A study carried out by physicists shows that basic properties of polymer molecules, such as their subunit composition, are sufficient to trigger selection processes in a plausible prebiotic environment. Before life arose on earth, many physicochemical processes on our planet were highly chaotic. In every conceivable combination there was a multitude of small compounds and […]
Friends for Life Help Build Skills for Life – ScienceDaily
A new UBC Okanagan study shows that children not only get the benefits of working with therapy dogs, but they also have fun. "Dog lovers often assume that dog-assisted interventions will be effective because other people will love dogs," said Nicole Harris, who conducted the research as a graduate student at the School of Education. […]
Lakes isolated under the ice of Antarctica may be more accessible to life than thought – ScienceDaily
Lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet could be more hospitable than previously thought, allowing them to harbor more microbial life. This is the result of a new study that could help researchers find the best places to look for microbes, which could be unique to the region as they have been isolated for millions of […]
Capuchin Monkey Genome Reveals Clues to Its Long Life and Large Brain – ScienceDaily
An international team of scientists has sequenced the genome of a capuchin monkey for the first time and found new genetic clues about the development of its long lifespan and large brain. Published in PNASThe work was led by the University of Calgary in Canada and included researchers at the University of Liverpool. "Capuchins have […]
Mediterranean Diet Linked to Better Thinking Skills Later in Life – ScienceDaily
According to one study, people who follow a Mediterranean-style diet – especially one that is high in leafy green vegetables and low in meat – tend to remain mentally sharp later in life. Close adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with higher scores on a number of memory and thought tests in adults in […]
Family ties explain the mysterious social life of coral gobies – ScienceDaily
The strange social structure of tiny fish known as emerald coral gobies can be explained by family loyalty, new research shows. Coral goby groups consist of a single male and female breeding animal, and – as "successive hermaphrodites" – the subordinate gobies can take on both roles if one of the breeders dies. The mystery […]
New Research Helps Understand How Plate Tectonics Powers Life on Earth – ScienceDaily
Geoscientists have released a video that shows, for the first time, the uninterrupted movement of the Earth's tectonic plates over the past billion years. The international effort provides a scientific framework for understanding planet habitability and for finding critical metal resources needed for a low-carbon future. It shows a planet in constant motion as land […]
China, Russia, and Europe prioritize exploration of life in the air, but U.S. programs remain small, isolated, and fragmented – ScienceDaily
Globally circulating winds can transport bacteria, fungal spores, viruses and pollen over great distances and across national borders. However, the United States is ill-prepared to meet future disease outbreaks or food security threats from airborne organisms, reads a new article published in the journal of the Ecological Society of America Ecological applications. Claire Williams, the […]
Experiments Show Early Life Record Could Be Full of "False Positive" Results – ScienceDaily
For most of Earth's history, life has been microscopic, with bacteria occupying almost every possible niche. It is generally believed that life evolved in some of the most extreme environments, e.g. For example, in hydrothermal springs deep in the ocean or in hot springs that are still simmering in Yellowstone. Much of what we know […]
Cell death sheds light on the origins of complex life – ScienceDaily
A team of scientists from the University of Bristol found that after the cells in which they exist die, organelles continue to thrive, defeating earlier assumptions that organelles break down too quickly to be fossilized. As described in the journal Advances in Science Today (January 27), researchers at the Bristol School of Earth Sciences were […]