A gray whale shows off their baleen, the comb-like structure attached to their gums that allows them to filter feed. Previous theories explaining how baleen evolved might be wrong after researchers gave an ancient whales’ mouth a closer look. (Credit: Jo Crebbin/Shutterstock)
One of the great mysteries in marine research is how whales developed baleen, the unique array of plates and bristles that allow them to filter thousands of pounds of krill and plankton every day.
Because baleen wha ...read more
Stone tools found at Saffaqah, in central Saudi Arabia, include (a) a large flake with a smaller flake created during tool manufacture still attached, (b) other large flakes, (c) a handaxe and (d) a large core. (Credit: Scerri et al 2018, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-35242-5)
Hundreds of stone tools and related materials, found in central Saudi Arabia, reveal new information about early migrations of archaic humans into Southwest Asia. The discovery suggests multiple waves of tool ...read more
Enterobacter cloacae bacteria cultured in a petri dish. In a new study, scientists have investigated the antibiotic-resistance of bacteria on the space station. (Credit: CDC)
Space Bacteria
Wherever humans go, our bacterial companions will follow. That’s as true in space as it is on Earth, and while we’ve known that microbial astronauts are present on the International Space Station, one group of researchers has just found a new reason to worry about them.
A genomic analysis of sam ...read more
An Adventure to Venus
Though widespread interest in Venus has somewhat waned over recent decades, India’s upcoming mission aims to turn that tide.
As part of a still unnamed mission, ISRO will launch an approximately 5,500-pound (2,500-kilogram) spacecraft aboard the heaviest rocket they currently operate: the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III. The sheer size and power of this three-stage rocket will enable the spacecraft to ferry a full suite of instruments, weighing up to ...read more
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Researchers have discovered another Milky Way satellite that’s as large as the LMC but is 10,000 times fainter. (Credit: ESA/NASA/Hubble)
A Strange New Galaxy
An unusual, enormous, and ancient dwarf galaxy looms near the Milky Way, 424,000 light-years away from Earth in the Antlia constellation, a new study found using data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia spacecraft.
Scientists estimate that dozens o ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
