Could lumpy metallic rocks in the deepest, darkest reaches of the ocean be making oxygen in the absence of sunlight?
Some scientists think so, but others have challenged the claim that so-called “dark oxygen” is being produced in the lightless abyss of the seabed.
The discovery—detailed last July in the journal Nature Geoscience —called into question long-held assumptions about the origins of life on Earth, and sparked intense scientific debate.
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11:30 — Tantalum for copper is not a dielectric. Thanks to Patreon Tanj for the correction.
Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models have been vying for the lead — with the U.S. and China hotbeds for the technology.
GenAI tools are able to create images, videos, or written works as well as answer questions or tend to online tasks based on simple prompts.
These AI assistants stand out for their popularity and sophistication.
Join the free, hour-long Journal of Virology Seminar Series webinars, where authors will present their recently published Journal of Virology® (JVI) articles and share the story behind their research with the wider academic community. Presentations are followed by an open forum panel discussion with all speakers and participants. JVI editors will moderate the sessions, including the discussion and live Q&A.
Join us for the second webinar in the Journal of Virology Seminar Series, where we’ll explore the New York City Virus Hunters community science initiative. Christine Marizzi, Ph.D., and Phillip Meade, Ph.D., will introduce this exciting program, which brings together community scientists, veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators and virologists to generate actionable data in urban areas and help prepare for future pandemics.
During the seminar, the New York City Virus Hunters team will share their latest findings on avian influenza in the city’s wild bird population. Program alumni Kailani Gaynor and Sadia Choudhury will also discuss their experiences as youth researchers. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and learn about the critical role of community science in virology.
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It is a deep question, from deep in our history: when did human language as we know it emerge? A new survey of genomic evidence suggests our unique language capacity was present at least 135,000 years ago. Subsequently, language might have entered social use 100,000 years ago.
Our species, Homo sapiens, is about 230,000 years old. Estimates of when language originated vary widely, based on different forms of evidence, from fossils to cultural artifacts. The authors of the new analysis took a different approach. They reasoned that since all human languages likely have a common origin —as the researchers strongly think—the key question is how far back in time regional groups began spreading around the world.
“The logic is very simple,” says Shigeru Miyagawa, an MIT professor and co-author of a new paper summarizing the results.
Have you ever left a bottle of liquid in the freezer, only to find it cracked or shattered? To save you from tedious freezer cleanups, researchers at the University of Amsterdam have investigated why this happens, and how to prevent it. They discovered that while the liquid is freezing, pockets of liquid can get trapped inside the ice. When these pockets eventually freeze, the sudden expansion creates extreme pressure—enough to break glass.
“Newton had an apple fall on his head. I found my freezer full of broken glass,” says Menno Demmenie, first author of the new study that was recently published in Scientific Reports.
He continues, “The usual explanation for frost damage is that water expands when it freezes, but this does not explain why half-filled bottles also burst in our freezers. Our work addresses how ice can break a bottle even when it has plenty of space to expand into.”