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.
Building conventional robots typically requires carefully combining components like motors, batteries, actuators, body segments, legs and wheels. Now, researchers have taken a new approach, building a robot entirely from smaller robots known as “smarticles” to unlock the principles of a potentially new locomotion technique. The 3D-printed smarticles – short for smart active particles – can … Read more
Wilderness areas, long known for intrinsic conservation value, are far more valuable for biodiversity than previously believed, and cut extinction risk in half for the species they host, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. Wilderness areas – where human impact has been absent or minimal – are dwindling. The latest maps … Read more
Thick, impenetrable ice slabs are expanding rapidly on the interior of Greenland’s ice sheet, where the ice is normally porous and able to reabsorb meltwater. These slabs are instead sending meltwater spilling into the ocean, according to a new CIRES-led assessment, threatening to increase the country’s contribution to sea level rise by as much as … Read more
A UCLA-led study has found that using three-dimensional virtual reality models to prepare for kidney tumor surgeries resulted in substantial improvements, including shorter operating times, less blood loss during surgery and a shorter stay in the hospital afterward. Previous studies involving 3D models have largely asked qualitative questions, such as whether the models gave the … Read more
Sea urchins have five teeth, each held by a separate jaw in a circular arrangement at the center of their spiked, spherical bodies. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Matter on September 18 have discovered how the teeth of the pink sea urchin are specially equipped to sharpen themselves. Rather than simply resisting wear, their teeth are … Read more
The Penguin Genome Consortium sequences all living penguin species genomes to understand the evolution of life on the ice Published today in the open-access journal GigaScience is an article that presents the first effort to capture the entirety of the genomic landscape of all living penguin species. The Penguin Genome Consortium – bringing together researchers from China, … Read more
A new study has estimated for the first time how the eruption of Mount Tambora changed the probability of the cold and wet European ‘year without a summer’ of 1816. It found that the observed cold conditions were almost impossible without the eruption, and the wet conditions would have been less likely. 1816 recorded exceptionally … Read more
The study, published today in the journal PLoS One, found this approach to kindergarten curriculum also enhanced children’s joy in learning and teachers’ enjoyment of teaching, and reduced bullying, peer ostracism, and teacher burnout. “Before children have the ability to sit for long periods absorbing information the way it is traditionally presented in school through lectures, … Read more
In a kaleidoscope, mirrors are placed at angles to create a visual illusion of multiple, symmetric images from one original object. The number of symmetric axes in the kaleidoscope depends on the number of mirrors and angles inside. Drawing inspiration from this multiple-axis symmetry, researchers have discovered a new method for creating mirror-symmetric axes in … Read more
We usually think of a species as being reproductively isolated – that is, not mating with other species in the wild. Occasionally, however, closely related species do interbreed. New research just published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances documents the existence of a previously undiscovered hybrid zone along the coast of northern California and southern Oregon, where two … Read more