We think we're the first advanced earthlings -- but how do we really know?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Imagine if, many millions of years ago, dinosaurs drove cars through cities of mile-high buildings. A preposterous idea, right? In a compelling thought experiment, scientists wonder how we would truly know if there were a past civilization so advanced that it left little or no trace of its impact on the planet.

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Course set to overcome mismatch between lab-designed nanomaterials and nature's complexity

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Advances in nanotechnology have made it possible to control the size, shape, composition, elasticity and chemical properties of laboratory-made nanomaterials. Yet many of these materials do not to function as expected in the body. In new research, the team homes in on biomembranes -- the gatekeeping bilipid-layers and proteins surrounding cells. They explore the barriers a synthetic nanomaterial must breach to enter a cell and achieve its intended purpose.

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Are the media all 'doom and gloom'? Not when it comes to coverage of our oceans

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J The news media are often accused by adopting a 'doom and gloom' tone, especially when it comes to coverage of the environment. However, a new study on how journalists report on the state of our oceans shows that view may be misguided.

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How does one prepare for adverse weather events? Depends on your past experiences

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J With much of the central plains and Midwest now entering peak tornado season, the impact of these potentially devastating weather events will be shaped in large part by how individuals think about and prepare for them. A new study shows that people's past experiences with tornadoes inform how they approach this type of extreme weather in the future, including their perception of the risk.

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Timing is everything: Researchers describe genetic clockwork in germ cell development

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J The nematode C. elegans is truly an organizational talent: The tiny animals live for only two to three weeks, with sexual maturity lasting only four days. They still manage to generate over 300 offspring during this period. For this ambitious development program to function optimally, a large number of processes must be synchronized within their cells. Geneticists have deciphered a central signalling pathway that encodes and controls these processes.

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Dinosaurs ended -- and originated -- with a bang!

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J It is commonly understood that the dinosaurs disappeared with a bang -- wiped out by a great meteorite impact on the Earth 66 million years ago. But their origins have been less understood. In a new study, scientists show that the key expansion of dinosaurs was also triggered by a crisis -- a mass extinction that happened 232 million years ago.

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Virtual contact lenses for radar satellites

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J Radar satellites supply the data used to map sea level and ocean currents. However, up until now the radar's 'eyes' have been blind where the oceans are covered by ice. Researchers have now developed a new analysis method to solve this problem.

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