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Published New kangaroo described -- from Papua New Guinea
(via sciencedaily.com) Australian palaeontologists have described a new genus of giant fossil kangaroo from the mountains of central Papua New Guinea. The new description of the fossil kangaroo has found that, rather than being closely related to Australian kangaroos, it most likely belongs to a unique genus of more primitive kangaroo found only in PNG.
Published Physicists confront the neutron lifetime puzzle
(via sciencedaily.com) To solve a long-standing puzzle about how long a neutron can 'live' outside an atomic nucleus, physicists entertained a wild but testable theory positing the existence of a right-handed version of our left-handed universe. They designed a mind-bending experiment to try to detect a particle that has been speculated but not spotted. If found, the theorized 'mirror neutron' -- a dark-matter twin to the neutron -- could explain a discrepancy between answers from two types of neutron lifetime experiments and provide the first observation of dark matter.
Published Simultaneous extreme weather created dangerous cascades in U.S.
(via sciencedaily.com) Intense heat in the southwestern United States broke records last summer partly because it hit in tandem with an unusually severe drought, finds a new study measuring for the first time how the two extreme weather events dangerously interacted in real time.
Published Fossils in the 'Cradle of Humankind' may be more than a million years older than previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) For decades, scientists have studied these fossils of early human ancestors and their long-lost relatives. Now, a dating method developed by geologists just pushed the age of some of these fossils found at the site of Sterkfontein Caves back more than a million years. This would make them older than Dinkinesh, also called Lucy, the world's most famous Australopithecus fossil.
Published Long-term liquid water also on non-Earth-like planets?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Liquid water is an important prerequisite for life to develop on a planet. As researchers report in a new study, liquid water could also exist for billions of years on planets that are very different from Earth. This calls our currently Earth-centred idea of potentially habitable planets into question.
Published 'Hindcasting' helps identify causes of induced earthquakes in Delaware Basin, West Texas
(via sciencedaily.com) Using a method that works backward from a set of observed earthquakes to test seismic models that fit those observations, researchers working in the Delaware Basin were able to determine whether earthquakes in the region since 2017 were caused by oil and gas operations.
Published Reaction insights help make sustainable liquid fuels
(via sciencedaily.com) Methanol made from CO2 in the air can be transformed into carbon neutral fuels. A new mechanistic understanding aids development of this sustainable alternative.
Published Supernumerary virtual robotic arms can feel like part of our body
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a virtual robotic limb system which can be operated by users' feet in a virtual environment as extra, or supernumerary, limbs. After training, users reported feeling like the virtual robotic arms had become part of their own body. This study focused on the perceptual changes of the participants, understanding of which can contribute to designing real physical robotic supernumerary limb systems that people can use naturally and freely just like our own bodies.
Published Genome of voracious desert locust sequenced
(via sciencedaily.com) The first high-quality genome of the desert locust -- those voracious feeders of plague and devastation infamy and the most destructive migratory insect in the world -- has been produced. The genome of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is enormous at just under 9 billion base pairs, nearly three times the size of the human genome. The size of the desert locust's chromosomes is remarkable; compare them to those of the model fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the first insect genome ever assembled. Many of the desert locust's individual chromosomes are larger than the entire fruit fly genome. Next to the fruit fly, it's like an 18-wheeler next to a compact car.
Published The heat is on: Traces of fire uncovered dating back at least 800,000 years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists reveal an advanced, innovative method that they have developed and used to detect nonvisual traces of fire dating back at least 800,000 years -- one of the earliest known pieces of evidence for the use of fire. The newly developed technique may provide a push toward a more scientific, data-driven type of archaeology, but -- perhaps more importantly -- it could help us better understand the origins of the human story, our most basic traditions and our experimental and innovative nature.
Published Insight into past--and future--of Western US wildfires
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study examines the context surrounding the fires and offers insight into the historical role of large, high-severity fires -- and the future of wildfires -- west of the Cascades.
Published Climate damage caused by growing space tourism needs urgent mitigation
(via sciencedaily.com) A formidable space tourism industry may have a greater climate effect than the aviation industry and undo repair to the protective ozone layer if left unregulated, according to a new study.
Published Topology and machine learning reveal hidden relationship in amorphous silicon
(via sciencedaily.com) Fine-tuning the thermal conductivity of amorphous silicon used in technologies such as solar cells and image sensors should become much easier thanks to the computational topology and machine-learning-assisted discovery of the relationship between nano-scale structures and physical properties.
Published Developmental dyslexia essential to human adaptive success
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers say people with developmental dyslexia have specific strengths relating to exploring the unknown that have contributed to the successful adaptation and survival of our species.
Published A new model sheds light on how we learn motor skills
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a mathematical model of motor learning that reflects the motor learning process in the human brain. Their findings suggest that motor exploration -- that is, increased variability in movements -- is important when learning a new task. These results may lead to improved motor rehabilitation in patients after injury or disease.
Published Proactive approaches needed to enable ecosystems to adapt to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) As the need to address climate change becomes increasingly urgent so too does the concurrent need for proactive stewardship of the Earth's rapidly changing biosphere, according to new research.
Published Offshore wind farms expected to reduce clam fishery revenue, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) An important East Coast shellfish industry is projected to suffer revenue losses as offshore wind energy develops along the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts, according to two recent studies.
Published Many human genomes shaped by past events that caused sharp dips in the population, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) The genomes of many human populations show evidence of founder events, which occur when a small number of initial members start a new population, and can lead to low genetic diversity as well as increase the risk of certain genetic diseases in the new population.
Published Ultra-thin film creates vivid 3D images with large field of view
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a new ultra-thin film that can create detailed 3D images viewable under normal illumination without any special reading devices. The images appear to float on top of the film and can be clearly viewed from all angles. The new imaging film uses a technology known as light-field imaging, which captures the direction and intensity of all rays of light within a scene to create a 3D image. With additional development, the new glass-free approach could be used as a visual security feature or incorporated into virtual or augmented reality devices.
Published Indigenous communities used the Caribbean Sea as an aquatic highway
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers recently turned to pottery to tease apart the navigational history of the Caribbean, analyzing the composition of 96 fired clay fragments across 11 islands. The study was conducted in the Greater Antilles and marks the first time that pottery artifacts from the Lucayan Islands -- The Bahamas plus the Turks and Caicos Islands -- have been analyzed to determine their elemental composition and origin.