Nineteen-year-old U.S. Army Pvt. David Lewis set out from Fort Dix on a 50-mile hike with his unit on Feb. 5, 1976. On that bitter cold day, he collapsed and died. Autopsy specimens unexpectedly tested positive for an H1N1 swine influenza virus.Virus disease surveillance at Fort Dix found another 13 cases among recruits who had been hospitalized for respiratory illness. Additional serum antibody testing revealed that over 200 recruits had been infected but not hospitalized with the novel swine H ...read more

Paleontologists have long debated whether pterosaurs could fly. An analysis of fossils from two separate species of the ancient, winged dinosaur relatives suggest that not only did they fly, but also at least one species likely glided on air currents while another probably flapped its wings, according to a report in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Researchers determined these different abilities by using CT scans to analyze the fossilized bones. Scanning the humerus of Arambourgiania phi ...read more

Keeping people healthy also means keeping our environment free of pollutants and limiting our exposure to disease-causing microbes. Here we highlight projects that need your help researching and improving human and environmental health. Try one or all of them this month, as we commemorate Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, Pollution Prevention Week (Sept. 15th-21st), World Water Monitoring Day (September 18th) and National Eye Health Week (September 23rd-29th).The eyes have itHelp neuroscientists fi ...read more

Our Sun drives a constant outward flow of plasma, or ionized gas, called the solar wind, which envelops our solar system. Outside of Earth’s protective magnetosphere, the fastest solar wind rushes by at speeds of over 310 miles (500 kilometers) per second. But researchers haven’t been able to figure out how the wind gets enough energy to achieve that speed – until now.Our team of helio physicists published a paper in August 2024 that points to a new source of energy propelling the solar wi ...read more

What if we could see through skin? Scientists have managed to do just that, by mixing a common yellow dye with water and applying it on living mice. They used the technique to peer through the skin on mouse skulls and abdomens, according to a report in Science.The technique has potentially profound implications for medical imaging because it could provide less costly and more effective ways for doctors to see what’s going on in human tissue. The technique, while promising, has not yet been app ...read more

Automating food is unlike automating anything else. Food is fundamental to life – nourishing body and soul – so how it’s accessed, prepared and consumed can change societies fundamentally.Automated kitchens aren’t sci-fi visions from “The Jetsons” or “Star Trek.” The technology is real and global. Right now, robots are used to flip burgers, fry chicken, create pizzas, make sushi, prepare salads, serve ramen, bake bread, mix cocktails and much more. AI can invent recipes based on ...read more

Many people have seen dogs fetch, but cats like to get into the game too. Despite their very different hunting and play styles, fetching appears to combine elements of predatory and social behavior for both species.Although their domestication histories and natural behaviors are very different, cats and dogs share many similarities. Both species are predators, live closely with humans and are capable of enjoying rich social experiences with us.In our newly published study, we found that more tha ...read more

Collagen is the most abundant protein in animals. It is also one of the most enduring. Over the past few decades, paleontologists have found it in dinosaur fossils tens of millions of years old. Its persistence is perplexing, because the protein contains chemical bonds, that, on paper, should only last 500 years. So why does this stuff last so long? Chemists provide an answer to that mystery in an ACS Central Science report. The Strength of CollagenThe answer starts with collagen’s structure. ...read more

If you've ever seen a puffin, with its striking black-and-white feathers and vivid orange beak, you might have wondered: Are puffins penguins? The short answer is no, but the reasons why are as intriguing as these birds themselves. Puffins are unique creatures with their own fascinating characteristics. Here, we’ll explore what puffins are, where they live, how they hunt and fly, and why they are increasingly vulnerable to environmental threats — all while clearing up the puffin-penguin conf ...read more

On July 20, 1969, humanity achieved what was once thought impossible: landing on the Moon. The Apollo 11 mission, followed by five more successful Moon landings, marked a golden era of space exploration. However, after the last mission, Apollo 17 in 1972, humans haven’t set foot on the lunar surface again. It’s been more than 50 years, so why haven’t we returned to the Moon? The answer is complicated, involving politics, economics, and evolving priorities in space exploration.The End of th ...read more