Helping rain stay where it lands

"When it rains, it pours." This phrase is meant to mean that bad news comes in waves. Unfortunately, that's true with real rain, too. While rain is usually welcome for various reasons, in developed area like cities and towns, ...

The role of surface tension in biological symmetry

EPFL researchers have discovered that symmetry in the human body is influenced by surface tension, the same mechanical phenomenon that allows lightweight insects to walk on water. A paper discussing this surprising finding, ...

Peatlands clean up acid mine drainage

The pollution of groundwater and surface waters with sulfate and iron from acid mine drainage is a worldwide problem in post-mining landscapes. Researchers from the Humboldt University of Berlin (HU-Berlin) and the Leibniz ...

Ski jump: Flying or falling with style?

If you or I jump in the air as high as possible, we can stay off the ground for about half a second. Michael Jordan could stay aloft for almost one second. While there are many events at the Winter Olympics that feature athletes ...

The tiny structures that mimic a cell's natural environment

When biologists study cells under a microscope, they look at them on flat surfaces that are nothing like the environment inside the human body. Now, researchers at NTNU have found a way to mimic some aspects of a cell's native ...

How mercury gets into the sea

Mercury released into the atmosphere by industry enters the sea and from there makes its way into the food chain. Now, an analysis by the University of Basel has revealed how the harmful substance enters seawater in the first ...

A winning combination for glycoprotein synthesis

Many processes in the body are regulated by the functions of proteins. For example, almost all molecules—such as DNA, proteins, oligosaccharides, and small bioactive molecules—are generated by enzymes. However, changes ...

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