The electrons are trapped in an endless loop around the planet. In the swirl of a perfect solar storm, electrons can get trapped near Earth, where they can accelerate to nearly the speed of light. These electrons get their zip from surfing on waves of super-heated, charged gas called plasmaContinue Reading
Researchers are concocting molecules specially suited for use as quantum bits or sensors Quantum bits made from “designer molecules” are coming into fashion. By carefully tailoring the composition of molecules, researchers are creating chemical systems suited to a variety of quantum tasks. “The ability to control molecules … makes themContinue Reading
Spinning the right lines can accomplish feats of strength when muscle isn’t enough A small Steatoda spider used its own version of a pulleylike system, adding repeated silk threads to haul heavy loads, in this case, a lizard, upward bit by bit. Tangle web spiders, in the Theridiidae family,Continue Reading
Cosmic accelerators in the galaxy blast out extremely energetic particles, the find suggests The Milky Way glows with a gamma ray haze, with energies vastly exceeding anything physicists can produce on Earth, according to a new paper. Gamma rays detected in the study, to be published in Physical Review Letters,Continue Reading
This extra set of genes, never found in a vertebrate before, may help the reptile tolerate cold The lizard-like tuatara already was an oddball. Its superpowers include a century-long lifespan, resistance to many diseases and a unique tolerance (for a reptile) to the cold. Now, it turns out, a partContinue Reading
The different vocalizations may help colony members tell friend from foe When one naked mole-rat encounters another, the accent of their chirps might reveal whether they’re friends or foes. These social rodents are famous for their wrinkly, hairless appearance. But hang around one of their colonies for a while, andContinue Reading
Water-rich steam might envelop the far-flung planets, experiments suggest Burning bits of ground-up meteorites may tell scientists what exoplanets’ early atmospheres are made of. A set of experiments baking the pulverized space rocks suggests that rocky planets had early atmospheres full of water, astrophysicist Maggie Thompson of the University ofContinue Reading
Old-style science fieldwork finds an unknown bat in the sky islands of Africa’s Nimba Mountains Bats, better known for their mousy looks, can have a colorful side. A new species, discovered when two bats were caught at an abandoned miners’ tunnel in western Africa, sports showy swathes of orange fur.Continue Reading
Trace fossils are possible evidence of predatory behavior similar to modern bobbit worms Like modern bobbit worms, ancient worms may have dug holes in the seafloor to lie in wait before attacking their prey (illustrated), a new study suggests. Around 20 million years ago, giant ocean worms may have burrowedContinue Reading
Microbes that thrive in high nutrient settings deplete oxygen in water around the animals The mysterious culprit behind a deadly sea star disease is not an infection, as scientists once thought. Instead, multiple types of bacteria living within millimeters of sea stars’ skin deplete oxygen from the water and effectivelyContinue Reading
