In his current research, there are still gaps to be filled: how the CYP26B1 gradient is regulated, how retinoic acid connects to the Shox gene, and what downstream factors determine the formation of specific structures, such as the humerus or radius bones. From Healing to Regeneration Monaghan explains that axolotls do not possess a “magic…
A new species of bacteria that functions like electrical wiring has recently been discovered on a brackish beach in Oregon. The species was named Candidatus Electrothrix yaqonensis in honor of the Yaquina tribe of Native Americans that once lived in and around Yaquina Bay, where the bacteria were found. This species is a type of…
Astronomers have found one of the most promising indications that there could be extraterrestrial life on another planet. With the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers have detected what they believe could be biosignatures of marine microorganisms on K2-18b, an exoplanet located in the habitable zone of its parent star 124 light-years away….
Studying the dire wolf’s genome also allowed the Colossal team to figure out which features distinguished the ancient wolf from its modern relatives. They settled on traits involving size, musculature, hair color, hair texture, hair length, and coat patterning. They then used gene editing to alter the genome of cells from the dire wolf’s closest…
The unevenness of the state of each cloud layer is thought to be the reason why the brightness of SIMP 0136 changes as it rotates. It’s easy to understand if you think of Jupiter, which as a gas giant planet likely has a similar structure and chemical composition. Or for another way to picture this,…
A group of scientists due to work together for months at a remote Antarctic research station has been rocked after a member of the team was accused of assault. About 10 researchers typically stay at the South African-run base, which sits about 170km (about 105 miles) from the edge of the ice shelf and is…
Yoshua Bengio (L) and Max Tegmark (R) discuss the development of artificial general intelligence during a live podcast recording of CNBC’s “Beyond The Valley” in Davos, Switzerland in January 2025. CNBC Artificial general intelligence built like “agents” could prove dangerous as its creators might lose control of the system, two of of the world’s most…
Alison Francis Senior Science Journalist NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona Asteroid Bennu is a 500m-wide pile of boulders, rocks and rubble The chemical building blocks of life have been found in the grainy dust of an asteroid called Bennu, an analysis reveals. Samples of the space rock, which were scooped up by a Nasa spacecraft and brought…
Russian scientists have unveiled the remains of a 50,000-year-old baby mammoth found in thawing permafrost in the remote Yakutia region of Siberia during the summer. They say “Yana” – who has been named after the river basin where she was discovered – is the world’s best-preserved mammoth carcass. Weighing in at over 100kg (15st 10lb),…
Getty Images UN biodiversity summits happen every two years – this year in Cali, Colombia Scientists say there has been an alarming lack of progress in saving nature as the UN biodiversity summit, COP 16, draws to a close. The scale of political ambition has not risen to the challenge of reducing the destruction of…
