Bhupendra Singh Chundawat Bird communities in the Mojave Desert straddling the California/Nevada border have collapsed over the past 100 years, most likely because of lower rainfall due to climate change, according to a new University of California, Berkeley, study. A three-year survey of the area, which is larger than the state of New York, concludes that 30 percent, … Read more
The oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere was thanks, in part, to iron and silica particles in ancient seawater, according to a new study by geomicrobiologists at the University of Alberta. But these results solve only part of this ancient mystery. Early organisms called cyanobacteria produced oxygen through oxygenic photosynthesis, resulting in the oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere. … Read more
Listening to electro-magnetic waves around the Earth, converted to sound, is almost like listening to singing and chirping birds at dawn with a crackling camp fire nearby. This is why such waves are called chorus waves. They cause polar lights but also high-energy ‘killer’ electrons that can damage spacecraft. In a recent study to be … Read more
Key aspects of the ageing of human cells can be reversed by new compounds developed at the University of Exeter, research shows. In a laboratory study of endothelial cells — which line the inside of blood vessels — researchers tested compounds designed to target mitochondria (the “power stations” of cells). In the samples used in … Read more
Forty-four planets in solar systems beyond our own have been unveiled in one go, dwarfing the usual number of confirmations from extrasolar surveys, which is typically a dozen or less. The findings will improve our models of solar systems and may help researchers investigate exoplanet atmospheres. Novel techniques developed to validate the find could hugely … Read more
Children with allergies have a lower risk of developing complicated appendicitis, according to a new study from Lund University and Skåne University Hospital in Sweden. The findings, now published in JAMA Pediatrics, could pave the way for new diagnostic tools in the future. “In a study of all the children who underwent surgery for appendicitis … Read more
The health of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, who is admitted in Chennai’s Kauvery hospital for more than a week, has taken a turn for the worse. The hospital said maintaining his vital organ functions remains a challenge in view of his age-related ailments.”He is on continuous monitoring and being treated with active medical support. His … Read more
