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.
Between walking at a leisurely pace and running for your life, human gaits can cover a wide range of speeds. Typically, we choose the gait that allows us to consume the least amount of energy at a given speed. For example, at low speeds, the metabolic rate of walking is lower than that of running … Read more
Researchers have discovered that the numbers of plant species recorded by botanists have increased in locations where the climate has changed most rapidly, and especially in relatively cold parts of the world. Human activity has been responsible for substantial declines in biodiversity at the global level, to such an extent that there are calls to … Read more
Energy use in buildings – from heating and cooling your home to keeping the lights on in the office – is responsible for over one-third of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States. Slashing building CO2 emissions 80% by 2050 would therefore contribute significantly to combatting climate change. A new model developed by … Read more
Ice sheets which cover about 10 percent of our Earth’s land surface at present, were thought 20 years ago to be frozen wastelands, devoid of life and with supressed chemical weathering – irrelevant parts of the carbon cycle. Now a world-leading international team, led by Professor Jemma Wadham from the University of Bristol’ School of … Read more
Pores at the surface of neurons and muscle cells control your every thought, movement; the very beating of your heart. The way the pores behave – that is open, close, or lock for a short time (inactivate) depending on voltage – shapes signals in the form of ions moving across the cell surface. For the first … Read more
It seems the days are gone when just tossing a smart watch on your wrist makes you look cool. The wearable biotech industry has recently revealed its insatiable hunger for futuristic items. Pain relief goggles that monitor brain waves, vital sign monitoring stickers, and even mind reading glasses. They are just few of the latest … Read more
Eumelanin – a natural pigment found for instance in human eyes – has, for the first time, been identified in the fossilized compound eyes of 54-million-year-old crane-flies. It was previously assumed that melanic screening pigments did not exist in arthropods. “We were surprised by what we found because we were not looking for, or expecting … Read more
For around 30 years scientists have known of continent sized regions in the Earth’s interior nearly 3000 km below the surface. These regions have been the subject of extensive research and many ideas have been put forward to explain what they are, with some people even thinking that they may have existed the Earth formed … Read more
Soft robots have a distinct advantage over their rigid forebears: they can adapt to complex environments, handle fragile objects and interact safely with humans. Made from silicone, rubber or other stretchable polymers, they are ideal for use in rehabilitation exoskeletons and robotic clothing. Soft bio-inspired robots could one day be deployed to explore remote or … Read more
A new study, published in Nature, reveals that the ancestors of mammals benefitted in the evolutionary race owing to their ability to adapt their metabolism beyond the constraints imposed by body temperature. They were able to colonise colder environments or high latitudes, allowing them to thrive when the Earth’s climate cooled. The basal metabolic rate … Read more