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How did nature discover its own laws—twice?

In an intriguing look at the origins of cognition and technology in nature, theoretical chemist Addy Pross explores how nature discovered its own laws twice--first unconsciously and later consciously.

California scientists seek to find the origin of life on Earth

How life originated on Earth is a complex question that has been the subject of inquiry for hundreds of years by curious individuals as well as specialists in science, religion, and philosophy.

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Researchers combine observations, modeling to infer galaxy's planetary distribution

Researchers led by Osaka University and NASA find that the distribution of cold planets in the Milky Way is not strongly dependent on the distance from the galactic center.

Shifts in infant's gut bacteria may bring 'negative effects on the brain'

Extremely premature infants are at a high risk for brain damage.

A new look at circadian clocks, cells and cognition

A botanist and a psychologist have put forward a highly novel theory of the circadian clock based on the integration of bioelectric time-sensing mechanisms in individual cells and parts of cells.

Australian scientist looks for benefits to viral fossils in DNA

Fossils of ancient viruses are preserved in the genomes of all animals, including humans, and have long been regarded as junk DNA. But are they truly junk, or do they actually serve a useful purpose?

Harvard team uses deep representation learning to study gene repression in proteins

Computational predictions for how a genetic variant will affect a protein's function are very important. For example, this can help determine whether a specific variant is causing a disease.

Palaeontologists give Carnotaurus a makeover

One of the strangest carnivorous dinosaurs ever discovered has been given a makeover by a pair of Belgian and Australian palaeontologists.

University of Sussex physicists discover black holes exert a pressure

Physicists at the University of Sussex have discovered that black holes exert a pressure on their environment, in a scientific first.

Examining small beetles' protective powers

Hidden within brush and tall plants are small beetles that hold the key to next generation composite materials in bioengineering.

Artificial flyers influenced by asynchronous flight of insects

Flying is an energetically demanding activity, and in insects, has evolved into some of the world’s most agile and speedy flyers.

3D printing ink made from sunflower pollen could be used as a smart drug carrier

Scientists have recently found a way to use sunflower pollen to develop a new ink for 3D printing that could be used to fabricate parts useful for tissue engineering, toxicity testing, and drug delivery.

Jaws of cichlids in Africa helping to rethink evolution's fundamentals

A family of fishes, called the cichlids, in Africa’s Lake Malawi is helping researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to refine our understanding of how evolution works.

Robots use 'skin' inspired by a chameleon's camouflage

Approximately six years ago, I wrote about the integration of colour-shifting photonic crystals into credit cards, banknotes, and passports as a security measure against counterfeiting.

Decline of coral reefs' ability to provide ecosystem services threatens food, jobs

The capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services relied on by millions of people worldwide has declined by half since the 1950s, according to a new University of British Columbia-led study.

Studying how quark-gluon plasma evolved into matter

Scientists have reported new clues to solving a cosmic conundrum: How the quark-gluon plasma – nature’s perfect fluid – evolved into matter.

New study suggests 2 key protein-folding domains evolved separately

A detailed analysis of the way that proteins become bound to nucleotides, the structural units of DNA and RNA, gives insight into how key enzymes that control metabolism in all living organisms may have evolved.

Duke engineering professor analyzes the physics of the Olympics

"Watching physics at the Olympics," a short article by Dr. Adrian Bejan, made me wish the author had been my high school physics teacher, because he makes the subject fun, interesting and instructive.

Education and employment in ‘hard’ science provide no salary advantages compared to ‘soft’ science at any career stage

HSE University economists question whether Russian STEM specialists are better paid than non-STEM specialists.

How poetry can make us better thinkers

In a volume dedicated to the influential Russian-American linguist Roman Jakobson (1896-1982), modern linguist Tyler James Bennett explains how the ambiguity of meaning in poetic metaphor opens the mind to development of its creative potential in a way that literal writing cannot.