Last autumn, the world was excited by the discovery of an exoplanet called Ross 128 b, which is just 11 light years away from Earth. New work from a team led by Diogo Souto of Brazil's Observatório Nacional and including ...
Astronomy
Jul 10, 2018
1
194
Researchers reporting in Current Biology on April 19 show that male fruit flies find sex—and more specifically ejaculation—to be an inherently rewarding experience. The study is the first to show that the rewarding nature ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 19, 2018
0
96
Imagine a single particle, only one-tenth the diameter of a bacterium, whose miniscule jiggles induce sustained vibrations in an entire mechanical device some 50 times larger. By taking clever advantage of the interplay between ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 9, 2018
1
375
A team of researchers has developed a light-activated switch that can turn genes on and off in mammalian cells. This is the most efficient so-called "optogenetic switch" activated by red and far-red light that has been successfully ...
Biotechnology
Mar 13, 2018
0
14
ETH chemists have synthesised several variants of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. Its structure can be altered with light, and the researchers have used this to create a new tool that can be used to more effectively ...
Biochemistry
Jan 11, 2018
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47
By mimicking the eye of the mantis shrimp, Illinois researchers have developed an ultra-sensitive camera capable of sensing both color and polarization. The bioinspired imager can potentially improve early cancer detection ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 13, 2017
0
228
Sunlight allows green algae to do more than just carry out photosynthesis. Some unicellular algae actually use light to switch the adhesion of their flagella to surfaces on and off – a phenomenon first discovered by physicists ...
General Physics
Sep 29, 2017
0
16
In everyday life, ultraviolet, or UV, light earns a bad reputation for being responsible for sunburns and other harmful effects on humans. However, research suggests that UV light may have played a critical role in the emergence ...
Astronomy
Aug 31, 2017
4
344
Cool dwarf stars are hot targets for exoplanet hunting right now. The discoveries of planets in the habitable zones of the TRAPPIST-1 and LHS 1140 systems, for example, suggest that Earth-sized worlds might circle billions ...
Astronomy
Jun 6, 2017
8
112
If asked the colour of the ocean, most people would rightly say "blue." The reason is that pure water absorbs long wavelength red light very strongly, but lets the shorter blue wavelengths pass. If you cut yourself while ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 22, 2016
0
187
