After sitting in a drawer in a Kenyan museum for more than 40 years, a set of fossilized bones has introduced the world to a long-lost mega-carnivore from 22 million years ago. Bigger than a polar bear and possessing enormous canine teeth, meet Simbakubwa Kutokaafrika.
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Innovative new research led by a team from the University of Washington is suggesting a novel strategy to battle Alzheimer's disease. Synthetic peptides have been developed to inhibit the aggregation of the toxic proteins commonly associated with early stages of the disease.
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A study has homed in on a number of specific variants in a single gene that can help people either lose or gain weight. The research revealed that some naturally-occurring variants can offer protection against obesity, and may lead to new weight-loss drugs that mimic this genetic variation.
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It was just last year that we heard about the Marine Skin patch, a flexible data-tracking device that can be temporarily adhered to marine creatures. Well, its designers have now come out with a version that's smaller, more sensitive, and capable of going much deeper.
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Scientists led by the University of Cambridge have developed a way to replace the organic gases used in most conventional refrigerators with plastic crystals. By using crystals of neopentyl glycol under pressure, it may be possible to build safer, greener, and more efficient cooling systems.
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Toyohashi University of Technology has developed an inside-out fire extinguisher for use inside spacecraft. Instead of spraying out extinguishing agents at a fire, the Vacuum Extinguish Method sucks the flames into a vacuum chamber, where they can be safely suffocated or extinguished.
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A piece of Space Age history is getting a new lease with news that Blue Origin plans to refurbish and operate the famous test stand used to develop the Saturn V moon rockets.
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In these times of coral reef die-offs, it's vitally important to monitor the abundance and variety of corals on the reefs that remain. This is currently performed visually by scuba divers, but there may soon be a quicker, cheaper and easier method – just check the water for coral DNA.
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In MS, the immune system attacks and damages myelin, which is the insulation on nerves in the spinal cord, brain and optic nerve. This causes the nerves to short-circuit. In "a potential game-changer," scientists have now demonstrated that a synthetic molecule can restore compromised myelin.
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TRAPPIST-1 is one the most fascinating planetary systems discovered so far. Now, two new studies have looked at the habitability of these planets, with a focus on radiation from the star and tides caused by the other planets. Strangely enough, these factors could help make them more liveable.
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