Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Ceres' water ice can mask massive surface salt deposits
The dwarf planet Ceres is arguably one of the most overlooked and underappreciated planetary objects in the solar system. This could be because while Ceres has...
Climate change is making the tropics hotter
A new study finds that tropical areas often thought to be safe from the effects of climate change are actually experiencing significant changes in rainfall and...
Chinese writing developed square forms gradually, shaped by language, tools and tradition, analysis suggests
A new historical analysis challenges the received wisdom as to why Chinese characters developed their distinctive square shapes. The work, published in the Inte...
UK storm surges have far-flung, global climate connections
Where a storm surge strikes along a stretch of U.K. coastline is decided by global climate patterns in the Atlantic, Arctic and even further afield—according to...
Queen's University Belfast students find Neptune's elusive Trojan asteroids
An international team led by researchers at Queen's University Belfast has made a discovery that has eluded astronomers for decades. Beginning in 1906, telescop...
When to move is key to mobile retail
In recent years, the principle behind the humble ice cream truck has been getting a high-tech makeover. Retailers are reinventing mobile stores—both people-pilo...
Microbes at the end of the Earth: Antarctica's hidden biodiversity
When we think about Antarctica, many people imagine penguins, seals and whales. However, the majority of Antarctica's scientific wonders cannot be seen without...
Improved snow model captures Northeast's winter thaws and runoff more accurately
Mountain snow in the Northeast is different. The region's milder, more humid mountain climate shapes winter conditions that are different from those of the west...
Analysis of Inca mummies identifies the drugs used in their most important sacrificial ritual
Archaeologists have performed toxicological analysis on the mummified remains of people sacrificed at mountain shrines across the Inca Empire, revealing the psy...
Telltale furrows: What the Baltic Sea seafloor reveals about bottom trawling
To what extent does bottom trawling impact the seafloor of the Baltic Sea—and how quickly does it recover? Two new studies from the Leibniz Institute for Baltic...
Stem cells in deep sleep may point to a secret reserve for lifelong blood renewal
Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the HI-STEM Stem Cell Institute have discovered a group of particularly long-lived blood stem cells...
How competing reproductive needs shaped the evolution of liverworts
Liverworts reproduce through a life cycle involving two distinct stages. First, sperm fertilize eggs in the presence of water, producing embryos that develop in...