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Experts said Monday that an alleged hybrid coronavirus mutation dubbed “Deltacron” reportedly discovered in a Cyprus lab is most likely the result of a lab contamination, and not a new worrying variant. Cypriot media reported the discovery Saturday, describing it as having “the genetic background of the Delta variant along with some of the … Read more
US surgeons have successfully implanted a heart from a genetically modified pig in a human patient, a first-of-its-kind procedure, the University of Maryland Medical School said Monday. The surgery took place Friday, and demonstrates for the first time that an animal heart can survive in a human without immediate rejection, the medical school said … Read more
Eucalyptus trees rely on root fungi to source nutrients and water – but the fungi actually control the genetic development of the tree roots by releasing tiny chunks of RNA Life 10 January 2022 By Michael Le Page Pisolithus microcarpus mycorrhizal root tips on Eucalyptus grandis Jonathan Plett A root fungus that helps eucalyptus trees … Read more
We take it for granted that virtually every habitat on Earth is alive with the sounds of animals, from the haunting songs of whales in the oceans to the riotous symphony of birds, frogs and insects in forests to the hubbub of humans and our technological creations in cities the world over. Yet for most … Read more
Hurricane Ida, which cut a path of destruction from Louisiana to New York last year, is being recognized as one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history and the world’s costliest natural disaster in 2021. But the Category 4 hurricane also is becoming a poster child for government spending on flood protection. Analysts say … Read more
Stars might be born much faster than previously expected, a new study by scientists using China’s huge radio super telescope has found. Chinese astronomers used the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the largest radio-telescope in the world, to probe the magnetic field inside a molecular cloud called Lynds 1544. Located in the Taurus constellation, some … Read more
By Jessica Hamzelou Bottlenose dolphins are “hypersexual creatures” imageBROKER / Alamy Stock Photo Patricia Brennan has forged a controversial career in studying the twist and turns of the evolution of animal genitalia. A biologist based at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, her latest research suggests that bottlenose dolphins have clitorises that have evolved … Read more
President Joe Biden’s administration last week ordered federal agencies to draft uniform policies describing the outside sources of funding that scientists must disclose when they apply for federal grants, and the penalties for failing to do so. Research groups welcome the directive, but wish it had also specified what kinds of foreign collaborations might get … Read more
Next up for the Alien and Predator franchises are a TV series led by Noah Hawley and a new film titled Prey respectively. Both stories appear to be breaking away from previous instalments and looking to expand their universes’ horizons. While all that sounds like a refreshing change of pace, there may be something worth … Read more
Laboratory tests show a tiny robot with a helical propeller inspired by bacteria can swim through veins and deliver clot-busting drugs Technology 10 January 2022 By Alex Wilkins Illustration of a blood clot and, inset, the helical microrobot CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/Getty Images/Science Phot Library. Inset: Qianqian Wang, Xingzhou Du, Dongdong Jin, and Li Zhang A corkscrew-shaped … Read more