Articles for category: New Discoveries

Dog and Cat

Pets May Help Us Detect Disease Outbreaks Long Before Doctors

Pets play a vital role in detecting diseases before they spread widely. So, by monitoring pets, scientists can track the emergence of zoonotic diseases that might otherwise go unnoticed. Let’s explore how this approach can help prevent future outbreaks in humans! Why Pets Are Important Pets often share environments with humans, making them perfect sentinels ...

Butterfly on a thistle.

Blessed Thistle’s Role in Healing Nerve Damage

Blessed Thistle is a herb known for its medicinal properties. Traditionally, it has been used to treat various ailments. Let’s look at how recent studies have shed light on its potential benefits in modern medicine! Discovery of Cnicin Cnicin is a compound found in Blessed Thistle. Initially, it caught the attention of researchers due to ...

Extinct fungus-growing ant, related to modern leafcutting ants, fossilized in Dominican Amber.

Jurassic Parasites: Amber Fossils Reveal the Dinosaur-Era Origins of Zombie-Ant Fungi

April Joy Jovita

A remarkable discovery from mid-Cretaceous amber has pushed back the evolutionary timeline of one of nature’s most bizarre parasitic relationships: the infamous “zombie-ant” fungi. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have identified fossilized fungi infecting insects in 99-million-year-old amber, offering the oldest direct evidence of entomopathogenic fungi manipulating their hosts. Fossilized Mind Control The ...

A salmon quite heavily peppered.

Lab-Grown Salmon Hits U.S. Menus Amid Political Pushback

April Joy Jovita

In a landmark moment for food innovation, Wildtype’s cultivated salmon has become the first lab-grown seafood approved for sale in the United States. Now available at a Portland, Oregon restaurant, this sushi-grade salmon is grown from fish cells in bioreactors—offering a sustainable alternative to traditional aquaculture. But while the product has cleared scientific and regulatory ...

Environmental Reconstruction of the East Kirkton Area Some 346-Million-Years-Ago

Scientists Just Unearthed 346-Million-Year-Old Fossils That Are Changing Everything We Thought About Evolution

Suhail Ahmed

A fossil hunter’s accidental discovery in a quiet Scottish quarry in 1984 has challenged our knowledge of one of evolution’s biggest leaps the moment life crawled from water onto land. Dubbed “Lizzie,” the small, lizard-like creature proved to be Westlothiana lizziae, a key species bridging the divide between fish and land animals. Now, ground-breaking studies ...

Molecular beam epitaxy system Veeco Gen II designed for the growth of monocrystalline semiconductors, semiconducting heterostructures, materials for spintronics

A New Form of Magnetism Could Revolutionize Spintronics  

April Joy Jovita

Physicists at MIT have observed a new form of magnesium that could pave the way for faster, more efficient spintronic memory devices. This breakthrough, termed p-wave magnetism, combines properties of both ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, offering a novel approach to data storage and electronic applications. Understanding P-Wave Magnetism Traditional ferromagnets, like fridge magnets, exhibit uniform spin ...

An open pink rose

The Secret Geometry Behind Rose Petals

April Joy Jovita

Physicists have uncovered the mechanical forces that shape the iconic structure of rose petals, revealing how geometric frustration influences their curling patterns. This discovery provides insights into the physics of natural growth and could inspire new developments in shape-morphing materials. Understanding Geometric Frustration Unlike most flowers, which exhibit wavy or smooth petal edges, roses develop ...

Alicella gigantea (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Alicellidae)

Rare Giant Shrimp Found to Be More Widespread Than Previously Thought

April Joy Jovita

A recent study has revealed that Alicella gigantea, a rarely sighted giant amphipod, is far more widespread than previously believed. Researchers from the University of Western Australia compiled data from multiple expeditions and genetic analyses, demonstrating that this deep-sea crustacean inhabits more than half of the world’s oceans. These findings challenge prior assumptions about the ...