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Articles by Rachel Garner
The World's Rivers Are Running Out of Sand Original
All over the world, industrial sand mining is extracting river sediment much, much faster than Earth's natural cycles can replenish it. Our rivers are, quite literally, running out of sand. Scientists have just published a massive review of 411 studies conducted since 1974, revealing that the global demand for river sand and gravel to create construction materials like concrete is unsustainable.
An Ancient Poop Explosion Could Have Helped Complex Life Evolve
We may owe our very existence to an ancient poop explosion. If the earliest animals hadn't been such prolific poopers, life might not have diversified into all the weird and wonderful forms we see today. That's the conclusion reached by a new review study published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
You're Not Imagining It – Some People Really Are More Attractive to Mosquitoes, Study Shows Original
For many of us, mosquitoes are mostly a source of irritation and annoyance – and if that's all they are to you, you might count yourself lucky. That's because the mosquito is actually the world's deadliest animal, thanks to its unrivaled ability to spread a swathe of harmful diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, and more.
Scientists Discover More Than 1,000 Fish Nests Hiding Beneath Antarctica's Ice Original
In 2017, a gigantic iceberg designated A-68 split from the Larsen C ice shelf, giving scientists a unique opportunity: access to an extensive region of the seabed that had previously been hidden away under the ice. Researchers from institutions in the UK seized that opportunity and discovered something that's never been seen before, which they have reported in a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science.
New Evidence That Microplastics Can Cross Placental Barrier And Alter Hormone Production Original
Tiny particles of plastic seem to turn up in every place we look. Given that humans have been producing exponentially more of the stuff ever since the 1950s, it's no surprise that these durable polymers abound in our environment. As they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, they can get inside our bodies, too. Microplastic panic may have already taken hold, but the reality is we still know very little about what impacts they actually have on our health once they're inside our bodies.
Autism Diagnoses Spiked After COVID-19, But Probably Not For The Reason You Think Original
Autism diagnoses rose sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic began, but the pattern may not mean that autism itself suddenly became more common. The rise was driven overwhelmingly by diagnoses among girls and women, while rates among boys and men remained stable or declined. So what caused this to happen? A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that many of these girls and women may simply have gone unrecognized in the past.
There's One Creature of The Deep That Can Scare Even Orcas Away
In recent years, our perception of the ocean's pecking order has been turned on its head. Ever since Jaws, great white sharks have loomed large in the popular imagination as the undisputed rulers of the sea. Then scientists discovered that these fearsome predators had a nemesis of their own: the mighty orca (Orcinus orca), sleek and cunning, hunting white sharks for their tender, nutrient-rich livers. You might think there's very little that could rattle an orca. You'd be wrong.
Plastic Waste Has Been Turned Directly Into Hydrogen Fuel – No Sorting Required Original
If a scientific innovation can address one of our most pressing environmental problems, it's a fantastic achievement. If it can help solve two – even better. A new study details a method for converting three of the most commonly used plastics into hydrogen, a fuel that has the potential to be a clean and abundant energy source of the future.
Fish Skin Doesn't Just Reflect Light – It Might Actually Sense It Original
A glittering school of silverside fish may remind you of a disco ball, a dazzling display made up of many tiny mirrors. But emerging research suggests the skin of these fish is capable of far more than just reflecting light. Masakazu Iwasaka is an interdisciplinary engineer at Hiroshima University in Japan who has been researching the interplay of light across the bodies of fish for decades.
Medications Already in Pharmacies May Slow Aging, And Scientists Are Narrowing Them Down Original
In the quest to find ways to help us live at a healthier level for a longer period of time, researchers are turning to existing drugs for clues. Medicines that are available for purchase are already approved for people to use, and it can be quicker and cheaper to repurpose them for longevity and aging studies than to try to discover and test entirely new medical compounds.
A Wild Parasite Makes Ants Live Longer And Tricks Others Into Worshipping Them. Scientists Finally Know How. Original
Imagine a parasite that makes you live up to 10 times longer than you naturally would – while also inspiring others to treat you like royalty. It sure seems like a pretty good deal, but of course there's a catch. The parasite just wants to keep you lazy so you'll be easy pickings for a giant predator – the bowels of which are the parasite's preferred breeding ground. Might sound like an intriguing setup for an indie horror movie, but that's the reality for Temnothorax nylanderi ants.
Orcas Keep Punching Giant Sunfish to Smithereens, And Scientists Are Mesmerized Original
Well, sea shenanigans are once again afoot – and the culprit is very much the usual suspect. Orcas (Orcinus orca) are already renowned for their elaborate and effective hunting techniques, from generating waves to wash seals off ice floes to surgically divesting fearsome white sharks of their juicy livers. Now, in the Gulf of California, orcas are turning their powerful strength and cunning to a strange new pursuit: smacking headlong into giant sunfish to shatter their bodies into smithereens.
A Rare, Distant Space Rock Killed The Dinosaurs – And It Reveals Just How Unlucky They Were Original
The dinosaurs had a good run, but when their time was up, it was very much up. Around 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid slammed into what is now the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. The impact triggered worldwide wildfires, towering tsunamis, ocean acidification, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. Debris clouded the sky, reducing sunlight and cooling the planet, which killed plant life and set off a cascade of collapsing food chains.
A Census of Federally Regulated Big Cat Populations within the United States as of December 2020
1. Introduction Very little is known about the cumulative population of captive big cats in the United States. Although the public’s desire for an understanding of commercial big cat use has recently skyrocketed due to major lobbying campaigns and media exposés such as the 2020 Tiger King documentary series [1], the need for quantification of populations of different big cat species within the country is not new.
Necrolytic Migratory Erythema With Recalcitrant Dermatitis as the Only Presenting Symptom
A 52-year-old man presented with recalcitrant dermatitis of 6 years’ duration. He was otherwise in excellent health. On initial presentation, physical examination revealed symmetrical, erythematous, blanching plaques with areas of erosions and overlying hemorrhagic crust on the eyebrows, scalp, back, dorsal aspects of the hands, axillae, abdomen (Figure), buttocks, groin, scrotum, pubis, and lower legs. Some areas showed slight necrosis.
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