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.
Imagine an organism that has no biological constraints and can thus maximize all aspects of its fitness simultaneously. Any deviation from this perfect form will result in an “imperfect” and less fit organism under certain environments. The perfect organism, “Darwin’s Demon”, would eventually outcompete any actual, “imperfect” organism that is constrained during evolution. The ubiquity … Read more
In 2018, vast amounts of snow were spread across most of the Arctic region and did not melt fully until late summer, if at all. Publishing on October 15 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, researchers documented the consequences of this extreme weather event at Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland by extensively monitoring all components of the local … Read more
GPS tracking data reveals that the foraging activity of the European nightjar more than doubles during moon-lit nights, and the birds then migrate simultaneously about 10 days after the full moon, according to a study published October 15 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Gabriel Norevik and Anders Hedenström of Lund University in Sweden, and colleagues. … Read more
A harpsichord concert has the power of transporting you to a dream dimension. During a conference dinner in Brazil in 2014, right before playing, the harpsichordist lectured us on “the music of the spheres.” This ancient Greek theory proposes a relationship between planet orbits and musical harmony. Art and philosophy, in harmony, made my mind … Read more
Corticosteroid injections used to treat osteoarthritis pain in the hip and knee may be more dangerous than previously thought, according to a special report published in the journal Radiology. Researchers suggested that injection-associated risks like rapid progressive osteoarthritis, which eventually may lead to joint collapse, should be integrated into consent forms so that patients are aware … Read more
Monitoring systems for safer driving, moving holograms on your phone and super-fast, light-based WiFi are a step closer thanks to $34.9 million in Australian Government funding made to The Australian National University (ANU). Announced by Minister for Education the Hon Dan Tehan MP, the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems … Read more
Reproduction and migration are the two most demanding tasks in a bird’s life, and the vast majority of species separate them into different times of the year. Only two bird species have been shown to undertake what scientists call “itinerant breeding”: nesting in one area, migrating to another region, and nesting again there within the … Read more
Without fat, nothing works in the body: These substances serve as energy suppliers and important building blocks – including for the envelopes of living cells. Numerous diseases are related to disorders in the fat metabolism, such as obesity or cancer. Researchers from the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn are now demonstrating how the … Read more
Scientists have uncovered a root cause of the growth of needle-like structures – known as dendrites and whiskers – that plague lithium batteries, sometimes causing a short circuit, failure, or even a fire. The team, led by Chongmin Wang at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has shown that the presence of certain … Read more
New research from North Carolina State University shows that unique materials with distinct properties akin to those of gecko feet – the ability to stick to just about any surface – can be created by harnessing liquid-driven chaos to produce soft polymer microparticles with hierarchical branching on the micro- and nanoscale. The findings, described in … Read more