Biodiversity market takes off at COP16, in shadow of carbon credit chaos

Several new guidelines for biodiversity credits were launched at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, where activists warned on risks to nature conservation efforts The emerging market in nature protection was all…

Stem cells can tailor their role in gene therapy based on the underlying disease, study suggests

Credit: CC0 Public Domain RCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan researchers have discovered that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) adapt their lineage commitment during gene therapy based on the underlying…

Aquatic robot’s self-learning optimization enhances underwater object manipulation skills

The team’s accessible hardware platform (2000 USD) consists of 2 cameras and a parallel jaw gripper for research and development of underwater visuomotor policy learning. Credit: Liu et al. In…

Viewpoint: Understanding risk—Why parts per trillion (or smaller) trace of pesticides sparks intense fear?

At speaking engagements, I would often remind audiences of Bruce Ames’ quote on coffee and pesticides. In an attempt to reassure us on relative toxicity, Ames noted how there are…

Putting vampire bats on treadmills reveals an unusual metabolism

Vampire bats have become such specialized bloodsuckers that they metabolize their food more like some blood-feeding flies than like other known mammals, a new experiment shows. The common vampire bat…

Tightly tied waist cord of saree underskirt may lead to skin ulceration and pose cancer risk, warn doctors

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A tightly tied waist cord of the underskirt (petticoat) traditionally worn under a saree, particularly in rural parts of India, may lead to what has been…

Repurposed RFID tags allow for battery-free sensing and tracking

Credit: Hana Tobias, Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego Data is power. According to Dinesh Bharadia, an associate professor at UC San Diego in the Department of Electrical and Computer…

How many additional exoplanets are in known systems?

Excavation reveals evidence of ancient settlements in Haldensleben

Archaeologists from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt have been conducting excavations at the site of the Hermes Fulfilment GmbH Centre in Haldensleben, Germany. According to…

New research could optimize the quiz bowl

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A quiz bowl is usually an academic competition in which teams of students, typically from high schools or universities, compete by answering questions across a variety…