One enzyme has a key role in determining whether parrots’ rainbow plumage emerges in vibrant reds, yellows or greens, a new study shows.
Parrot feathers flaunt an array of colors, with yellow, red and orange hues made possible by…
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This marine biologist discovered a unique blue whale population in Sri Lanka
Pooping whales changed the course of Asha de Vos’ career.
The Sri Lankan marine biologist was aboard a research vessel near her home island in 2003 when she spotted six blue whales congregating. A bright red plume of whale waste…
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Skeletal remains found on Mary Rose provides new insights into ageing bone chemistry
A recent study of skeletal remains found on the Mary Rose suggests that a person’s dominant hand may affect how the chemistry of their clavicle bone changes with age.
The Mary Rose was a carrack warship in the English Tudor navy and served as…
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‘Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior’ unearths paleontology’s biases
Paleontologist David Hone’s latest book fleshes out our understanding of dinosaur behavior.
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The oldest known fossil tadpole was a big baby
Tadpoles have been wriggling in the world’s ponds for at least 161 million years.
A newly detailed fossil finding pushes the record for earliest known tadpoles back an additional 30 million years, researchers report October 30 in…
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Using AI, historians track how astronomy ideas spread in the 16th century
Historians working with an artificial intelligence assistant have begun tracking the spread of astronomical thinking across Europe in the early 1500s.
The analysis contributes to challenging the “lone genius” idea of scientific…
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Researchers aim to get leg up on bone repair with 3D-printed femur
University of Texas at Dallas mechanical engineers have designed a 3D-printed femur that could help doctors prepare for surgeries to repair bones and develop treatments for bone tumors.
The engineers, who worked in collaboration with UT…
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A race to save Indigenous trails may change the face of archaeology
Wind jostles the helicopter as we skim over dense forest and the snow-covered peaks of the Coast Mountains. We are flying over northwestern British Columbia, and from this aerial vantage point, it’s easy to see how mid-19th century…
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The First Automatic Rice Cooker’s Unlikely Inventor
“Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.” These directions seem simple enough, and yet I have messed up many, many pots of rice over the years. My sympathies to anyone who’s ever had to boil rice on a stovetop,…
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Stanford’s Manu Prakash Explains Frugal Invention
Manu Prakash spoke with IEEE Spectrum shortly after returning to Stanford University from a month aboard a research vessel off the coast of California, where he was testing tools to monitor oceanic carbon sequestration. The associate professor…
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