Tag Archives: Robotics

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Oct. 10, 2024

Volume 634 Issue 8033

Nature Magazine – October 9, 2024: The latest issue features ‘Cold Comfort’ – Permafrost helps protect rivers from errosian and migration..

Hundreds of methane super-sources pinpointed in satellite data

Algorithm homes in on wetlands and industrial sites linked to high emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas.

Baby sea turtles ‘swim’ up from buried nests to the open air

Turtle hatchlings, which can begin life up to a metre deep in sand, point their heads towards the surface and make their way out onto the beach.

How a potent immune therapy loses its punch against a blood cancer

Therapeutic T cells used to treat acute myeloid leukaemia secrete proteins that impair the cells’ own ability to attack cancer.

A ‘Swiss army knife’ microscope that doesn’t break the bank

The parts of a 3D-printed device can be changed out, allowing for versatility as well as ultrahigh resolution.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Oct. 3, 2024

Volume 634 Issue 8032

Nature Magazine – October 2, 2024: The latest issue features ‘Wiring Diagram’ – A complete map of neuronal connections in an adult fruit fly’s brain…

Why cannibal queens make a meal of fungus-ridden larvae

Ant larvae infected with a pathogenic fungus had better watch out for Mum.

Bronze Age clash was Europe’s oldest known interregional battle

Artefacts found in modern-day Germany suggest that northern and southern peoples clashed in the Tollense Valley millennia ago.

Mathematicians discover new class of shape seen throughout nature

‘Soft cells’ — shapes with rounded corners and pointed tips that fit together on a plane — feature in onions, molluscs and more.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Sept. 26, 2024

Volume 633 Issue 8031

Nature Magazine – September 18, 2024: The latest issue features ‘Hostile Takeover’ – Parasitic wasp targets adult fruit flies to host its offspring…

Black holes as big as atoms might be speeding through the Solar System

Primordial black holes, which are smaller than their better-known cousins, visit the inner Solar System once a decade, simulations suggest.

This ‘scuba diving’ lizard has a self-made air supply

A bubble of air on its snout extends the water anole’s underwater time by more than a minute.

Thalidomide-like drug staunches bleeding from genetic disease

Severe nosebleeds caused by hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia dwindled in people who took a drug used to treat cancer

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Sept. 19, 2024

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Nature Magazine – September 18, 2024: The latest issue features ‘Jumbo Jets’ – Record-breaking beams from a supermassive black hole…

Brain region boosts avoidance of unpleasantness and pain — in mice

Discovery could help to identify ways to prevent relapse into opioid usage.

The Amazon’s gargantuan gardeners: manatees

The aquatic mammals disperse seeds of their favourite foods as they migrate, according to a serendipitous study of their poo.

Plagued by mosquitoes? Try some bite-blocking fabrics

Scientists create textiles with just the right weave and yarn to keep biting insects at bay.

Islands are rich with languages spoken nowhere else

Extremely remote islands are more likely than less isolated ones to have a high number of endemic languages.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Sept. 12, 2024

Volume 633 Issue 8029

Nature Magazine – September 11, 2024: The latest issue features ‘Island Life’ – Genomic analysis sheds light on population history of Rapa Nui….

Ancient fish dined on bats — or died trying

Fossils hint that bats’ wings sometimes lodged in fish’s throats, leading the bat-eater to die of hunger.

Lassa fever to have a fearsome toll without vaccination

Modelling suggests that the Lassa virus could infect millions in a decade, but vaccines under development could sharply reduce deaths.

Simple steps could shrink US beef industry’s carbon hoofprint

Beef production accounts for 3% of country’s carbon emissions, but measures such as tree-planting offer help.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Sept. 5, 2024

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Nature Magazine – September 4, 2024: The latest issue features ‘About Time’ – Ultra-precise nuclear clocks become a practical reality…

A familiar drug can repair a broken heart

An existing treatment for multiple sclerosis also prevents heart cell death and improves organ function, animal experiments show.

Bumblebees’ sense of smell can’t take the heat

Climate change could compromise the pollinators’ ability to detect flowers.

Natural acid makes super-sticky eco-friendly glue

Recyclable spray, patch and film adhesives work as well as existing petroleum-based products.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – August 29, 2024

Volume 632 Issue 8027

Nature Magazine – August 28, 2024: The latest issue features ‘Space Omics’ – Biomedical atlas captures health effects of spaceflight…

Why record wildfires scorched Canada last year

Snows melted earlier than usual because of climate change, fuelling the unprecedented blazes.

These decoy ‘female’ fireflies lure males to their doom in a spider’s embrace

Certain spiders take advantage of the fact that a male firefly can flash even after being bitten and wrapped.

Gut microbes’ genomes are a trove of potential antibiotics

Newfound compound is as effective at treating infected skin wounds as is the antibiotic of last resort.

This unlucky star got mangled by a black hole — twice

Bursts of light hint that a star in a nearby galaxy was partially shredded in 2022 and 2024 and might be in for another round.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – August 22, 2024

Volume 632 Issue 8026

Nature Magazine – August 21, 2024: The latest issue featuresLonely Plants’ – Isolation in arid environments drives high levels of trait diversity…

The Amazon is relinquishing its carbon — for a surprising reason

Degradation of the Amazon’s tree canopy is the main culprit, although the complete clearance of portions of the forest contributes too.

Child with ultra-rare disease gets a treatment just for her

Therapy designed for one seems to have improved a young girl’s quality of life.

How to train your crocodile

Doctored toad carcasses teach crocs to avoid eating the toxin-producing cane toad.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – August 15, 2024

Volume 632 Issue 8025

Nature Magazine – July 24, 2024: The latest issue features Mobile Stone – Scottish origin for Stonehenge’s altar hints at societal organization in Neolithic Britain…

Cobras and mambas and coral snakes, oh my! DNA shows their origins

A snake family that includes many venomous species arose in Asia, despite fossil evidence pointing to an African origin.

How expert skateboarders use physics on the half-pipe

Athletes can achieve greater speed with just the right ‘pumping’ motion, modelling shows.

Engineered brain parasite ferries useful proteins into neurons

Microbe found in cat poo could be harnessed to deliver large, complex proteins across the blood–brain barrier.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – July 25, 2024

Volume 631 Issue 8022

Nature Magazine – July 24, 2024: The latest issue features ‘Garbage Out’ – AI models trained on AI generated data descend into gibberish…

Found: the hidden link between star-forming molecular clouds

Connections between three interstellar clouds of gas and dust offer a glimpse into their birth.

How the watermelon got its sweet taste and rosy hue

Genomic analysis reveals the complex roots of the modern fruit.

Massive cicada emergence prompted raccoons to run wild

Meanwhile, deer kept a low profile — perhaps because the deafening noise of the insects made it hard to hear predators.

Blowout! Satellites reveal one of the largest methane leaks on record

An oil well in Kazakhstan dumped more than 100,000 tonnes of the potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.