Humble sea sponge may be the common ancestor of all animal life
Scientists estimate that there are about 8.7 million species of animals on Earth – give or take 1.3 million. But in the beginning there could be only one.That animal was very likely the simple sea sponge, according to a study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.Based on new genetic tests, the team of scientists can say with confidence that molecules produced by sea sponges have been found in 640-million-year-old rocks. These rocks significantly predate the C..>> view originalWhat prehistoric teeth can tell us about our evolutionary ancestors
Researchers have discovered that the evolution of human teeth is much simpler than previous thought.For years scientists have debated the evolution of our third molars, more commonly known as wisdom teeth. While the molars are often very small or fail to even develop in humans, those of other hominin species in our evolutionary tree were huge. Their chewing surfaces could be two to four times larger than those in an average modern human.Many scientists have long tried to explain the profound si..>> view original'Superhuman' A.I. Can Locate Any Image
Where on earth was that random photo taken? Google’s freaky new artificial intelligence machine can figure it out. Computer vision specialist Tobias Weyand and his colleagues at Google created a deep-learning program called PlaNet, and trained it to identify locations where photos were taken based on visual cues. Putting the Art in Artificial Intelligence: Photos Imagine the ultimate game of “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” Only way harder. The Googlers started by dividing up the globe ..>> view originalLIGO Ain't a Gravitational Wave Detector—It's an Observatory
LIGO detected gravitational waves created from the collision between two black holes. The detection was awesome, but let’s look at the name of the detector for a second: Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (maybe I should call it LIGWO). LIGO is first and foremost an observatory. It’s a type of telescope that uses gravitational waves instead of electromagnetic waves. I’ve already gone over the methods LIGO uses to determine the distance to the black hole collision, but how do th..>> view originalAn epic #YearInSpace, as told by astronaut Scott Kelly
Astronaut Scott Kelly documented his most recent spacewalk, or as he called it "spacework" in a tweet on Oct. 29, 2015.(Photo: Scott Kelly)From throwing a Super Bowl party for one, to celebrating Thanksgiving with fellow International Space Station inhabitants, astronaut Scott Kelly documented his year in hundreds of social media posts. He ends his record-setting 334 consecutive days in space Tuesday, and will have spent more time in space than any other U.S. astronaut — 520 days to be exact — u..>> view originalUnprecedented scientific report says bees and other pollinators are in dire need of help
A bumblebee alights on the bloom of a thistle in Berlin, Vt. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot) Around the world, the animals that pollinate our food crops — over 20,000 species of bees, butterflies, bats and many others — are the subject of growing attention. An increasing number of pollinator species are thought to be in decline, threatened by a variety of mostly human pressures, and their struggles could pose significant risks for global food security and public health. Until now, most assessments o..>> view originalClimate Change is Shifting Natural Resources and Wealth Along With It
As the planet warms, plants, trees, fish and other natural resources are on the move, shifting toward the poles, in the direction of higher elevations and deeper into the seas, states a paper published February 24 in the journal Nature Climate Change. This natural capital has economic value, especially in developing countries where it accounts for a large share of resources. The team of researchers led by Eli Fenichel, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studi..>> view originalPluto's icy, north pole shines in this image
It may have demoted to a dwarf planet but this image shows that Pluto continues to confound and surprise scientists. The image from the New Horizon spacecraft showcases icy canyon’s on Pluto’s north pole. The long canyons run vertically across the polar area—part of the informally named Lowell Regio, named for Percival Lowell, who founded Lowell Observatory and initiated the search that led to Pluto’s discovery. The widest of the canyons is about 45 miles wide and runs close to the north pole. ..>> view original
| New York Today: A Sweet Sleep for Winter . | New York Today: A 'Slender Stegosaurus' Awakes . |
| New York Today: Monumental Decisions . | Drinking more coffee may prevent liver disease . |
No comments:
Post a Comment