Science X Dialog
Science X Dialog is where researchers can share news and information about their own published journal articles.
How to apply
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/wefoundawayt.jpg)
Dialog / We found a way to trap stable flies: their dung preferences helped us
Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) are cold-blooded pests. They feed on the blood of their hosts, which include cattle, camels, horses, dogs and humans. During their feeding they can mechanically transmit viruses and bacteria ...
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/artificialso.jpg)
Dialog / Artificial soft-touch fingers: A new class of low-voltage smart device
Soft actuators are an exciting class of smart devices that are actuated by an external stimulus such as light, temperature, electric potential or pneumatic pressure. Softness is one of the main advantages of these actuators. ...
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/warpfactorwe.jpg)
Dialog / Warp factor: We've observed a spinning star that drags the fabric of space and time
One of the predictions of Einstein's general theory of relativity is that any spinning body drags the very fabric of space-time in its vicinity around with it. This is known as "frame-dragging."
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/howwerecruit.jpg)
Dialog / How we recruited albatrosses to patrol the high seas for illegal fishers
Wandering albatrosses have long been considered exceptional creatures. They can fly 8.5 million kilometres during their lifetimes – the equivalent of flying to the Moon and back more than ten times. Their three-and-a-half-metre ...
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/beeslearnbet.jpg)
Dialog / Bees learn better when they can explore—and humans might, too
Understanding how humans learn is one key to improving teaching practices and advancing education. Does everybody learn in the same way, or do different people need different teaching styles?
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/howwefoundas.jpg)
Dialog / How we found a special mathematical equation hidden in rat whiskers
Rats have up to 70 whiskers on their faces, varying hugely in size and shape. Almost every mammal possesses whiskers, but these rodents are what we call "whisker specialists," meaning they have super-sensitive, movable hairs ...
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/5e2acae9e29e1.jpg)
Dialog / Chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer: Disrupting cellular metabolism offers potential treatment
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most formidable human malignancies.
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/evenplanetsh.jpg)
Dialog / Even planets have their (size) limits
Scientists have discovered over 4,000 exoplanets outside of our Solar System, according to NASA's Exoplanet Archive.
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/nativepeople.jpg)
Dialog / Native people did not use fire to shape New England's landscape
An interpretive sign stands at the edge of the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area, a 1,500-acre state conservation property in central Massachusetts. It explains the site's open land vegetation has been shaped by "millennia ...
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/5e2564b77158b.jpg)
Dialog / Lithium extraction from seawater by nanostructured membranes
Researchers predict that the supply of the energy-critical element lithium will soon be less than its continuously increasing demand, which will make lithium a strategically influential element. The amount of Li+ in seawater ...
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/dialoghowcha.jpg)
Dialog / How chaperones promote correct shapes of proteins even under denaturing stress conditions
Proteins are macromolecules synthesized under the control of DNA and perform almost all functions in our cells. However, they must fold into their unique three-dimensional structures to fulfill their biological activities. ...
![](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/325u/2020/wefoundthege.jpg)
Dialog / We found the genes that allowed plants to colonize land 500 million years ago
The world 500 million years ago looked very different to today. The land was bare, with only bacteria, fungi and algae able to survive on it. Everything else lived in the ocean, but once plants moved onto land, they changed ...