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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.

Discovering how yeast cells get their tubular shape

A multi-disciplinary team of scientists at Lehigh University and the University of Lausanne discover and characterize a new mechanism by which the fission yeast cell acquires its tubular shape.

Cancer cells have genetic tricks for dodging body's immune system

So-called tumor suppressor genes have long been known to block cell growth, preventing cancerous cells from spreading. Mutations in these genes, scientists believed, thus allow tumors to flourish unchecked.

Texas A&M takes gaming approach to animal disease preparedness

Fifty years ago, the strategy-based game Oregon Trail hit classrooms around the country. Anyone who has played the game knows that crossing a river in the wrong place at the wrong time or other poor decisions along the trail can end the game.

MIT working to develop 'smart' electric health records

Electronic health records have been widely adopted with the hope they would save time and improve the quality of patient care. But due to fragmented interfaces and tedious data entry procedures, physicians often spend more time navigating these systems than they do interacting with patients.

Present-day snakes may have evolved from ancestors of asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs

A new study suggests that all living snakes evolved from a handful of species that survived the giant asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs and most other living things at the end of the Cretaceous.

Fastball EEG tech could increase early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

A simple but revolutionary approach to early Alzheimer’s diagnosis is being pioneered by researchers through an initiative that could pave the way for improved outcomes for individuals who develop the disease in the future.

MIT, Cancer Research UK Manchester grow pancreatic 'organoids' to help study of cancer

MIT engineers, in collaboration with scientists at Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, have developed a new way to grow tiny replicas of the pancreas, using either healthy or cancerous pancreatic cells.