Individual microbes of the same species often have a lot of different genes. But why? (Image: NIAID)
Prochlorococcus marinus are diminutive organisms. At less than a micrometer across, these photosynthesizing microbes may be small, but they’re plentiful – by many accounts one of the most abundant species on the planet.
But that’s not quite the full story: like any other member of the same species, no two P. marinus individuals are genetically identical. What’s remarkabl ...read more
A reconstruction of the face of Daspletosaurus horneri, based on bone textures, reveals a host of details. (Illustration courtesy of Dino Pulerà)
The eyes may be the window to the soul, but for paleontologists, reconstructing a dinosaur face opens doors into how it may have perceived and interacted with its environment — as well as some features it shared with distant evolutionary kin.
Researchers report being able to put a face to the name of 75-million-year-old Daspletosauru ...read more
(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Running a 26.2-mile marathon puts your body through hell. Even with the proper training, marathoners stagger across the finish line with ravaged joints and shredded muscles — not to mention chafing in embarrassing places.
A recent study looked at the kidneys of marathon runners before and shortly after they finished a run and found evidence consistent with acute kidney injuries. The drastic steps our bodies take to keep our legs moving over dist ...read more
Who really benefits from citizen science? How can citizen science support STEM education? How do we bring citizen science to new audiences? How can we leverage new technologies to expand student participation in citizen science projects?
Attendees explore tools together.
These were some of the questions we set out to discuss at the Citizen Science Meet-up at SXSWedu. SXSWedu is an annual conference that attracts thought-leaders from the worlds of education, technology, policy, and the med ...read more
The EVATAR system. Each cube represents a different organ, and the blue fluid stands in for blood. (Credit: Northwestern University)
A collection of human cell-lined boxes successfully reproduced the female menstrual cycle, marking another step forward for so-called “organs-on-a-chip.”
Researchers at Northwestern Medicine have re-created the organs of the female reproductive system in an artificial environment and linked them together. By pumping a blood-like medium through their s ...read more
Looking into a large paleoburrow in Brazil. (Courtesy: Heinrich Frank)
It was in 2010 that Amilcar Adamy first investigated rumors of an impressive cave in southern Brazil.
A geologist with the Brazilian Geological Survey (known by its Portuguese acronym, CPRM) Adamy was at the time working on a general survey of the Amazonian state of Rondonia. After asking around, he eventually found his way to a gaping hole on a wooded slope a few miles north of the Bolivian border.
Unable to contact the la ...read more
Newly hatched caterpillars look helpless: they’re teensy, soft and juicy, with no parent around for protection. But certain young insects, the masked birch caterpillars, are more capable than they seem. They gather in groups to keep themselves safe. To form those groups, they use a previously undiscovered language of buzzes, vibrations, head banging and butt scraping.
The species, Drepana arcuata, passes through five caterpillar life stages (called instars) on its way to becomi ...read more
Guest post by Earlene Mulyawan
Winter season is when comfort food seems to take priority over fresh produce. But eating local during winter season is easy! There are plenty of produce that are rich in nutrients and flavor during this time of the year. Winter produce can also be just as tasty and nutritious with some creativity and a little twist. Read on to learn about how these three winter vegetables.
Photo Credit: Nourish Evolution
Beets are round, little balls of vegetables that grow under ...read more
