Woolly mammoths experienced a genomic meltdown just before extinction
Dwindling populations created a "mutational meltdown" in the genomes of the last wooly mammoths, which had survived on an isolated island until a few thousand years ago. Rebekah Rogers and Montgomery...
View ArticleMaking math more Lego-like—3-D picture language has far-reaching potential,...
Galileo called mathematics the "language with which God wrote the universe." He described a picture-language, and now that language has a new dimension.
View ArticleResearchers develop equation that helps to explain plant growth
It is rare in biology that a single trait can answer questions spanning several fields of research. One such trait is plant biology's "leaf mass per area," a simple measurement calculated by weighing a...
View ArticleMystery of how sperm swim revealed in mathematical formula
Researchers have developed a mathematical formula based on the rhythmic movement of a sperm's head and tail, which significantly reduces the complexities of understanding and predicting how sperm make...
View ArticleWords matter when math teachers describe student learning
Think back to math class in elementary school. Do you remember being assigned to a "high,""middle" or "low" group? If so, you'll relate to a new study from North Carolina State University on the...
View ArticleSolving the mystery of the Arctic's green ice
In 2011, researchers observed something that should be impossible—a massive bloom of phytoplankton growing under Arctic sea ice in conditions that should have been far too dark for anything requiring...
View ArticleFewer malfunctions and lower costs thanks to smarter maintenance model
Researchers at the University of Twente have developed a mathematical model for improving the maintenance schedule for trains, rails, aircraft, self-driving cars, robots and nuclear power plants.
View ArticleResearcher creates chemical system that mimics early cell behavior
A Harvard researcher seeking a model for the earliest cells has created a system that self-assembles from a chemical soup into cell-like structures that grow, move in response to light, replicate when...
View ArticleStudy finds 'dire' lack of interest in maths careers among Australian students
An Australian study into why students choose science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) careers has revealed a "dire" lack of interest in careers focused on mathematics.
View ArticleUnderstanding gas flow for improved clean energy applications
Scientists have designed mathematical expressions that more accurately estimate gas movement through nanosized pores. This could help improve fuel cell development.
View ArticleWith new technology, mathematicians turn numbers into art
Once upon a time, mathematicians imagined their job was to discover new mathematics and then let others explain it.
View ArticleUnder challenge: Girls' confidence level, not math ability hinders path to...
When it comes to mathematics, girls rate their abilities markedly lower than boys, even when there is no observable difference between the two, according to Florida State University researchers.
View ArticlePeople find changes in user interfaces annoying
Researchers modelled learning and visual search and predicted how users learn new or partially changed user interfaces. The model shows that even small changes can disturb visual search and impede use.
View ArticleThe search for deviations from standard quantum mechanics
Physicists have searched for deviations from standard quantum mechanics, testing whether quantum mechanics requires a more complex set of mathematical rules. To do so a research team led by Philip...
View ArticleOrgan donation—a new frontier for AI?
Organ transplants are a game of odds. Success depends on a number of factors: how old and how healthy the donor is, how old and how healthy the recipient is, how good a biological match can be found,...
View ArticleResearchers make tool for understanding cellular processes more useful
Understanding how proteins and other molecules move around inside cells is important for understanding how cells function. Scientists use an experiment called Fluorescence Recovery after...
View ArticleDid artists lead the way in mathematics?
Mathematics and art are generally viewed as very different disciplines – one devoted to abstract thought, the other to feeling. But sometimes the parallels between the two are uncanny.
View ArticleTeam unveils dual-channel biological function generator
Rice University bioengineers who specialize in creating tools for synthetic biology have unveiled the latest version of their "biofunction generator and "bioscilloscope," an optogenetic platform that...
View ArticleStem cells in plants and animals behave surprisingly similarly
A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the behaviour of stem cells in plants and animals is surprisingly similar. The researchers were able to produce mathematical equations that reveal...
View ArticleUrban emissions could be cut by 70 percent
Wouter van Heeswijk has developed a mathematical model that determines the optimal conditions for sustainable urban distribution. The model can reduce logistical pressure in cities and make goods...
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