise that, along with step-counters and heart-rate monitors for adults, electronic sensors for infants are marketed as a useful child care aid to parents. But a recent analysis of several types of consumer-use baby monitors concluded these electronics show little benefit and may even […]
Ants are excellent navigators – even when travelling sideways or backwards
Ants know exactly where they came from, even if they travelled there by somewhat untraditional (for humans, anyway) means, like crawling backward or sideways. A new study found that ants can tell the difference between the direction their body is facing and the direction of travel. These findings challenge the notion that insects operate solely […]
The mechanism behind Namibian “fairy circles”
Self-organization of plants or fungi into distinct geometric patterns, such as “fairy circles”, has been fascinating to scientists. One such example in the Namib Desert consists of patches of bare sand from one to 25 meters in diameter, surrounded by desert shrubs and tall grasses. The mechanism behind its pattern has been disputed for a […]
Stingless bees are more vulnerable to pesticides than honeybees
Some chemicals used in agriculture can be a threat to key pollinators like bees, which can put entire plant species at risk of extinction. A new study tested the effect of insecticides, fungicides and their various combinations on two bee species: the Africanized honeybee and the stingless bee. Results showed that the stingless bees are […]
Calorie restricted diets help monkeys live longer
A few years ago, two research teams set out to answer the same question: how does a low-calorie diet affect rhesus monkeys’ health and survival? Researchers initially arrived at slightly different answers; however, after a recent collaboration and re-evaluation of pooled data from the two studies, they can say with certainty: when it comes to […]
Marine protected areas need expansion to prevent shark, ray and chimera extinction 
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are established all over the world to help preserve imperiled species. But the process of identifying these areas doesn’t always prioritize species most at risk of extinction. A new study focuses specifically on the endangered chondrichthyans (such as sharks, rays and chimeras) and their representation in the existing MPA network. Results […]
Newly discovered groups of dwarf galaxies can help scientists understand galactic growth
Galaxies are thought to form by the process of several smaller galaxies merging together. Now, scientists might be able to observe the process firsthand, after a recent discovery of seven groups of dwarf galaxies in the dark skies. The researchers used the largest optical survey of the night sky, as well as four different telescopes, to identify […]
Effects of climate change on the inhabitants of Borneo’s tropical rainforests
As global temperatures rise, unique ecosystems within tropical rainforests need to adapt to the changes. A new study looked at several species’ activity at each hour at each location on the landscape and projected how the spatio-temporal habits might change in a warmer environment. Results predicted a negligible effect on large animals; but smaller animals, […]
A third of Canadian adults recently diagnosed with asthma don’t have it
Asthma is often diagnosed purely on the patient’s self-reported symptoms and the physician’s observations, a recent study found. But 33% of adults recently diagnosed with the respiratory disease didn’t actually have active asthma, and over 90% of these patients were able to stop taking medication and remain safely off it for a year. The study […]
The real reason why female killer whales go through menopause
Killer whales are one of only three species to survive long past their reproductive years. It was thought that the main reason for menopause in female whales was family collaboration, since older females play a crucial role in helping find food for the younger family members. But a new study shows that older females’ calves […]
