Science

Representative Image of a vibrant underground river flowing through marble passages, with fluorescent dye tracing its path through the water (AI-generated image) At Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve in southwestern Oregon, a river flows beneath visitors’ feet through a network of marble passages, disappearing into parts of the cave that people cannot access. Known…

Natural materials can provide shelter for aquatic life (Kentucky Fish and Wildlife photo) Thousands of Christmas trees that decorated homes during the holiday season have found a new purpose at the bottom of lakes in Kentucky. Around 5,000 trees were donated to a state-run recycling programme this year, with approximately 1,700 placed in Boltz Lake…

PC: Frontiers in Fungal Biology A fungus discovered in the forests of southwestern China has drawn attention for its extraordinary size and ancient evolutionary history. The newly identified fungus, Dianjunus rex, produces massive, fleshy structures that can reach 50 centimetres in total height, including a buried stalk, with the heaviest specimen weighing 2.2 kilograms.Its unusual…

Identifying the type of snake venom quickly can help doctors choose the right treatment after a bite. Researchers have developed a laboratory sensor that can distinguish between cobra and viper venom with the help of artificial intelligence. The system achieved 95% accuracy in identifying the two types of venom with a sensing time of four…

Inside that fruit lies a toxin capable of disrupting the human heart. (Photo: The Washington Post) It looks like an ordinary tree growing beside Kerala’s backwaters, its glossy green leaves swaying in the breeze and its white flowers adding to the landscape. Its green, mango-like fruit does little to suggest danger. Yet inside that fruit…

Kodak’s equipment contained about 3.5 pounds of highly enriched uranium (Representational AP photo) For most people, Kodak is a name associated with cameras and photographic film. But for 31 years, the American company had something far less familiar inside its research facility in Rochester, New York: a nuclear device containing highly enriched uranium.The machine began…

BENGALURU: The two satellites — SDX01 and SDX02 — that formed the core of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on Oct 12 and 13, bringing the mission to an end after nearly 21 months in space.A senior scientist from the Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (Istrac)…

A California floodplain restoration project launched in 2023 has recorded its first confirmed nesting Swainson’s hawks in Shasta County in about 30 years. More than 32,000 native trees and plants were introduced across 150 acres of damaged land near the Sacramento River. Conservationists have also recorded rare indigo buntings breeding at the site, raising hopes…

PC: Study: Geometry-controlled instability pathway selection in elastic helices enables fast, efficient robotic locomotion​ Researchers have developed a small, untethered robot that uses snapping elastic rods to hop across sand, grass, glass-like acrylic and other surfaces, as well as swim in water. According to the study published in Science Advances, titled ‘Geometry-controlled instability pathway selection…

Image Credit: Redwire/Nasa Nasa has grown crystals of lysozyme, a protein found in human tears, saliva and milk, aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to study how crystals form in microgravity. The experiment offers a closer look at how proteins develop under conditions that differ from those on Earth. According to Nasa, the crystals were…

PC: University of Michigan Engineers at the University of Michigan have developed a spherical prototype with adjustable golf-ball-like dimples that can reduce drag and control steering by changing its surface texture. The device uses a vacuum pump to switch between smooth and dimpled surfaces, allowing researchers to adjust its response to different airflow conditions. According…

Drone LiDAR reveals three unregistered Aboriginal rock shelters in Australia’s rugged Blue Mountains (Image Credit: University of Sydney) Researchers have used drone-based laser scanning to identify and document three previously unregistered Aboriginal rock shelters in Australia’s Blue Mountains, revealing traces of cultural heritage in rugged bushland that is difficult to explore on foot. According to…