Camouflaged Plants in South-West China Resemble Rocks
A new study by researchers from the University of Exeter and Kunming Institute of Botany has revealed a few camouflaged plants in south-west China that resemble rocks. The plants match the color and shapes of the nearby rocks and soil. Read more... June 6, 2018
Researchers Envision Four Climate Change Scenarios for Civilization-Planet Systems
Researchers developed a mathematical model to determine how alien civilizations might cope with climate change. The research was led by astrophysicist Adam Frank, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester. The researchers looked at the problem of civilized planets facing climate change from an astrobiological perspective. Read more... June 5, 2018
Easter Islanders Used Rope and Ramps to Put Giant Hats on Statues
Some of the Easter Island statues have enormous red stone hats known as pukao. The Pukao are cylinders made of red scoria. They can weigh up to 12 metric tons. Researchers from Binghamton University in New York say the ancient people of Easter Island used a parbuckling technique involving ramps and rope to get the hats on top of the statues. Read more... June 4, 2018
What is Brackish Water?
Brackish water is water that has a salinity that lies somewhere between fresh water and salt water. The definition of brackish from Merriam-Webster is "somewhat salty." Read more... May 31, 2018
Robotic Falcon Designed to Help Reduce Bird Strikes Near Airports
A company named Clear Flight Solutions developed a robot that resembles and flies like a falcon. The Robird uses flapping wing flight for propulsion and has a flight speed that is similar to real birds of prey. Read more... May 31, 2018
Samara Polytech Research Create the Glaideron
Researchers from Samara Polytech (Samara State Technical University) have announced an experimental semi-autonomous aeronautic marine device. The project manager, graduate student Alexander Mochalkin has named the device Glaideron. Read more... May 30, 2018
Study Finds Deer Tick Populations on the Rise in Indiana
Researchers from Indiana University have found increasing numbers of deer ticks in Southern India. Deer ticks are a known vector for Lyme disease. The photograph above shows a mouse with another species of tick on its head. The study's findings coincide with a recent CDC report that found transmission of diseases from ticks, mosquitoes and fleas has tripled since 2004 in the U.S. Read more... May 25, 2018
Scientists Build Scrabble Playing Robot
Researchers from ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) in Taiwan have built a scrabble playing robot. ITRI's robotic developers integrated AI, 3D vision recognition, and eye-hand coordination technologies to build the robot. The robot also learns from experience. ITRI was a CES 2018 Innovation Awards honoree for the intelligent vision system it developed that helps the scrabble bot play. Read more... March 12, 2018
Ancient Reptile Named Captorhinus Had Detachable Tail for Escaping Predators
Scientists have discovered that an ancient reptile had a detachable tail. The escape technique is still today in some modern lizard species. The reptile species, named Captorhinus, lived 289 million years ago. The discovery is the oldest known use of the breakaway tail escape behavior. Read more... March 8, 2018
Scientists Observe Newly Hatched Dumbo Octopus
Deep-sea dumbo octopuses are named for their resemblance to Disney's Dumbo character. They have big eyes and round fins that resemble elephant ears. They are rarely seen because they inhabit deep hard-to-access portions of the ocean floor. Scientists on the U.S. research vessel Ronald H. Brown discovered a dumbo octopus egg attached to a coral branch and brought it on board to watch it hatch. Read more... February 20, 2018