Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Why birds ignore Newton: New theory could sharpen models of flocks, crowds and cells
Birds in flocks, bacteria and cells: In many collective systems, individual elements respond to only part of their surroundings, seemingly defying Newton's thir...
Venus flytrap's snap may come from rapid cell wall softening, not water flow
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a marvel of nature, a highly effective killer that doesn't have to move an inch to capture and kill its prey. It releas...
Aliens might exist, but there are three reasons why they're not visiting us
The United States government's recent release of hundreds of previously classified unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) cases spanning the 1940s to the prese...
Why chickens come in so many colors, and what one gene reveals about evolution
From snow white and jet black to golden brown, domestic chickens display a wider range of plumage colors than almost any other livestock species. A new internat...
DNA tracking links raccoons to riverborne bacteria with possible human spillover
The emerging infectious bacterium Escherichia albertii has caused outbreaks of severe food poisoning and hospitalized people through contaminated water and food...
What Amazonian photographs reveal when we look again, and together
A new paper by Junia Mortimer, Urban Studies Foundation fellow, explores what happens when photographic archives are revisited through different conceptual fram...
Swapping steak for salmon could boost health and reduce emissions
Swapping a beef steak for salmon once a week could save the amount of carbon needed to fly from London Heathrow to Morocco, according to new research by the uni...
Slime molds make decisions using internal fluid flows
Despite lacking brains or nervous systems, slime molds are capable of making surprisingly sophisticated decisions: navigating mazes, finding food and even remem...
Can ancient bacteria help solve one of agriculture's biggest challenges?
During the Archean Eon—roughly 4 billion years ago—the Earth was a lifeless planet. The atmosphere lacked oxygen, and there were few, if any, organisms to be fo...
Ancient DNA study of post-Roman Europeans reveals emergence of complex new society
A new study from the HistoGenes project, of which Patrick Geary, professor emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is co-PI, is helping scholars frame a b...
Antarctic surface melt could jump tenfold this century as warming spreads south
New research shows surface melting across Antarctica is set to intensify and spread dramatically over the 21st century, with melt increasing 10-fold and the aff...
Can the cataclysmic explosions of dying stars help unlock grand mysteries of the universe?
Once charted as a 'guest star' in ancient China, dreaded as a harbinger of ill omens in medieval Europe, and preserved in the narratives and artworks of Indigen...