In this search for the origin of one of the world’s most common genetic diseases, emerging research in evolutionary medicine raises new questions about our history, development, and future as a species.
A new type of quantum bit called a “phase-slip qubit,” devised by researchers at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute and their collaborators, has enabled the world’s first-ever experimental demonstration of coherent quantum phase slip (CQPS). The groundbreaking result sheds light on an elusive phenomenon whose existence — a natural outcome of the hundred-year-old theory of…
Scientists measuring the sun were shocked to find it’s the most perfectly round natural object in the universe. Until now experts have always assumed that the sun bulged a bit around the middle – making it very slightly flying-saucer shaped. But the bulge is so small that if the sun was the size of a…
Coastal areas in the tropics may see some of the largest sea-level rises due to take place this century because of climate change, according to a study. This would particularly affect the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, which include many small island states, such as the Maldives, and vulnerable coastal deltas, including the Bay of…
Governments meeting in Australia have failed to reach agreement on new marine protected areas for the Antarctic ocean. They have deferred a decision until July 2013 when all the relevant science will be considered. Environmental groups have expressed deep concern about the lack of consensus on how to develop a network of protected zones. They…
Using an innocuous bacterial virus, bioengineers have created a biological mechanism to send genetic messages from cell to cell. The system greatly increases the complexity and amount of data that can be communicated between cells and could lead to greater control of biological functions within cell communities. The researchers, Monica Ortiz, a doctoral candidate in…
A review of “Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior” by Elliott Sober and David Sloan Wilson.