Nov 5th, 2024 - Two new studies published in the past week have presented new tools to help cities across the globe adapt to the increasing threat of dangerous heat. The first , published in the journal Proceedings of the of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ), offers a tool to determine how the cooling efficiency of tree cover varies from the neighbourhood to city level. The second, published in PNAS Nexus , helps urban planners determine which interventions provide the best relief from the heat in a city's most vulnerable areas. The frequency and intensity of warm days and nights, and heatwaves, ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2024 - The world's oldest known system of writing was influenced by symbols used for trade — engravings found on cylinders used in the exchange of farming produce and textiles, a new study suggests. The finding reinforces an idea proposed in earlier research: that cuneiform script — which was developed in early Mesopotamia around 3100 B.C. and is thought to be the earliest writing system — originated in part from accounting methods for tracking the production, storage and transport of such items. According to the researchers, several symbols engraved on stone "cylinder seals" were ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2024 - In a leap toward more powerful and efficient computer chips, researchers at the University of Virginia have confirmed a key principle governing heat flow in thin metal films—a critical component in the race to design faster, smaller and more efficient devices. This work, published in Nature Communications , offers a breakthrough in understanding how thermal conductivity works in metals used within next-generation chips, unlocking possibilities for advancements in technology at scales once thought unattainable. "As devices continue to shrink, the importance of managing heat becomes ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2024 - Researchers spot black hole feeding at 40x its theoretical limit Similar feeding events could explain the rapid growth of supermassive black holes. How did supermassive black holes end up at the center of every galaxy? A while back, it wasn't that hard to explain: That's where the highest concentration of matter is, and the black holes had billions of years to feed on it. But as we've looked ever deeper into the Universe's history, we keep finding supermassive black holes, which shortens the timeline for their formation. Rather than making a leisurely meal of nearby matter, these black holes ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2024 - Scientists believe they have found a quirky way to fight mosquito-spread diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika - by turning male insects deaf so they struggle to mate and breed. Mosquitoes have sex while flying in mid-air and the males rely on hearing to chase down a female, based on her attractive wingbeats. The researchers did an experiment, altering a genetic pathway that male mosquitoes use for this hearing. The result - they made no physical contact with females, even after three days in the same cage. Female mosquitoes are the ones that spread diseases to people, and so trying ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2024 - An ancient Egyptian tomb with 11 sealed burials was excavated by archaeologists in Luxor , the country's tourism and antiquities ministry announced on Friday. The tomb was found in the South Asasif necropolis, next to the Temple of Hatshepsut, along the west bank of the Nile River. There, the joint Egyptian-American team found coffins for men, women and children dating back to the Middle Kingdom (1938 BCE–1630 BCE). Experts believe it was used as a family tomb for multiple generations from the 12th through the beginning of the 13th Dynasty. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary-general ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2024 - A 12-million-year-old fossil of a prehistoric "terror bird" discovered in South America might represent the largest known member of its kind found to date, a study has reported. A lower leg bone of the "gigantic" bird was found by a museum curator in Colombia's fossil-rich Tatacoa desert around 20 years ago, but it was not recognized as a terror bird until 2023. This year, researchers created a three-dimensional virtual model of the specimen using a portable scanner, enabling them to analyze the fossil further for a study. "We are talking about a species that was larger than 2.5 meters [8.2 ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2024 - Sometimes predators give you an indication that they are sneaking up on you. It could the snapping of a twig behind you, or a low growl from the bushes. However, in California it is a different sound. A mysterious clicking sound has been detected thousands of feet below the Pacific ocean and it has an interesting source. Which apex predator is lurking beneath the deep blue waves? Elusive Apex Predator Reveals Itself Through Mysterious Clicking Sound The giant sperm whale is an endangered species, and not one that most people get to encounter. This massive creature spends most of its time ... [Read More]