Articles by Krystal Kasal
Phys.org / Bearded Vulture nests found to have hoards of cultural artifacts—some up to 650 years old
Many people have probably seen birds picking up small pieces of man-made materials, like strips of a plastic bag or paper litter, and taking them into their nest. This behavior appears to be fairly widespread among birds. ...
Phys.org / Infrared data from the James Webb Telescope reveals more structural details of M87's black hole jet
Scientists have long been aware of the massive elliptical galaxy, M87. The galaxy was first observed in the late 18th century by Charles Messier, who cataloged objects in the sky specifically to avoid them when looking for ...
Phys.org / Microlightning might provide long-sought explanation for will-o'-the-wisps
For centuries, people have described strange blue balls of light floating around in marshes, wetlands, and even cemeteries. It's no surprise that these mysterious flames, termed "will-o'-the-wisps" or ignis fatuus, have spurred ...
Phys.org / Scientists discover 63 new young asteroid families—more than doubling the previous number
Young asteroids—which formed much later than those that were created during the formation of our solar system—are typically created when larger asteroids, planetesimals, or comets collide and break up into smaller pieces. ...
Phys.org / Termite observations reveal their sophisticated technique to prevent contamination in fungal crop
Some species of termites are known to cultivate their own crops of fungus within their nests, similar to the way humans maintain farms to feed people. One such species is Odontotermes obesus, which cultivates the fungus Termitomyces. ...
Phys.org / Guts of endangered Indus River dolphins found to be inundated with microplastics
Microplastics are a growing problem worldwide. They disrupt ecosystems and contribute to adverse effects, like metabolic disorders, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and developmental toxicity in the bodies of various organisms ...
Phys.org / Mysterious moon rust explained by oxygen coming from Earth's 'wind'
In 2020, scientists reported the detection of hematite, an iron oxide mineral otherwise known as rust, distributed through the higher latitudes of the moon, particularly on the nearside. This came as a surprise, considering ...
Phys.org / Pianists' subtle finger movements influence variations in timbre, according to new study
While it is known that auditory characteristics like loudness and tempo are associated with the physical movements of musicians, more subtle features, like timbre (also known as the "tone color" or tonal quality), are not ...
Phys.org / New, improved 3,000-qubit neutral atom array system reloads atoms continuously for more than two hours
The neutral atom array architecture for quantum computing has been rapidly advancing over the last several years, and a recent study published in Nature has just revealed another step forward for this technology. The team ...
Tech Xplore / Bird-like robot with novel wing system achieves self-takeoff and low-speed flight
In 2021, a group of scientists from China engineered the RoboFalcon—a bird-inspired flapping-wing robot with a newly engineered mechanism made to drive bat-style morphing wings capable of flight. While this bio-inspired robot ...
Phys.org / Jaguar swims over a kilometer, showing dams are not absolute barriers to large carnivores
Scientists in Brazil recently recorded evidence that a jaguar visited an isolated island in the reservoir area of the Serra da Mesa Hydroelectric Power Dam in northern Goiás State. The same jaguar had been identified on the ...
Phys.org / New evidence points to two distinct Australian tektite groups with different origins
Throughout the planet, there are only a handful of known tektite strewn fields, which are large swaths of land where natural glass (tektite) was strewn about after forming from terrestrial material and being ejected from ...
Phys.org / Oysters might offer a way to remove more carbon from the ocean while providing a sustainable food source
Many researchers are looking toward aquaculture as a way to reduce carbon, while also producing food. Yet, in some cases, it is unclear whether these methods offer a way to reduce carbon or if they're just another source ...
Phys.org / Scientists engineer plants to double carbon uptake ability and produce more seeds and lipids
Typically, plants rely on the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle to convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to usable organic matter for growth. Although this cycle is the main pathway for carbon fixation in all plants on ...
Phys.org / New metrics indicate habitat fragmentation has increased in over half the world's forests over the last 20 years
Deforestation is a well-known issue affecting biodiversity and carbon storage, but the fragmentation of forests is also a driving factor in the reduction of the world's biodiversity and carbon-storing abilities.
