An anonymous reader quotes UPI: Scientists have developed a technique for repairing damaged DNA. The breakthrough, published this week in the journal Nature Communications, could pave the way for new therapies for cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The accumulation of DNA damage is responsible for aging, cancer and neurological diseases like motor neuron disease, also known as ALS. Until now, scientists have…
Tag: Nature Communications
Ancient humans in India survived Toba super-volcano eruption
The Toba super-volcano eruption 74,000 years ago was 5,000 times larger than that of Mount St. Helens. Somehow, ancient human populations in India survived it. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/humans-india-survived-toba-super-volcano…
New Zealand Birds Show Humanlike Ability To Make Predictions
sciencehabit shares a report from Science Magazine: Whether it’s calculating your risk of catching the new coronavirus or gauging the chance of rain on your upcoming beach vacation, you use a mix of statistical, physical, and social information to make a decision. So do New Zealand parrots known as keas, scientists report today. It’s the first time this cognitive ability has…
Marsquakes: InSight lander shows active faults in planet’s crust
The results from its NASA’s Mars InSight lander’s first 10 months on the martian surface have been published in a series of papers. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-quakes-insight-lander-shows-active-faults…
Mars Is a Seismically Active World, First Results From NASA’s InSight Lander Reveal
The first results from NASA’s quake-hunting InSight Mars lander just came out, and they reveal that Mars is a seismically active planet. Space.com reports: Martian seismicity falls between that of the moon and that of Earth, [says InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory]. “In fact, it’s probably close to the kind of seismic activity you would expect…
Arctic ice melt changing major ocean current
A major ocean current in the Arctic is faster and more turbulent as a result of rapid sea ice melt, according to a new study. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/arctic-ice-melt-changing-major-ocean-current-beaufort-gyre…
Save the giants, save the planet
Protecting large animals such as elephants and whales, and large plants like the sequoias, has a disproportionate positive impact on the health of the planet and resilience to climate change. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/why-to-conserve-large-animals-trees…
How sensitive can a quantum detector be?
Quantum physics is moving out of the laboratory and into everyday life. Despite headline results about quantum computers solving problems impossible for classical computers, technical challenges are standing in the way of getting quantum physics into the real world. New research published in Nature Communications from teams at Aalto University and Lund University could provide an important tool in this quest….
DNA From ‘Chewing Gum’ Provides Clues To Life 5,700 Years Ago
New submitter RG-man writes: DNA obtained from birch pitch used as a type of ancient chewing gum has revealed significant insights into the life of a young girl who lived 5,700 years ago. CNN reports: “…[Lola] chewed on birch pitch, a material that functioned a bit like an ancient chewing gum. A study of that birch pitch has uncovered the girl’s…
Can We Save Coral Reefs Using Underwater Loudspeakers?
“The desperate search for ways to help the world’s coral reefs rebound from the devastating effects of climate change has given rise to some radical solutions,” reports the Washington Post. There’s coral “nurseries” in the Caribbean, while Hawaiian scientists are trying to breed a new and more resilient type of coral. But at least one team focused on the herbivorous fish…