Is it better to be smooth or to be scaly? For fossil plesiosaurs around 183 million years ago, the answer was a bit of both. Scrutinizing some of the first soft tissues from a fossil plesiosaur in a study in Current Biology, a team of researchers has revealed that these massive marine reptiles sported both smooth and scaly skin, potentially suited to swimming as well as to skimming or “bottom-walking” over the seafloor.“Fossilized soft tissue, such as skin and internal organs, is exception ...read more

A team of European Space Agency (ESA) scientists detected an Einstein Ring, in which light from one galaxy is sucked into the gravity of another, then encircles it. The team reported the finding in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.The phenomenon is named after Albert Einstein, because his general theory of relativity predicts that light will bend around objects in space, focusing the light like a massive lens. The larger the object, the bigger the gravitational lensing effect appears. If ...read more

The second full moon of the year will appear on February 12, 2025, just before Valentine’s Day, and is called the snow moon. The snow moon doesn’t always appear in February, and it's constellation isn't always the same. Find out what constellation the snow moon will be in for 2025, and why February sometimes has a black moon.When to See the Snow MoonViewing the snow moon depends on your location, but it should be visible on the evening of February 12, depending on the weather. For optimal ni ...read more

These days, there’s a way to track nearly every aspect of fitness and health. You can track your calories, your sleep, your heart rate and the number of steps you take every day. You can track the number of miles you’ve run, biked or hiked. Often, tracking products advertise health benefits. Ads for fitness-tracking watches like Garmin and Fitbit urge users to “tune into your body,” “unlock human performance,” and “find your energy.” The basic idea is that knowing more about our ...read more

Science journalist Maria Smilios was editing a book on orphan lung diseases when one line caught her attention. In a chapter about a rare lung disease, the author commented that perhaps a cure could be discovered as quickly as the cure for tuberculosis was found at Sea View Hospital on Staten Island in the 1950s. Smilios began researching and learned how the first clinical trial for a lifesaving antibiotic happened at Sea View under the watchful supervision of experienced nurses — all of them ...read more

NASA intends to take an unprecedented 3D observation of the sun this month. In doing so, the agency hopes to understand why its outer atmosphere — the corona — is hotter than its surface, how does the solar wind work, and how the corona transforms into solar wind. As a bonus, the mission will take 3D pictures of a solar eclipse, from space.Learning More About the Sun's SurfaceThe system that will make these things possible is made up of four small satellites that will work together to create ...read more

Some baleen whales, or whales that have plates in their mouths to help sieve out plankton, sing low-frequency songs to not only attract potential mates but also keep them safe from killer whale attacks. According to new research published in Marine Mammal Science by the University of Washington (UW), these low-frequency songs are part of a baleen whale’s fight-or-flight response. Whales in Fight or FlightBaleen whales are often more solitary, as compared to orcas, and include species like hum ...read more

Air traffic controllers now have something new to worry about: space junk. A report warns the risk of parts left over from a launch rocket or other debris plummeting into global flight paths is now 26 percent a year, according to a report in the journal Nature.While the chance of debris hitting an aircraft is low, its presence in flight paths could still pose a big enough risk that routes will need to be altered — inconveniencing passengers. Such disruptions are not unheard of. In 2022, a 20-t ...read more

Once again, the microbiome proves to be a key player in human health. The diverse microbial community we inherit at birth serves multiple functions, from aiding digestion and nutrient production to training our immune system and even influencing brain chemistry. A recent study, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, builds on the exploration of the gut-brain connection by linking anxiety regulation to microbial metabolites.Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Neuroscience Ins ...read more

Every winter, public health departments report a rise in illnesses. Most of these infections are expected during the colder months, and the data features the usual lineup of suspects — acute bronchitis, influenza, pneumonia, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).This year has also seen a surge in norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug. Starting November 2024, the percentage of positive tests for norovirus began to increase, which is to be expected in the colder months when people begin to ...read more