Gasoline fuels most light-duty vehicles, such as passenger cars and pickup trucks. Heavy-duty vehicles, like buses, delivery trucks, and long-haul tractor-trailers, typically run on diesel.Both fuel types are needed because gasoline and diesel engines have different strengths. As my automotive engineering students learn, this makes them suitable for different uses.Let’s start with what they have in common. Gas and diesel engines both work through a process called internal combustion.First, the ...read more

In medieval England, “handedness” determined whether one was considered virtuous or evil. The Latin root of “left” literally meant “sinister,” and folks who favored that hand were sometimes accused of witchcraft. Now, imaging technology can tell us how favoring one hand affected bone chemistry, according to a report in PLOS ONE. Researchers used relatively new imaging techniques to analyze the bones of centuries-old skeletons from a famous shipwreck, the Mary Rose. That ship, part of ...read more

Long-term high ultrafine particle concentrations in New York state neighborhoods are linked to higher numbers of deaths. That is the key finding of our new research, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.Our study shows that high levels of ultrafine particles in the atmosphere over long periods of time are significantly associated with increased non-accidental deaths, particularly from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.Ultrafine particles are aerosols less than 0.1 micrometers, o ...read more

Stories define people – they shape our relationships, cultures, and societies. Unlike other skills replaced by technology, storytelling has remained uniquely human, setting people apart from machines. But now, even storytelling is being challenged. Artificial intelligence, powered by vast datasets, can generate stories that sometimes rival, or even surpass, those written by humans.Creative professionals have been among the first to feel the threat of AI. Last year, Hollywood screenwriters prot ...read more

The ancient world’s march toward urbanization was uneven. While Mesopotamia was sprouting city-states along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and building massive monuments like the Ziggurat of Ur (in what is now Iraq), development in Arabia appears to have been smaller, slower, and more modest, according to a report in PLOS ONE.Urbanization to archeologists, isn’t just about the presence of massive monuments, though. Its signposts include temples and public buildings, signs of administration ...read more

The gatekeepers of information have always played a crucial role for society. They were originally the television, radio and newspaper outlets that filtered information for the masses in the 20th century. The internet changed this dynamic by enabling search engines to filter content and emerge as new, more powerful gatekeepers. Now the dynamic is changing again with the emergence of Large Language Models trained on substantial portions of all human knowledge. By querying models such as ChatGPT, ...read more

Imagine it’s a crisp and sunny fall morning. You just left your local coffee shop, ready to start your day.Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of something moving in the bushes. Is it a squirrel stashing acorns for the winter? A robin fattening up for migration? As you get closer, the image becomes clear, and you unconsciously hold your breath.It’s a black cat out for its morning stroll.You pause for a second to decide your next move. Cross the street so the cat can’t cross ...read more

You can probably picture a vampire: Pale, sharply fanged undead sucker of blood, deterred only by sunlight, religious paraphernalia, and garlic. They’re gnarly creatures, often favorite subjects for movies or books. Luckily, they’re only imaginary … or are they?There are real vampires in the world of bats. Out of over 1,400 currently described bat species, three are known to feed on blood exclusively.The common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus, is the most abundant. At home in the tropical f ...read more

Researchers have trained African giant pouched rats to sniff out tuberculosis and explosives in the past. And they have now expanded the rodents’ scent repertoire to detect illegally trafficked animal parts — including pangolin scales, elephant ivory, and rhino horn, according to a report in Frontiers in Conservation Science.Interrupting this illegal trade is important in and of itself, of course. But the people who smuggle animal parts often also traffic drugs, humans, and weapons. But why ...read more

If you’ve ever experienced a scratchy tickle or tiny bump in the back of your throat that didn’t seem to go away, or maybe a mysterious case of bad breath despite regularly brushing your teeth, you might have had tonsil stones. These tiny, often unnoticed formations can pack a one-two punch of discomfort and embarrassment, yet many people don’t even realize they have them.Tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths, are actually relatively common. And while they’re not usually harmful, they can caus ...read more