SciGlow | All Science News In One Place
SciGlow is a newsletter of science stories from the major research labs. Headlines link to in-depth articles and editorials. SciGlow keeps scientists and others up-to-date on current research.
By combining two powerful technologies, scientists are taking diabetes research to a whole new level. In a study led by Harvard University’s Kevin Kit Parker, microfluidics and human, insulin-producing beta cells have been integrated in an “Islet-on-a-Chip”. The new device makes it easier for scientists to screen insulin-producing cells before transplanting them into a patient, test … Read more
A newly published series of dates of grape harvest covering the past 664 years is the latest line of evidence confirming how unusual the climate of the past 30 years has been. The record shows wine grapes in Burgundy, eastern France, have been picked 13 days earlier on average since 1988 than they were in … Read more
The first documented discovery of “extreme corals” in mangrove lagoons around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is yielding important information about how corals deal with environmental stress, scientists say. Thirty four species of coral were found to be regularly exposed to extreme low pH, low oxygen and highly variable temperature conditions making two mangrove lagoons on … Read more
The oldest stars in our Galaxy are also the busiest, moving more rapidly than their younger counterparts in and out of the disk of the Milky Way, according to new analysis carried out at the University of Birmingham. The findings provide fresh insights into the history of our Galaxy and increase our understanding of how … Read more
Plant genetic varieties in Central Europe could collapse due to temperature extremes and drought brought on by climate change. According to a new paper published in Nature today, only a few individuals of a species have already adapted to extreme climate conditions. These findings suggest that the overall species genetic diversity could be greatly diminished. … Read more
Cleveland Museum of Natural History Curator and Case Western Reserve University Adjunct Professor Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie and his team of researchers have discovered a “remarkably complete” cranium of a 3.8-million-year-old early human ancestor from the Woranso-Mille paleontological site, located in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Working for the past 15 years at the site, the … Read more
The cerebral cortex acts as the control centre of our cognitive processes. During embryogenesis, dozens of types of neurons with distinct functions come together to form the circuits that drive our thoughts and actions. These neurons are generated by progenitor cells, which produce them one after the other in a very precise order. While neuroscience … Read more
A new study argues that Saturn’s interior flows like honey due to its magnetic field, which may help solve the mystery of why the planet’s powerful winds stop 8,500km inside the giant gas planet. Unlike Earth, Saturn has no solid surface; it is a gaseous planet, consisting mostly of hydrogen and helium that move around … Read more
One-third of NSW and Victorian government school students have experienced racial discrimination from their peers, and close to one-third have experienced racial discrimination from wider society, a major new survey has found. The survey also shows six-in-10 students reported witnessing racism. The Speak Out Against Racism (SOAR) survey collected population representative data from more than … Read more
The perceived speed of a surface moving across the skin depends on texture, with some textures fooling us into thinking that an object is moving faster than it is, according to a study published August 27 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Sliman Bensmaia of the University of Chicago, and colleagues. The researchers explore the basis … Read more