It’s easy to tell what color someone’s hair is, but figuring out the genetics behind how it got that way is anything but simple.
A new study from a team of international researchers analyzing 300,000 people of European descent finds more than 100 new genes related to hair color in some way. But even with their newfound knowledge, the researchers have only partial success predicting hair color based solely on genes. It's a testament to the knotty genetics of pigmentation, but th ...read more
The trout lily is a North American spring wildflower that's cuter than its name suggests. Dappled leaves frame a little yellow blossom that keeps its face shyly toward the ground. Inside the bloom, the flower's anthers and pollen vary from bright yellow to dark red. Researchers could find no purpose for the different colors—except, maybe, to satisfy the whims of pollinating insects.
Plenty of flowers come in multiple petal colors, and other research has explored the reasons, w ...read more
In 1917, at the height of the Great War, a new and mysterious disease emerged into the world, before vanishing a few years later. Although it was to prove less destructive than the 1918 influenza pandemic which occured at around the same time, the new outbreak had a persistent legacy: some of the victims of the disease remained disabled decades later.
The new syndrome was first reported by Constantin von Economo, a neurologist in Vienna. He dubbed the disease 'encephalitis lethargica', after ...read more
Month-long events include hands-on activities like nature festivals, museum events, trainings, bioblitzes, and more.
The “citizen science” movement is gathering momentum, as scientists, policy makers, and the public themselves recognize that EVERYONE can make meaningful contributions to research. SciStarter is teaming up with the Citizen Science Association to raise awareness of hundreds of events and research opportunities that will be offered as part of Citizen Science Day activit ...read more
Last week I waxed mildly poetic on the ephemeral nature of living beings and the inorganic reality of a fossil. Fossils are just shadows, I said, or memories ... or something like that.
Well, this week I've got something much more exciting and less poetic. It's an ancient pygmy grasshopper, Electrotettix attenboroughi, and it's no rocky fossil, no sir. This is a genuine, mint condition, honest-to-God organic grasshopper, encased in a shiny amber shell and preserved for something like 20 m ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine