Ancient ‘sea Roomba’ tells a 555-million-year-old story of our evolution

A surprise discovery in a remote Australian desert region has given us new clues into the evolution of complex animal life, dating back more than 500 million years. The numerous fossils of the animal now known as Quaestio simpsonorum also show clear le… Continue reading Ancient ‘sea Roomba’ tells a 555-million-year-old story of our evolution

Common sweetener now linked to impaired memory and learning

Two months on from it being declared safe by the FDA, aspartame is again making headlines for the wrong reasons, this time for its potential negative impact on learning and memory.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: Florida State University… Continue reading Common sweetener now linked to impaired memory and learning

New low-gravity simulator design promises around 1,000 times the volume

A team of scientists at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and Florida State University’s National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have come up with a new design for a magnetic levitation-based low-gravity simulator that promises a huge increase in vol… Continue reading New low-gravity simulator design promises around 1,000 times the volume

Surprisingly high mercury levels detected in Greenland glacier meltwater

The Greenland Ice Sheet is associated with a range of environmental issues, but now researchers have discovered a surprising new problem that hadn’t been considered before. Glacial meltwater was found to be unexpectedly high in mercury, which could hav… Continue reading Surprisingly high mercury levels detected in Greenland glacier meltwater

Single dose antibiotic clears multi-drug-resistant gonorrhea in mice

Antibiotic resistant bacteria are among the most urgent threats to public health. Now a team of scientists has developed a new single-dose drug that works on a different mechanism to most existing antibiotics, and showed in tests in mice that it can be… Continue reading Single dose antibiotic clears multi-drug-resistant gonorrhea in mice

Old pigment brings some stability to new perovskite solar cell design

Perovskite solar cells have come along in leaps and bounds since they were first described in 2009, with efficiencies improving from around four percent to the mid- or even high twenties in recent designs. One drawback, however, is the notorious instab… Continue reading Old pigment brings some stability to new perovskite solar cell design