New one-and-done vaccine protects against multiple coronaviruses

A single-shot vaccine that protects against multiple coronaviruses, including the one that causes COVID-19, has been developed. It erased all viral traces from the lungs of animal subjects, opening a pathway for a similar human vaccine.Continue Reading… Continue reading New one-and-done vaccine protects against multiple coronaviruses

The secret to saving our reefs may lie in the sea cucumber

Although the humble sea cucumber may not look like much, it could soon be recruited to help save the world’s coral reefs. The bottom-dwelling animals have been found to play a vital role in protecting corals from harmful bacteria.Continue ReadingCatego… Continue reading The secret to saving our reefs may lie in the sea cucumber

Easy artificial evolution makes for solar-powered yeast

Scientists have given yeast a brand new ability – gaining energy from light. The technique was remarkably easy, the team says, and could not only help us understand evolution but make better beer and biofuel.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTa… Continue reading Easy artificial evolution makes for solar-powered yeast

All-seeing skin, detachable butts and zombies: Animal oddities of 2023

The animal kingdom has no shortage of weird and wonderful surprises, and this year biologists gave us some real treats to talk about at the dinner table. All walks of life, from microscopic bacteria to huge cetaceans have remarkable, varied adaptations… Continue reading All-seeing skin, detachable butts and zombies: Animal oddities of 2023

Evolution experiment yields yeast 20,000x bigger and 10,000x tougher

Scientists are conducting a long-term experiment on evolution in the lab, to investigate how single-celled organisms could evolve into multicellular lifeforms. After thousands of generations, their yeast grew 20,000 times bigger and 10,000 times toughe… Continue reading Evolution experiment yields yeast 20,000x bigger and 10,000x tougher

Robo-centipede overcomes obstacles by throwing lotsa legs at the problem

Although biped and quadruped robots may excel at traversing uneven terrain, they require multiple sensors and complex algorithms in order to do so. Scientists have now taken a “simpler” approach, by creating a robotic centipede.Continue ReadingCategory… Continue reading Robo-centipede overcomes obstacles by throwing lotsa legs at the problem

Bug hacks physics with “butt flickers” to launch pee at 40 G’s

We’re willing to bet you’ve never given much thought to how bugs urinate, but even if you did you probably wouldn’t imagine them using butt-based pinball paddles to flick drops of pee at 40 G’s, using physics never before seen in nature.Continue Readin… Continue reading Bug hacks physics with “butt flickers” to launch pee at 40 G’s

New quantum state boosts material’s conductivity by a billion percent

Scientists at Georgia Tech have discovered a new quantum state in a quirky material. In a phenomenon never before seen in anything else, the team found that applying a magnetic field increased the material’s electrical conductivity by a billion percent… Continue reading New quantum state boosts material’s conductivity by a billion percent

Single-celled bacteria exhibit previously unknown “multicellularity”

E. coli is arguably the most well-studied organism on Earth, but scientists have now discovered a new behavior that’s almost never seen in bacteria. The normally single-celled organisms have shown signs of previously unknown multicellular phases.Contin… Continue reading Single-celled bacteria exhibit previously unknown “multicellularity”

Diarrhea detector could track cholera by listening to toilet users

When it comes to communicable diseases, it’s important to identify the source of an outbreak as soon as possible. In the case of cholera, a new toilet sensor could help, by detecting how many people in a given area are experiencing one of the main symp… Continue reading Diarrhea detector could track cholera by listening to toilet users