Superbugs are pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that present serious threats in hospitals, exposing vulnerable patients to higher risks of infections and even death. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths annually are caused by microbe strains that have developed resistance to multiple drugs — one of the most significant global public health threats of this century.Unfortunately, hospitals, where the most vulnerable patients are concentrated, al ...read more
If you close your eyes and picture dinosaurs roaming across Earth, what do you see? Probably not the cold, misty shorelines of Scotland.Thanks to 131 footprint findings by a team at the University of Edinburgh, we can now confirm that Tyrannosaurus rex’s ancestors, and others, did indeed frequent the Scottish islands. These footprints, located at Prince Charles’s Point on the Isle of Skye, give insights into dino distribution during an important evolutionary period. Dinosaur Footprints and ...read more
Researchers have successfully created solar cells from simulated moon dust that could fuel power. The cells the scientists developed should convert sunlight into energy efficiently and withstand radiation damage, they report in the Cell Press journal Device.The technique kills two space logistics birds with one stone: it could create electricity without involving heavy payloads. Building a solar power electrical plant with existing technology would likely require multiple expensive trips to ferr ...read more
One of the curious features of Taylor Swift’s work is that she regularly uses words borrowed from astronomy and cosmology. “Taylor Swift’s discography frequently incorporates astrophysics terminology,” point out Sophie Newman and Ana Sainz de Murieta at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K. That reflects the role that science and technology play in shaping cultural phenomena. But for Swifties, it also raises the question of which areas of ...read more
If you matched a Swiss singer against a monkey vocalist in a yodeling contest, the non-human primate would win handily, according to a study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.It turns out apes and monkeys possess vocal membranes in their throats that humans lack. Scientists suspect these structures slowly disappeared through evolution to allow for more stable speech. So what evolutionary advantages do these throat structures provide monkeys and apes? How do ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine