Cloud clustering causes more extreme rain

Understanding cloud patterns in our changing climate is essential to making accurate predictions about their impact on society and nature. Scientists published a new study that uses a high-resolution global climate model to understand how the clustering of clouds and storms impacts rainfall extremes in the tropics. They show that with rising temperatures, the severity of extreme precipitation events increases.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240225212517.htm

Barriers against Antarctic ice melt disappearing at the double

Undersea anchors of ice that help prevent Antarctica's land ice from slipping into the ocean are shrinking at more than twice the rate compared with 50 years ago, research shows. More than a third of these frozen moorings, known as pinning points, have decreased in size since the turn of the century, experts say. Further deterioration of pinning points, which hold in place the floating ice sheets that fortify Antarctica's land ice, would accelerate the continent's contribution to rising sea levels, scientists warn.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240223103904.htm

Killer instinct drove evolution of mammals' predatory ancestors

The evolutionary success of the first large predators on land was driven by their need to improve as killers, researchers suggest.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240222214144.htm

Method identified to double computer processing speeds

Scientists introduce what they call 'simultaneous and heterogeneous multithreading' or SHMT. This system doubles computer processing speeds with existing hardware by simultaneously using graphics processing units (GPUs), hardware accelerators for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), or digital signal processing units to process information.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240221213907.htm

Black hole at center of the Milky Way resembles a football

The supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way is spinning so quickly it is warping the spacetime surrounding it into a shape that can look like a football, according to a new study. That football shape suggests the black hole is spinning at a substantial speed, which researchers estimated to be about 60% of its potential limit.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240221160304.htm

Gulf corals still suffering more than a decade after Deepwater Horizon oil spill, scientists report

Deep-water corals in the Gulf of Mexico are still struggling to recover from the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, scientists report at the Ocean Science Meeting in New Orleans. Comparing images of more than 300 corals over 13 years -- the longest time series of deep-sea corals to date -- reveals that in some areas, coral health continues to decline to this day.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240220144632.htm

Study reveals molecular mechanisms behind hibernation in mammals

Researchers have characterized changes in the structure of motor proteins, called myosins, and energy consumption that occur during hibernation, highlighting key differences in large and small hibernators.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240220144446.htm

Why two prehistoric sharks found in Ohio got new names

Until recently, Orthacanthus gracilis could have been considered the 'John Smith' of prehistoric shark names, given how common it was. Three different species of sharks from the late Paleozoic Era -- about 310 million years ago -- were mistakenly given that same name, causing lots of grief to paleontologists who studied and wrote about the sharks through the years and had trouble keeping them apart. But now a professor has finished the arduous task of renaming two of the three sharks -- and in the process rediscovered a wealth of fossil fishes that had been stored at a museum for years but had been largely forgotten.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240219130727.htm

New study analyzes link between digit ratio and oxygen consumption in footballers

The efficiency of oxygen supply to tissues is a factor in the severity of important diseases such as Covid-19 and heart conditions. Scientists already know that the relationship between the length of a person's index and ring fingers, known as the 2D:4D ratio is correlated with performance in distance running, age at heart attack and severity of Covid-19.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240216135911.htm

Under pressure -- space exploration in our time

A new paradigm is taking shape in the space industry as the countries and entities accessing space continue to grow and diversify. This dynamic landscape creates both competition and potential for scientific collaboration, as well as the challenges and opportunities of progress.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240216135903.htm

What can bulls tell us about men?

Researchers have found genes in the reproductive organs of bulls that influence fertility. The findings can be transferred to humans, as these genes are also present in men.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240216135805.htm

Evidence of geothermal activity within icy dwarf planets

A team found evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic activity within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake, located in the Kuiper Belt. Methane detected on their surfaces has the tell-tale signs of warm or even hot geochemistry in their rocky cores, which is markedly different than the signature of methane from a comet.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240215142301.htm

First-ever atomic freeze-frame of liquid water

Scientists report the first look at electrons moving in real-time in liquid water; the findings open up a whole new field of experimental physics.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240215142133.htm

Diving deeper into our oceans: Underwater drones open new doors for global coral reef research

Scientists take innovation in coral e-DNA monitoring to the next level.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240215113701.htm

Neolithic groups from the south of the Iberian Peninsula first settled permanently in San Fernando (Cadiz) 6,200 years ago

A new study reveals that the first farmers and herdsmen settled in Andalusia collected and consumed shellfish throughout the year, especially in winter.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240215113647.htm

Targeting the microenvironment rather than a specific cell type could be the key to healing injured hearts

A groundbreaking scientific study has unveiled a remarkable discovery that may have far-reaching implications for the treatment of heart disease. The implications are immense offering glimpses of a future where heart disease may no longer be an irreversible condition but a challenge that can be overcome through medical intervention. The potential for developing novel therapies that leverage the body's innate regenerative capacity holds great promise for millions of individuals affected by heart disease worldwide.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240214203406.htm

A lighthouse in the Gobi desert

A new study explores the weight great fossil sites have on our understanding of evolutionary relationships between fossil groups and quantified the power these sites have on our understanding of evolutionary history. Surprisingly, the authors discovered that the wind-swept sand deposits of the Late Cretaceous Gobi Desert's extraordinarily diverse and well-preserved fossil lizard record shapes our understanding of their evolutionary history more than any other site on the planet.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240214203357.htm

Treating liver cancer with microrobots piloted by a magnetic field

Researchers have developed a novel approach to treat liver tumors using magnet-guided microrobots in an MRI device.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240214150305.htm

Key genes linked to DNA damage and human disease uncovered

Scientists unveil 145 genes vital for genome health, and possible strategies to curb progression of human genomic disorders.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240214150252.htm

Significantly fewer births on weekends and holidays than weekdays, data analysis of over 21 million births from 1979-2018 in Japan shows

Significantly more babies were born on a weekday instead of weekend day or holiday, reveals a large-scale analysis of 21 million births in Japan over almost four decades.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240214150249.htm