Hockey players reach their peak performance by age 29, according to a new mathematical analysis. The study used regular-season NHL records from 1997 to 2012 and compared player age with points scored per game. The authors estimate scoring peak age is slightly earlier by about a year for forwards (between 27 and 28) than […]
Category: Paper of Interest
Why don’t octopuses tie themselves up in knots?
New research indicates that octopus skin exudes a chemical substance that repels its own suckers. Octopus arms – which remain alive for up to an hour after amputation – do not grab octopus skin or objects covered in octopus skin, although they will grab skinned octopus parts. This suggests a chemical repulsion, though the researchers […]
Researchers create artificial shark skin
A new ultra-realistic 3D model of shark skin could help humans mimic its speed-boosting properties. Researchers used micro-CT scanners to create a detailed computer model of the skin of a mako shark – which is covered in tooth-like scales called denticles – and then printed their own version using a 3D printer. Experiments showed that the […]
Blood test predicts premature birth
Researchers have created a new blood test that helps predict whether a pregnant woman is likely to go into labour prematurely. Currently, many of the women admitted to hospital with signs of premature labour do not end up giving birth within ten days. The new test examines blood for signs of the expression of certain genes, […]
Warblers limited by winds during migration
A new study shows that survival and productivity of the yellow warbler depends most strongly the weather conditions during migration, rather that those in its breeding or wintering grounds. Researchers banded and monitored 380 of the tiny songbirds, which which breed in western Canada and overwinter in Mexico and Central America, over seven breeding seasons. […]
Groundwater depletion in California may move mountains
Removal of groundwater in California’s San Joaquin valley may be causing small seismic events, according to a new paper. Researchers used GPS measurements to show that land surrounding the valley is rising by between 1 and 3 mm per year, in response to draining of the underlying aquifer. The pattern is correlated with wet and […]
⚑ Glowing mice track nanoparticle exposure
Researchers have come up with a quick, non-invasive way to measure nanoparticle exposure: examine the skin. Previous work with gold nanoparticles and quantum dots made of various metals has shown that these nanoparticles accumulate primarily in the liver or the spleen, but they show up in the skin too; in high enough doses, they can […]
Best picture of an exoplanet ever obtained
Astronomers have taken the best direct picture yet of an exoplanet, Beta Pictoris b, using the the Gemini Planet Imager, a high-resolution camera installed on the Gemini South telescope in Chile. Beta Pictoris b is a Jupiter-like exoplanet located 63.4 light years from us, that orbits around its star at a distance slightly less than […]
Pregnancy increases risk of serious traffic crashes
A new study of 507 262 women who gave birth in Ontario between 2006 and 2011 indicates that pregnant women are at greater risk of being involved in a car accident. During the 3 years before pregnancy, the group averaged 177 crashes per month, but during the second trimester of pregnancy, this rose to 252 […]
Why climate change is drying out Australia while Antarctica resists the warming trend
By developing a 1,000-year history of wind currents over the Southern Ocean, an Australian-led research has discovered the answers to two climate change-related mysteries. Firstly, why southern Australia is drying out, and secondly, why Antarctica isn’t warming as much as the rest of the planet. Their work shows that the winds encircling Antarctica have sped […]
Cell aging theory turned upside down
A new study shows that raising the level of free radicals in the nematode worm C. elegans actually increases its lifespan, contrary to popular belief. Free radicals are the reactive molecules that sometimes damage DNA and the ones that antioxidants are supposed to fight against – could in some cases help us live longer. The authors show […]
DNA sensor shines light on cancer
Researchers have created a DNA-based sensor capable of lighting up when it gets near cancer cells. The nano-sized construct alters its shape in response to tiny changes in pH; these contortions bring together two molecules which react to give off a light signal. Because cancer cells are often at a slightly different pH than non-cancerous […]
How a harmless alga became a lethal parasite
A new genomics study shows how a free-living, photosynthetic alga – that is, a type of green pond scum – evolved into an insect parasite that kills juvenile blackflies, caterpillars, beetles and mosquitoes. The sequenced genome of Helicosporidium shows that it kept nearly all its genes except those required for photosynthesis when it made the […]
New DNA barcoding method speeds up species identification
A new DNA barcoding method will save money and time for researchers who wants to assess biodiversity in an ecosystem. The new method allowed researchers to correctly identify 92% of the 1,066 insects and spiders in a single analysis. They also were able to detect microbes associated with the insects and spiders. Previous […]
Will a deadly fungus wipe out frogs in your area?
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a fungus that causes a deadly skin disease in frogs and other amphibians, and is one of the factors contributing to the global decline of amphibians. A new mathematical model shows that the reproduction quotient – that is, the average number of new spores produced by an initial spore over its lifetime […]
New nanoparticles provide superior pollution prevention
Removing toxic carbon monoxide (CO) from car exhaust and other pollution sources could soon be cheaper and more efficient, thanks to a new type of nanoparticle catalyst. Catalytic converters that turn CO into benign CO2 rely on expensive metals like platinum to speed up the chemical reaction. The new nanoparticles combine platinum with cheaper iron […]