Science & Technology
Trait lets snakes chow down on toxic newts
U. VIRGINIA (US) — Six snake species on three continents have developed a similar trait to resist the poison of their highly toxic prey. Continue…
Monday, May 14, 2012 12:25 - 0 Comments
Science & Technology - May 14, 2012 11:41 - 0 Comments
Smartphones in tow, robots take a swim
UC BERKELEY (US) — Researchers recently launched a fleet of 100 smartphone-equipped robots into California’s Sacramento River to get an unprecedented look at how water flows. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 11, 2012 17:07 - 0 Comments
Faults at rest yield earthquake clues
CALTECH (US) — A new computer model reveals the physics of faults—both during earthquakes and at times of “rest”—to better predict future seismic activity. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 10, 2012 16:48 - 0 Comments
Brainless brittle stars move (sort of) like us
BROWN (US) — Even without a brain, the thick-spined brittle star moves in fundamentally the same way we do. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 10, 2012 14:51 - 0 Comments
Dunes on the move reveal Mars in flux
CALTECH/JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — New technology has allowed scientists to take the first measurements of sand dunes and ripples moving across the surface of Mars. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 10, 2012 12:38 - 2 Comments
Birds evolve faster with feather variety
U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — Having a variety of plumage types within a population allows birds to evolve into new species more quickly than if all the birds look alike. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 9, 2012 14:40 - 0 Comments
Quantum dots shine brighter with acid
VANDERBILT (US) — Researchers have successfully boosted the fluorescent efficiency of white-light quantum dots from an original level of three percent to as high as 45 percent. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 8, 2012 15:59 - 0 Comments
Bird robot sticks landing to perch on palm
U. ILLINOIS (US) — Researchers have duplicated the control functions that let birds successfully perform a soft landing—in this case, perching on a human hand. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 8, 2012 12:12 - 0 Comments
Could bacteria build better computers?
U. LEEDS (UK) — Bacteria that make magnets and wires may someday help build environmentally friendly computers with larger hard drives and faster connections. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 8, 2012 9:53 - 0 Comments
Touch tech makes almost any object ‘smart’
CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Scientists have developed new technology that could eventually make a doorknob that knows whether to lock or unlock, admit a guest, or leave a message. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 7, 2012 15:35 - 4 Comments
With foursquare, ‘Livehoods’ redraw city limits
CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — The millions of “check-ins” generated by foursquare, the location-based social network, allow researchers to create a dynamic view of a city’s workings and character. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 7, 2012 10:44 - 0 Comments
‘Bling’ could give data storage a big boost
JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Engineers have uncovered new electrical properties of a material used in computer memory by applying pressure with diamond-tipped tools. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 7, 2012 10:12 - 0 Comments
Mastodons, humans were Florida neighbors
U. FLORIDA (US) — During the last ice age 13,000 years ago, modern humans in North America lived alongside large, now extinct mammals, including mammoths, mastodons, and giant sloths. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 4, 2012 13:23 - 0 Comments
Bug snags mate with antenna hooks
MCGILL/ U. TORONTO (CAN) — To understand the evolution of sex differences, researchers have recreated the development of the barbed antennae male water striders use to catch mates. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 4, 2012 10:47 - 0 Comments
Stars gobble up Earth-like exoplanets
U. WARWICK (UK) — Astrophysicists have pinpointed four white dwarfs surrounded by dust from shattered planetary bodies that once bore striking similarities to the composition of the Earth. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 4, 2012 10:00 - 0 Comments
Modest moves are sexier, say female cowbirds
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — Female cowbirds find more modest displays from males more attractive than flamboyant wing flapping and feather puffing, say researchers. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 3, 2012 13:41 - 1 Comment
Faster beasts evolve with larger eyeballs
U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — After body size, a mammal’s running speed is the most important influence on the size of its eyes. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 3, 2012 12:36 - 0 Comments
Cassava crop toxins threaten food security
MONASH (AUS) — Cassava, a staple crop of southeast Africa, contains more toxins, including cyanide, than are safe for people to eat, say researchers. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 3, 2012 11:26 - 0 Comments
Exoplanets orbit in star ‘sweet spots’
CORNELL (US) — Three Earth-like planets have been discovered orbiting within their host stars’ habitable zone—a finding that means they could be hospitable to life. (more…)
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