Archive for the ‘evolution’ category: Page 8
May 25, 2024
Alex Rosenberg | Intentionality, Evolution
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: biological, evolution, neuroscience
Alex Rosenberg is the R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. His research focuses on the philosophy of biology and science more generally, mind, and economics.
/ friction.
/ discord.
/ frictionphilo.
Continue reading “Alex Rosenberg | Intentionality, Evolution” »
May 24, 2024
Webb Space Telescope Rewrites the Rules of Galactic Evolution
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: evolution, space
Advanced observations by the JWST indicate that early galaxies matured faster and were less chaotic, challenging previous theories of galaxy evolution.
New research has revealed that the Universe’s early galaxies were less turbulent and developed more rapidly than previously believed. This research, led by an international team from Durham University, utilized the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to find evidence of bar formation when the Universe was only a few billion years old.
Continue reading “Webb Space Telescope Rewrites the Rules of Galactic Evolution” »
May 21, 2024
Darwin Revisited: Modern Data Sheds Light on Ancient Evolutionary Theories
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in category: evolution
Ever since Darwin introduced his groundbreaking theory of evolution, biologists have been captivated by the complex processes that enable species to evolve.
Can mechanisms responsible for the evolution of a species over a few generations, called microevolution, also explain how species evolve over periods of time extending to thousands or millions of generations, also called macroevolution?
A new paper, just published in Science, shows that the ability of populations to evolve and adapt over a few generations, called evolvability, effectively helps us understand how evolution works on much longer timescales.
May 21, 2024
Pandemic Potential: New Research Shows H5N1 Bird Flu Can Transmit Through Air
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: biotech/medical, evolution, surveillance
In March, the United States reported its first detection of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in dairy cattle, with outbreaks spreading to nine states by May. The transmission method among cattle remains unclear. However, a study published in the journal Nature Communications revealed that a similar H5N1 strain, subtype clade 2.3.4.4b, which previously caused an outbreak in farmed mink in 2022, was capable of airborne transmission to a small group of ferrets.
This is the first time that a member of the group of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses has been shown to exhibit this ability. According to the Penn State researchers who led the study, the findings suggest these viruses are evolving to infect mammals and with potentially increased risk to humans.
“While there is no evidence that the strain of H5N1 that is presently affecting dairy cattle is capable of airborne transmission, our study suggests that another member of this family of viruses has evolved some degree of airborne transmissibility,” said Troy Sutton, associate professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, Penn State, and corresponding author on the paper. “This finding underscores the importance of continued surveillance to monitor the evolution of these viruses and their spillover into other mammals, including humans.”
May 20, 2024
New Findings on WASP-107 b Challenge Assumptions About Gas Giant Composition
Posted by Laurence Tognetti, Labroots Inc. in categories: chemistry, evolution, space
“The planet has a hot core, and that heat source is changing the chemistry of the gases deeper down, but it’s also driving this strong, convective mixing bubbling up from the interior,” said Zafar Rustamkulov.
Gas giant planets within our solar system and exoplanets outside our solar system are known to possess large amounts of gas and small cores, but what if an exoplanet was found to exhibit opposite characteristics? This is what a study published today in Nature hopes to address as a team of international researchers investigated the physical and atmospheric characteristics of WASP-107 b, which is located just over 200 light-years from Earth and has been found to have unique interior characteristics compared to previously discovered exoplanets. These unique findings hold the potential to challenge our understanding of the formation and evolution of gas giant exoplanets, which continue to demonstrate stark contrasts to planets within our solar system.
For the study, the researchers used NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe WASP-107 b, discovering that while its radius is slightly less than Jupiter, its mass is only 10 percent of the largest planet in our solar system. Additionally, WASP-107 b possesses methane levels that are one thousand times less than what astronomers anticipated finding, along with having a core whose mass is 12 times larger than the Earth.
Continue reading “New Findings on WASP-107 b Challenge Assumptions About Gas Giant Composition” »
May 18, 2024
The Making of Mankind: Evolutionary Insights into the Origin and Rise of Homo Sapiens
Posted by Alex Vikoulov in category: evolution
Humans are arguably the most peculiar species that has ever existed.
Acknowledging the unique aspects of human evolution underscores our extraordinary place in the grander scheme—a species with one foot in the natural world and the other in a realm of conscious self-awareness and purpose. This dual heritage suggests„.
May 17, 2024
Milky Way’s halo is filled with ‘magnetic donuts’ as wide as 100,000 light-years
Posted by Shubham Ghosh Roy in categories: evolution, space
The discovery could help better understand the origin and evolution of magnetic fields in the cosmos, a mystery that has baffled astronomers for decades.
Related: Scientists reveal never-before-seen map of the Milky Way’s central engine (image)
The new study was led by National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) scientists Xu Jun and Han Jinlin.
May 17, 2024
A new ‘rule of biology’ may have come to light, expanding insight into evolution and aging
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: biological, evolution, life extension
A molecular biologist at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences may have found a new “rule of biology.”
May 16, 2024
SPECULOOS Project Discovers Earth-Sized Planet Around Ultra-Cool Star
Posted by Laurence Tognetti, Labroots Inc. in categories: evolution, space
SPECULOOS-3 b is practically the same size as our planet,” said Dr. Michaël Gillon. “A year, i.e. an orbit around the star, lasts around 17 hours. Days and nights, on the other hand, should never end.
What types of exoplanets can dwarf stars possess? This is what a recent study published in Nature Astronomy hopes to address as a team of international researchers announced the discovery of SPECULOOS 3 b, which is an Earth-sized exoplanet located approximately 55 light-years from Earth orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star. What makes this study unique is astronomers know very little about dwarf stars and the exoplanets that could potentially orbit them, despite the number of dwarf stars outnumbering Sun-like stars throughout the cosmos. This study holds the potential to help astronomers better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanets around smaller stars and what the implications for finding life beyond Earth.
“SPECULOOS-3 b is practically the same size as our planet,” said Dr. Michaël Gillon, who is a professor at the University of Liège and first author of the study. “A year, i.e. an orbit around the star, lasts around 17 hours. Days and nights, on the other hand, should never end. We believe that the planet rotates synchronously, so that the same side, called the day side, always faces the star, just like the Moon does for the Earth. On the other hand, the night side hand, would be locked in endless darkness.”
Continue reading “SPECULOOS Project Discovers Earth-Sized Planet Around Ultra-Cool Star” »