While fecal transplants are being cautiously explored by mainstream scientists as novel treatments for everything from autism to inflammatory bowel disease, a new study led by University of Queensland researchers is suggesting the technique may help koalas in Australia adapt to new habitats.
.. Continue Reading How fecal transplants may save Australia’s threatened koala population
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has provided new insights into a rocky exoplanet that may be very similar to the planet Mercury or Earth's Moon. Orbiting an M-type dwarf star 48.6 light years from Earth in the constellation of Indus, LHS 3844b is 1.3 times the mass of our planet, probably airless, and covered with lava plains resembling the lunar maria.
.. Continue Reading NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope sheds light on Moon-like exoplanet
A new study from a team of Canadian researchers is rekindling a long-standing divisive debate around the link between fluoride and IQ. The observational research suggests exposure to fluoride in pregnancy can result in lower IQ scores in children, however, many experts have quickly responded, calling the findings "weak" and "non-significant."
.. Continue Reading Controversial new study rekindles link between fluoride and low IQ in children
NASA has given the official go-ahead for the Europa Clipper deep-space mission to make a detailed survey of one of Jupiter's largest moons. Scheduled to launch in about 2025, the unmanned mission can now proceed to its final design phase ahead of the building and testing of the spacecraft and its instruments.
.. Continue Reading NASA confirms Europa Clipper mission to study Jupiter's icy moon
While the collector car auctions suffered a significant downturn during Monterey Car Week this year, the motorcycles that went to auction had some very strong results, with two Crockers selling into the five most valuable motorcycles of all time, and the most expensive Indian of all-time being sold, too. There were some outlier results, and some bargains as well.
.. Continue Reading Top 25 most expensive motorcycles sold in Monterey 2019
It has been a rocky start to life for The Ocean Cleanup's U-shaped barriers, which it hopes will sweep through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch collecting plastic waste that can be hauled back to shore and recycled. The team is now reporting to have overcome a significant stumbling block, using a novel parachute-anchor mechanism to correct speed-related troubles plaguing its earlier approach to ocean-going garbage collection.
.. Continue Reading Ocean Cleanup attaches parachutes to trash-collecting barriers to maintain steady speeds
New research led by a team of scientists in Canada has demonstrated how a high-fat diet can disrupt levels of an intestinal immune cell known to help regulate microbial populations in the gut. The study describes how low levels of this molecule result in increased growth of harmful gut bacteria, leading to inflammation and insulin resistance.
.. Continue Reading Study finds key gut immune molecule links obesity, the microbiome, and metabolic disorders
Following months of shadowy silhouettes and dramatic renderings, Aston Martin has given fans a first real look at the forthcoming Valhalla hypercar in action. Taking to the track at Silverstone in the UK, the Formula One-infused mid-engine coupe was shown off alongside its sibling, the Valkyrie hypercar, ahead of a planned 2021 production.
.. Continue Reading Aston Martin lets its Valhalla hypercar off the leash at Silverstone
A new US Air Force kit that can turn a conventional aircraft into a robotic one has completed its maiden flight. Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and DZYNE Technologies Incorporated as part of the Robotic Pilot Unmanned Conversion Program, the ROBOpilot made its first two-hour flight on August 9 at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah after being installed in a 1968 Cessna 206 small aircraft.
.. Continue Reading ROBOpilot makes maiden flight in US Air Force tests
New Zealand was not only home to prehistoric giant parrots, but monster penguins as well. A set of bones found by amateur paleontologist Leigh Love in 2018 at the Waipara Greensand fossil site in North Canterbury in 2018 have been confirmed as belonging to a new species of extinct penguin standing 1.6 m (5.2 ft) and weighing up to 80 kg (176 lb).
.. Continue Reading Early "monster" penguin found in New Zealand
Germany's Frankia doesn't just name its new camper van "Yucon" to send visions of epic trips amidst colossal mountains and glacial turquoise dancing through your head. Naming the Sprinter van after Canada's sparsely populated northwestern territory also emphasizes the sheer feeling of size and space inside. With the Yucon, Frankia packs a roomy living area derived from its larger motorhomes within the compact driving footprint of a camper van. Clever space-saving features slide and swivel throughout this "microliner."
.. Continue Reading Mercedes camper van blows van life open with spacious, motorhome-style interior
NASA's Mars 2020 rover has received a key piece of equipment for the collection, containment, and eventual return to Earth of samples of the Red Planet. At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. California, engineers have installed the bit carousel of the Sample Caching System that will be used to store and sort out the tools and containers for core samples as well as move them about inside the rover for processing.
.. Continue Reading NASA installs robotic toolkit in Mars 2020 rover
After spending years baking in the New Mexico desert, Virgin Galactic has declared its Gateway to Space building at Spaceport America "operationally functional." In a media event on Thursday, company officials unveiled the interior of the facility that will act as both Mission Control and the departure/arrival lounge for space tourists flying on the company's SpaceShipTwo suborbital spacecraft.
.. Continue Reading Virgin Galactic pulls back curtain on "Gateway to Space"
July 2019 has been found to be the hottest month ever recorded, which is news that won't surprise anybody who sweated through the heat wave that gripped Europe, North America and indeed much of the Northern Hemisphere this summer. This continues a long-running upwards trend, with the first six months of the year tied for second hottest and sea ice at an all-time low at both poles.
.. Continue Reading July 2019 was the hottest month on record, says new report
A team of US scientists is embarking on an immense project to catalog all the genes in the collective human microbiome. In the team's first published study an astounding 46 million genes have been chronicled from just 3,500 human microbiome samples. Half of those genes are unique to single human samples.
.. Continue Reading More genes in the human microbiome than stars in the observable universe
Garmin has introduced a new wristwatch for the military-minded, adding to its Instinct series of timepieces with a rugged iteration that might be of interest to folks operating after dark. The Instinct Tactical Edition features all the hallmarks of a modern-day smartwatch, but with a stealth mode for concealing a user's location and a special mode for wearers of night vision goggles.
.. Continue Reading Garmin's tough new Tactical Edition watch comes with stealth mode and night vision support
New research, led by a team of scientists from the University of Cambridge, has demonstrated a way to rejuvenate old, dysfunctional brain stem cells, making them act young again. The technique points to potential new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), but also broader ways to reverse general age-related brain changes.
.. Continue Reading Cambridge study reverses aging of key brain stem cells in rodents
Scientists at Cornell University say that life-bearing exoplanets may be detectable by their soft glow. Based on laboratory studies, the team led by Jack O'Malley-James at Cornell's Carl Sagan Institute believes that a mechanism that protects organisms from hard ultraviolet radiation could make worlds beyond the solar system radiate a soft, detectable light.
.. Continue Reading Life on exoplanets may give off a fluorescent glow
The customized Myers Manx dune buggy in which Steve McQueen took Faye Dunaway on a full-noise drive in the sand dunes in the 1968 movie The Thomas Crown Affair, is heading to auction. The VW Beetle-based buggy was customized for the film with a 230-hp Chevy Corvair flat-six, and the restored original movie car will go to auction at Bonhams' Amelia Island auction in March, 2020.
.. Continue Reading Steve McQueen's "Thomas Crown Affair" Dune Buggy heads for auction
Perhaps in retaliation for the mean things people said about the brand after Dieselgate, Volkswagen has decided to inflict a convertible crossover on the motoring world with today's release of the T-Roc Cabriolet.
.. Continue Reading Volkswagen delivers on its threat of a T-Roc convertible crossover