Science X Dialog

Science X Dialog is where researchers can share news and information about their own published journal articles.
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Dialog / DNA 'Lite-Brite' is a promising way to archive data for decades or longer

We and our colleagues have developed a way to store data using pegs and pegboards made out of DNA and retrieving the data with a microscope—a molecular version of the Lite-Brite toy. Our prototype stores information in ...

May 10, 2021 in Biology
Dialog / A metropolis in medieval Cambodia: How many people lived in the Angkor Empire over time

How big were the world's ancient cities? At its height, the world's first city of Uruk may have had about 40,000 people about 5,000 years ago. In the medieval period, London may have had a population of about a quarter of ...

May 10, 2021 in Other Sciences
Dialog / Cancer: How one type of RNA could be the future of treatment

Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. So, in order to treat or cure almost any disease or condition—including cancer—you first need to have a fundamental understanding of cell biology.

May 7, 2021 in Medicine & Health
Dialog / How we discovered the oldest human burial in Africa – and what it tells us about our ancestors

How did human uniqueness first evolve among our ancestors, setting us apart from other animals? That is a question many archaeologists are grappling with by investigating early records of art, language, food preparation, ...

May 6, 2021 in Other Sciences
Dialog / Early humans used fire to permanently change the landscape tens of thousands of years ago in Stone Age Africa

Fields of rust-colored soil, spindly cassava, small farms and villages dot the landscape. Dust and smoke blur the mountains visible beyond massive Lake Malawi. Here in tropical Africa, you can't escape the signs of human ...

May 6, 2021 in Other Sciences
Dialog / Humans weren't to blame for the extinction of prehistoric island-dwelling animals

From the moas of New Zealand to the dodos of Mauritius, humans have hunted many island-dwelling species to extinction in the relatively recent past. But our research reveals humans haven't always necessarily been agents of ...

May 4, 2021 in Biology
Dialog / We're all ingesting microplastics at home—here are some tips to reduce your risk

Australians are eating and inhaling significant numbers of tiny plastics at home, our new research shows.

Apr 28, 2021 in Earth
Dialog / Warp drives: Physicists give chances of faster-than-light space travel a boost

The closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri. It is about 4.25 light-years away, or about 25 trillion miles (40 trillion km). The fastest ever spacecraft, the now- in-space Parker Solar Probe will reach a top speed of 450,000 ...

Apr 26, 2021 in Physics
Dialog / The Tasmanian tiger was no wolfish predator—it hunted small prey

The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger, is an Aussie icon. It was the largest historical marsupial predator and a powerful example of human-caused extinction. And despite being extinct ...

Apr 22, 2021 in Biology
Dialog / Fat-footed tyrannosaur parents couldn't keep up with their skinnier offspring, fossil footprints reveal

Tyrannosaurus rex is perhaps the most famous of all dinosaurs. It and its closest kin, a group referred to as "tyrannosaurs," have been embedded in popular culture as powerful and mobile predators.

Apr 21, 2021 in Biology
Dialog / How the amazing engineering of army ants can make us smarter creators

Army ants (Eciton burchellii) are known for their vast foraging raids. Hundreds of thousands of ants flow like a river from their nest site, scouring the jungle as they prey on anything unable to escape the swarm.

Apr 20, 2021 in Other Sciences
Dialog / Prehistoric cave painters might have been 'high' on oxygen deprivation, new study suggests

Long before the emergence of writing, Palaeolithic cave paintings represent the very first examples of human visual culture. They provide a shadowy glimpse of a prehistoric world in which signs were beginning to be used to ...

Apr 20, 2021 in Other Sciences