How chameleons change colors?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThere is a misconception about chameleons that they do this to camouflage themselves against a background. In fact, chameleons mostly change color to regulate their temperatures or to signal their intentions to other chameleons. So how do they change colors? The outermost layer of the chameleon’s skin is transparent. Beneath this are several more layers […]
Methane-consuming bacteria could be the future of fuel
Reading Time: 2 minutesDiscovery illuminates how bacteria turn methane gas into liquid methanol. KNOWN for their ability to remove methane from the environment and convert it into a usable fuel, methanotrophic bacteria have long fascinated researchers. But how, exactly, these bacteria naturally perform such a complex reaction has been a mystery. Now an interdisciplinary team at Northwestern University […]
Why do frogs make so much noise?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDid you know that there are frogs that chirp? Others can whistle, croak, ribbit, peep, cluck, bark and grunt. Why do they make so much noise? When frogs call out they are actually trying to attract a mate. Every different species of frog makes its own special sound allowing their mates to distinguish who’s who […]
Fast method to convert algae to biocrude
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBIOFUEL experts have long sought a more economically-viable way to turn algae into biocrude oil to power vehicles, ships and even jets. University of Utah researchers believe they have found an answer. They have developed an unusually rapid method to deliver cost-effective algal biocrude in large quantities using a specially-designed jet mixer. A team of […]
What is the maximum distance the human eye can see if unobstructed?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteHow far the human eye can see depends on how many particles of light, or photons, a distant object emits. Dust, water vapour and pollution in the air will rarely let you see more than 20 kilometres away even on a clear day. Often, the curvature of the Earth gets in the way first. For […]
Global warming hits sea animals hardest
Reading Time: < 1 minuteGLOBAL WARMING has caused twice as many ocean-dwelling species as land-dwelling species to disappear from their habitats, a unique Rutgers-led study found. The greater vulnerability of sea creatures may significantly impact human communities that rely on fish and shellfish for food and economic activity, according to the study published in the journal Nature. The study is […]
IPBES Report is most comprehensive
Reading Time: 4 minutesCompiled by 145 expert authors from 50 countries. The IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is the most comprehensive ever completed. It is the first intergovernmental Report of its kind and builds on the landmark Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of 2005, introducing innovative ways of evaluating evidence. Compiled by 145 expert authors from […]
What are fiber optics?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWe are used to the idea of information traveling in different ways. When we speak into a landline telephone, a wire cable carries the sounds from our voice into a socket in the wall, where another cable takes it to the local telephone exchange. Cell phones work a different way: they send and receive information […]