AMES, Iowa - Nature has worked for eons to perfect surface textures that protect, hide and otherwise help all kinds of creatures survive.
There's the shiny, light-scattering texture of blue morpho butterfly wings, the rough, drag-reducing texture of shark skin and the sticky, yet water-repelling texture of rose petals.
Neighbourhoods with high bikeability and walkability scores actually present higher crash risks to cyclists and pedestrians in Vancouver, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.
Scoliosis is the most common spinal deformity affecting pediatric patients. A posterior spinal fusion (PSF) is the gold standard treatment for patients with curves exceeding 45 degrees, but the procedure's drawbacks include the loss of spinal mobility, persistent pain and adjacent segment disc disease. However, a new retrospective study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and MU Health Care shows an alternative to PSF called vertebral body tethering (VBT) yields promising results with fewer long-term consequences for a specific group of scoliosis patients.
A research project on algal blooms along the Swedish coast, caused by eutrophication, revealed that large predators such as perch and pike are also necessary to restrict these blooms. Ecologist Britas Klemens Eriksson from the University of Groningen and his colleagues from Stockholm University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden have now shown that stickleback domination moves like a wave through the island archipelagos, changing the ecosystem from predator-dominated to algae-dominated.
AMHERST, Mass. - In results released this week, an international team of wildlife ecologists reports that the trend toward more reliance on private game farms and reserves to manage and conserve free-ranging carnivores in South Africa is more complicated than it appears - "a mosaic" of unequal protection across different land management types.
Scientists of the School of Natural Sciences of Far Eastern Federal University (SNS FEFU) with colleagues from Russia, South Korea, and Australia suggest the breaking new ground approach to manage spin-electronic properties and functionality of the thin-film magnetic nanosystems. The method is important for the development of a new generation of tiny electronics (spin-orbitronics) and superfast high-capacity computer memory. A related article appears in NPG Asia Materials.
A drug used to treat gout, probenecid, may improve heart function in individuals with a particular heart defect, according to results from a small pilot study run by a University of Cincinnati researcher.
Jack Rubinstein, MD, associate professor in the UC College of Medicine and UC Health cardiologist, conducted a randomized double-blind trial which included eight participants who had palliative surgery to correct a condition of the heart known as congenital univentricular circulation. Each participant received probenecid or a placebo during a 12-week period.
Scientists have long suspected that ocean acidification is affecting corals' ability to build their skeletons, but it has been challenging to isolate its effect from that of simultaneous warming ocean temperatures, which also influence coral growth. New research from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reveals the distinct impact that ocean acidification is having on coral growth on some of the world's iconic reefs.
Among the many winter survival strategies in the animal world, hibernation is one of the most common. With limited food and energy sources during winters - especially in areas close to or within polar regions - many animals hibernate to survive the cold, dark winters. Though much is known behaviorally on animal hibernation, it is difficult to study in fossils.
The Earth is the only planet known to have liquid water on its surface, a fundamental characteristic when it comes to explaining the emergence of life. However, was this water always present in the rocks that made up our planet? Alternatively, was it delivered later by asteroids and comets that bombarded the Earth? Or did the Earth's water originate from a combination of both sources?