Articles by Diane Samson
Bacteria Can Alter Their Behavior To Navigate Microscopic 'Obstacle Course'
Researchers discovered that E.coli does not slow down when presented with obstacles. In an experiment, instead of swimming and tumbling, the bacteria changes its behavior to get to its target rapidly.
Some Types Of Yeast Doing Just Fine After Losing Anti-Mutation Genes
Researchers found a fast-evolving lineage of the yeast Hanseniaspora that has lost genes, including those that repair DNA and limit changes in the genome. They believe that the findings could offer insights that might help in the war against cancer.
Native American Burning Was Key Factor In Shaping Eastern US Forests
North American burning caused fire-resistant trees such as oak and pine to dominate forests in the eastern United States. However, when the practice stopped, fire-resistant trees started to lose ground.
Close To A Fourth Of Ice In West Antarctica At Risk Of Collapse
Ice thinning has spread across 24 percent of West Antarctica, affecting two of its largest ice streams. The loss of ice in Antarctica would contribute to global sea level rise.
Researchers Find Red Pigment In Ancient Fossil For The First Time
Using X-rays, researchers found that a now-extinct mouse that lived 3 million years ago had red fur and a white belly. The color of the animal could reveal clues about its evolutionary history.
Scientists Propose Turning Methane Into Carbon Dioxide To Fight Climate Change
Researchers suggested converting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, to the less dangerous carbon dioxide to prevent further warming. They claimed the process would return the atmosphere to preindustrial concentrations of methane.
Trash Found In Remote Islands Suggests That World's Plastic Problem Might Be Bigger Than Initially Thought
Researchers who surveyed Cocos Islands, Australia's last unspoiled paradise, found tons of plastic debris washed up on the beach. They estimated that there are 414 million pieces of plastic debris in the uninhabited islands.
NASA's Juno Discovers That Jupiter's Magnetic Field Is Changing
New readings made by the Juno spacecraft revealed small but distinct changes in the magnetic field of Jupiter. NASA scientists explained that the shifts are caused by the planet's atmospheric winds in the deep atmosphere.
Researchers Manage To Produce The Loudest Possible Underwater Sound
Researchers used an X-ray laser to produce a loud sound underwater. In a study, they reported that the sound reached 270 decibels or equivalent to the intensity of a jet plane taking off.
NASA Now Testing 'Bumble' Robot Assistant On-Board Space Station
Bumble and its companion Honey, two of the three Astrobee robots, arrived at the International Space Station last month. The free-flying cubes were designed to assist the crew in day-to-day tasks.
Scientists Find Telltale Signs Of Water On Ultima Thule
New Horizons mission scientists found traces of water ice, methanol, and organic materials on the surface of Ultima Thule. The Kuiper Belt object is the farthest ever explored by the spacecraft.
Biohacker Who Injected Himself With Gene-Editing Tech Now Under Investigation By Health Officials
A celebrity biohacker was summoned by California's Department of Consumer Affairs to discuss a complaint against him. The former NASA scientist and the CEO of The Odin was accused of practicing medicine without license.
Parents Play Important Role During Child's Early Puberty
When children begin puberty much earlier than their peers, it often leads to feelings of self-consciousness or embarrassment. Experts warned that this could cause mental health concerns that might continue until adulthood.
Researchers Go Deeper Into Reason Why People Forget Their Dreams After Waking
Dreaming is a regular part of sleep, but most of these dreams are forgotten. Scientists have answered why most dreams almost immediately disappear from the mind as soon as the sun comes up.
NASA Takes A Peek At Crater Made By Beresheet Spacecraft On Moon
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured the impact site of Israel's Beresheet spacecraft. The image shows a black smudge where the first privately built spacecraft on the Moon crash-landed a month ago.
Twitter Adds New Features Aimed At Curbing Anti-Vaxer Activity
Twitter joined Facebook and YouTube in the fight against the spread of misinformation online. The social media platform has announced a new tool that will prevent users from encountering anti-vaccine content.
Scientists Discover New Way For Volcanoes To Form
Researchers discovered that the volcano under Bermuda was formed due to a previously unknown process. In a study, they explained that a disturbance caused magma material to rise to the surface of the Earth.
Cunning Spider Uses Web 'Slingshot' To Take Down Prey
A triangle-weaver spider traps prey by creating a web that when released, it acts as a catapult or a slingshot. Researchers from the University of Akron in Ohio used high-speed cameras to observe the arachnids.
China's Lunar Rover Sends Back Interesting Data On History Of Lunar Mantle
Chinese scientists reported that the Chang'e-4 mission found rocks on the lunar surface that might have been blasted from the mantle billions of years ago. The discovery could provide clues about the evolution of the moon.
Experts Say Doctors Are Overtreating Thyroid Diseases
Patients with hypothyroidism might not see benefits from taking daily pills to replace their missing hormones, new research revealed. Researchers found that hormone therapy does not ease symptoms like weight gain and low mood.
Researchers Find Reason Behind Blandness Of Supermarket Tomatoes
Scientists revealed that a rare version of a gene that gives tomatoes flavor is missing in the cultivated variants that are often available in supermarkets. They believe that their study can give flavor back to tomatoes.
NASA Working On Solutions To Fix Limitations Of The Human Body During Spaceflight
Astronauts who will venture to the Moon and Mars will be subjected to cosmic radiation, lack of gravity, and other potential health risks. NASA is figuring out ways to protect future spacefarers from the harmful conditions of space.
'Super-Corals' From Hawaii Could Be The Secret To Saving World's Reefs
Heat-tolerant super-corals might be the key to saving coral reefs from around the world from climate change. Researchers found species of coral reefs that can be transplanted while maintaining its ability to withstand heat stress.
American Psychological Association Releases New Therapy Guidelines For 2019
The new guidelines released by the APA encourages mental health professionals to be more aware of biases and recognize the different experiences of girls and women. It offers new recommendations that reflect changes in the society for the past decade.
1.2 Million Pigs Culled In Vietnam In Effort To Combat African Swine Fever Spread
African swine fever virus has been detected in 29 provinces across Vietnam. According to the Southeast Asian country's government, over 1.2 million pigs have been culled to prevent the further spread of the highly-contagious and deadly disease.
Giant Hole In Mars Atmosphere Responsible For Loss Of Water On Red Planet
A team of researchers found two atmospheric processes that allow water vapor on Mars to reach the upper atmosphere where ultraviolet radiation splits it into hydrogen and oxygen. To this day, the Red Planet is still leaking hydrogen into space.
Chimps Raised In Captivity Spontaneously Learn How To Use Tools
Chimpanzees at the Kristiansand Zoo in Norway learned to use tree sticks and barks to dig for underground fruits. In a study, researchers observed the behaviors that the group of chimpanzees developed as they start using tools to harvest food.
Researchers Find Odd Mix And Ancient Creatures Trapped In Amber
Paleontologists found a chunk of amber that contains a curious assemblage of land and water creatures, including the shell of an ammonite. The researchers believe that the fossils are from around 100 million years ago.
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin Lunar Craft Is Comprised Of Several Multipurpose Modules
Jeff Bezos said that Blue Origin's Blue Moon can carry up to 14,000 pounds of the scientific payload, including multiple rovers, to the lunar surface. A crewed version is also in development.
Older Fathers Risk Health Of Unborn Children And Partners
Men should consider their own biological clock when planning their families. A new study found that, like women, men over the age of 45 experience physical changes that might affect the wellbeing of their partners and children.
