Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – Page 4

Scientists Use Stems Cells From Frogs To Build First Living Robots

Cy Guy writes: Having not learned the lessons of Jurassic Park and the Terminator, scientists from the University of Vermont and Tufts have created “reconfigurable organisms” using stem cells from frogs. But don’t worry, the research was funded by the Department of Defense, so I’m sure nothing could possibly go wrong this time. “The robots, which are less than 1mm long,…

Enormous Methane Leak From Ohio Gas Well Was One of Worst In American History, Satellites Reveal

A new study has determined that a gas well blowout in Belmont County, Ohio last year was one of the most significant ever to occur in the country. Newsweek reports: In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of scientists estimated that the gas well — owned by ExxonMobil — leaked around 120 metric…

Scientists Find a Weak Spot In Some Superbugs’ Defenses

Researchers have found a new way to attack some of the bacteria behind treatment-resistant infections. An anonymous reader shares a report from Wired: In 2004, a 64-year-old woman in Indiana had a catheter put in to help with dialysis. Soon after the procedure, she came to a local hospital with low blood pressure and what turned out to be a dangerous…

With Suction Cups and Lots of Luck, Scientists Measure Blue Whale’s Heart Rate

Using a bright orange electrocardiogram machine attached with suction cups to the body of a blue whale, scientists for the first time have measured the heart rate of the world’s largest creature and came away with insight about the renowned behemoth’s physiology. From a report: The blue whale, which can reach up to 100 feet (30 meters) long and weigh 200…

Who knew? Plants ‘panic’ when it rains

Using a spray bottle to simulate rain, researchers found a “panic-like” response in plants. Complex chemical warning signals were passed from leaf to leaf and even communicated to other plants. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/plants-panic-when-wet-how-plants-communicate…

Study Reveals How Two Strains of One Bacterium Combine To Cause Flesh-Eating Infection

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: A new study by a team of scientists that included researchers from the University of Maryland and the University of Texas Medical Branch used genetic analysis to reveal how two different strains of a single species of flesh-eating bacteria worked in concert to become more dangerous than either one strain alone. The study…

Sea Levels Will Rise For Centuries Even If Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals Are Me

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Weather Channel: Sea levels will continue to rise for the next three centuries even if governments meet carbon emissions pledges for 2030 set in the Paris climate agreement, a new study indicates. Greenhouse gas emissions from 2016 to 2030 alone would cause sea levels to increase nearly 8 inches (20 cm) by 2300,…

Sea Levels Will Rise For Centuries Even If Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals Are Met

Ocean Acidification Can Cause Mass Extinctions, Fossils Reveal

After analyzing fossil records from 66 million years ago, researchers determined that ocean acidification can cause the mass extinction of marine life. The Guardian reports: The researchers analysed small seashells in sediment laid down shortly after a giant meteorite hit the Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs and three-quarters of marine species. Chemical analysis of the shells showed a sharp drop in…

Researchers Created Lenses a Thousand Times Thinner To Hopefully Eliminate Ugly Smartphone Camera Bumps

Camera bumps on smartphones may soon go away thanks to a team of researchers at the University of Utah who’ve developed a radically thin camera lens. Gizmodo reports: For comparison, the lens elements used in today’s smartphone cameras, which gather and focus light onto a tiny sensor, are a few millimeters thick. It might not sound like much, but the best…