Since the Big Bang, the early Universe had hydrogen, helium, and a scant amount of lithium. Later, some heavier elements, including iron, were forged in stars. But one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics is: How did the first elements heavier than iron, such as gold, get created and distributed throughout the Universe? In new research, astronomers from Columbia University and elsewhere calculated...

Previously believed to have occurred 1.2 billion years ago, this ancient impact created the Stac Fada Member, a layer of rock that holds vital clues to Earth’s ancient past. According to new research led by Curtin University, it occurred 990 million years ago. This finding revises the age of some of the oldest known non-marine microfossils in the United Kingdom and their role for timing the eukaryotic...

Jewelry in a treasure hoard found in Thetford Forest, East Anglia, indicates that Thetford was pagan until the 5th century CE — significantly later than the previously established date of the 380-90s CE. Rings from the Thetford hoard on display at the British Museum. Image credit: Geni / CC BY-SA 4.0. The Thetford treasure was found by a metal detectorist trespassing on a construction site...

Distal regulation — the ability to control genes from far away, over many tens of thousands of DNA letters — appeared at the very dawn of animal evolution, between 650 and 700 million years ago (Cryogenian period) — around 150 million years earlier than previously thought. Illustration of a DNA molecule. Image credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA...

Distal regulation — the ability to control genes from far away, over many tens of thousands of DNA letters — appeared at the very dawn of animal evolution, between 650 and 700 million years ago (Cryogenian period) — around 150 million years earlier than previously thought. Illustration of a DNA molecule. Image credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA...

The new theory, developed by physicists at Aalto University, describes gravity in a way that’s compatible with the Standard Model of particle physics, opening the door to an improved understanding of how the Universe began. The Standard Model of particle physics describes electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions, which are three of the four known fundamental forces of nature. The unification...

Excessive dietary sodium raises blood pressure, whereas a high potassium diet has the opposite effect. The underlying mechanisms are moderated by sex and involve multiple organs and tissues. How do high potassium-induced alternations in kidney function lower blood pressure, and how do those mechanisms differ between men and women? To answer these questions, a duo of researchers at the University...

Distal regulation — the ability to control genes from far away, over many tens of thousands of DNA letters — appeared at the very dawn of animal evolution, between 650 and 700 million years ago (Cryogenian period) — around 150 million years earlier than previously thought. Illustration of a DNA molecule. Image credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA...

Previously believed to have occurred 1.2 billion years ago, this ancient impact created the Stac Fada Member, a layer of rock that holds vital clues to Earth’s ancient past. According to new research led by Curtin University, it occurred 990 million years ago. This finding revises the age of some of the oldest known non-marine microfossils in the United Kingdom and their role for timing the eukaryotic...

In a new study by Tarleton State University scientists, okra and/or fenugreek extracts attracted and removed up to 90% of microplastics from ocean water, freshwater and groundwater. Srinivasan et al. demonstrated that plant-based polysaccharides showed better microplastic removal efficiency than polyacrylamide, which is commercially used for water treatment. Image credit: Srinivasan et al., doi:...