DNA Shed by Deep-Sea Organisms Reveals a Dark Abyss Teeming With Tiny Life Forms

Sweeping the ocean floor at hundreds of points throughout the world, researchers have revealed an astonishing diversity of microscopic life thriving in the deepest and darkest parts of our planet.   The sediment collected at each spot was analyzed for environmental DNA (eDNA), which marine animals shed as they go about their lives. While sea … Read more

From Great Dane to Tiny Terrier, A Mutation Creates Enormous Variation in Dog Sizes

From chihuahuas to great Danes, dogs differ more in size than any other mammal species on the planet. A mutation behind such variation has been traced to an unexpected source: ancient wolves. The mutation lies near a gene called IGF1, which researchers flagged 15 years ago as having a major role in the size variation of … Read more

Hundreds of Strange, Tiny Fossils Found Inside Fish Cranium From 9 Million Years Ago

In a first for paleontology, scientists have found hundreds of tiny, fossilized fecal pellets crammed inside a fish braincase dating to about 9 million years ago. The wee fossil poops, also known as coprolites, were deposited by scavengers – probably worms – that devoured the fish’s decaying head, including its brain.   As they munched the flesh … Read more

Teeny Tiny 500-Million-Year-Old Fossils Could Help Explain The Evolution of Spiders

Two tiny fossils, each smaller than an aspirin pill, contain fossilized nerve tissue from 508 million years ago. The bug-like Cambrian creatures could help scientists piece together the evolutionary history of modern-day spiders and scorpions.    Still, it’s not clear exactly where these fossils – both specimens of the species Mollisonia symmetrica – fit on the arthropod … Read more

Wolves Already Had The Genetic Mutation to Turn Into Tiny Dogs 54,000 Years Ago

One of the main genetic mutations responsible for small size in certain dog breeds, such as Pomeranians and Chihuahuas, evolved in dog relatives long before humans began breeding these miniature companions. Researchers discovered that the mutation can even be traced back to wolves that lived more than 50,000 years ago.   Researchers discovered the mutation, which is found in … Read more

The Tiny Dots in This Image Aren’t Stars or Galaxies. They’re Black Holes

The image above may look like a fairly normal picture of the night sky, but what you’re looking at is a lot more special than just glittering stars. Each of those white dots is an active supermassive black hole.   And each of those black holes is devouring material at the heart of a galaxy … Read more

Octopus behaviour: Gloomy octopus hatchlings seek out light to catch their tiny prey

Two-millimetre-long gloomy octopus hatchlings move towards a source of light, possibly because it makes it easier to hunt prey Life 16 December 2021 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre A newly hatched gloomy octopus Stefan Spreitzenbarth Tiny, newly hatched gloomy octopuses seek out light – possibly to help them find their minuscule prey. Adult gloomy octopuses (Octopus tetricus) … Read more

Air pollution: Almost 8000 lives being saved as US moves to vehicles that emit fewer tiny particles known as PM2.5

Almost 8000 fewer lives are being lost to air pollution from vehicle emissions in the US per year, thanks to cleaner engines that produce fewer tiny particles   Health 13 December 2021 By Clare Wilson Cars in a traffic jam Shutterstock/LanaElcova Nearly 8000 lives are being saved in the US every year thanks to … Read more

Scientists Smash Temperature Record on Keeping ‘Freezing Cold’ Water in Liquid Form

Scientists have just proven that the freezing temperature of water can be even lower than what we thought was possible. Taking tiny droplets of water, up to just 150 nanometers in size, a team of engineers at the University of Houston has pushed the critical temperature threshold to -44 degrees Celsius (-47.2 degrees Fahrenheit) – … Read more