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Astronomers using the MeerKAT telescope at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory in Cape Town, South Africa, have solved a longstanding mystery of X-shaped radio galaxies. PKS 2014-55 is classified as ‘X-shaped’ because of its appearance in previous relatively blurry images. The detail provided in this radio image obtained with the MeerKAT telescope indicates that its shape is best described…

While the present-day Martian surface is generally dry and cold, its sedimentary rocks contain compelling evidence for the former presence of liquid water. According to a new analysis of orbital images of 3.7-billion-year-old sedimentary layers at Izola mensa, an outcrop in the northwestern rim of the Hellas impact crater on Mars, deep rivers were active in this region for over 100,000 years. This…

In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, archaeologists analyzed the molecular remains of food preserved in 6,000-7,000-year-old pottery from 246 pottery sherds from 24 Neolithic sites situated between Portugal and Normandy as well as the Western Baltic. An artist’s impression of prehistoric humans in Europe. “Our study is one of the largest regional comparisons of early pottery…

An international team of paleontologists from the University of Plymouth, the University of Kansas and the Forge Fossils has found a specimen of the squid-like cephalopod Clarkeiteuthis montefiorei preserved with the herring-like fish Dorsetichthys bechei in its two arms; the bones in the head of the fish are broken in a manner that suggests a quite violent attack. A close-up image showing the damaged…

A protein-coding gene called GB45239 is responsible for thelytokous parthenogenesis — the ability to produce daughters asexually — in the Cape honeybee (Apis mellifera capensis), a subspecies of honeybee found in the two southern provinces of South Africa, according to a new paper published in the journal Current Biology. A ‘super’ Cape honeybee worker (black in center) is nearly…

The fine-structure constant is a measure of electromagnetism — one of the four fundamental forces in nature; the others are gravity, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. In a paper published in the journal Science Advances, a team of researchers reported that four new measurements of light emitted from ULAS J1120+0641, a quasar located approximately 12.9 billion light-years away, reaffirm…

Green tea supplementation is associated with a decrease in body weight and body mass index in obese patients, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Lin et al suggest that the use of green tea can be combined with a balanced and healthy diet and regular physical exercise in the management of obese patients. Image credit: Sci-News.com. “Green tea…

Vietnam features extensive ethnolinguistic diversity and occupies a key position in Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA). Yet, the genetic diversity of the country remains relatively unexplored, especially with genome-wide data, because previous studies have focused mainly on the majority Kinh group. In new research, an international team of researchers has analyzed genome-wide SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism)…

An analysis of rocks from the Honeyeater Basalt of the East Pilbara Craton, a stable block of crust in Western Australia, provides strong evidence that Earth’s tectonic plates were already moving 3.2 billion years ago (Archean Eon). An artistic cross-section through forming Earth’s crust approximately 3-4 billion years ago. Image credit: Alec Brenner, Harvard University. Plate tectonics is key…

Green tea supplementation is associated with a decrease in body weight and body mass index in obese patients, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Lin et al suggest that the use of green tea can be combined with a balanced and healthy diet and regular physical exercise in the management of obese patients. Image credit: Sci-News.com. “Green tea…