Dealing with plastic waste is a real headache. But with a little help, bacteria can turn plastic into a painkiller. Genetically engineered Escherichia coli bacteria converted a broken-down plastic bottle into the active ingredient in pain medicines like Tylenol and Panadol, scientists report June 23 in Nature Chemistry. The approachContinue Reading
A more nuanced understanding of hormone therapy now suggests that its benefits for heart health depend on how soon after menopause onset it is prescribed. Menopause can have profound effects on heart health, yet many people are unaware of this important connection. The hormonal shifts occurring during menopause mark theContinue Reading
Females have one active X chromosome and one dormant X chromosome in each cell. But a study suggests that genes on the dormant X get “reawakened” later in life, potentially giving the brain a boost. Dormant genes on the X chromosome may reawaken in old age, potentially giving the agingContinue Reading
A view from a retrofitted spy plane reveals complex emissions of high-energy light Above the cloud tops, thunderstorms throb with a complex, frenetic light show of high-energy radiation. A view from a retrofitted spy plane soaring at 20 kilometers up revealed storms glowing and flickering in gamma rays, high-energy lightContinue Reading
Pseudoscorpions may use the scorpion’s relationship with ants to their advantage In the middle of an April night in Israel’s Jordan Valley, Yoram Zvik sweeps a UV light over the dark ground near throngs of marching ants. The light passes over the brilliant blue-green fluorescence of a scorpion clambering alongsideContinue Reading
Parrots don’t just hang out for fun. To move along narrow branches, a parrot can hang from a branch with its beak, swing its body sideways and grab hold farther along with its feet. The newly described gait, dubbed beakiation, expands the birds’ locomotive repertoire and underscores how versatile theirContinue Reading
A sample from the asteroid Bennu, collected by the OSIRIS-REx mission, has arrived at London’s Natural History Museum for analysis. Scientists are optimistic that it could contain the seeds of life. A tiny fragment from the most dangerous asteroid in the solar system has arrived in the U.K. — andContinue Reading
An underwater volcano that gave birth to a new island off Japan’s Iwo Jima island has erupted again, sending huge plumes of ash and smoke into the sky in footage released by Japan’s Coast Guard. An underwater volcano that recently gave birth to a new island in the Pacific hasContinue Reading
Six exoplanets with sizes between Earth and Neptune have been in rhythm with each other since they were born around the same star 4 billion years ago, new research suggests. Astronomers have discovered a remarkable star system with six planets unlike any in our solar system. According to new research,Continue Reading
The results could help scientists understand the complex flows of water and air on Earth Some days really are longer than others. And now scientists know by precisely how much. Using a laser gyroscope, scientists have measured variations in Earth’s rotation rate smaller than a millionth of a percent. TheContinue Reading