Mosquitoes are more likely to acquire the dengue virus when they feed on blood with low levels of iron, researchers report. Supplementing people's diets with iron in places where both iron deficiency anemia and dengue fever are a problem could potentially limit transmission of the disease, but there are risks.
Read moreGeochemists have investigated the volcanic rocks that build up the Portuguese island group of the Azores in order to gather new information about the compositional evolution of the Earth's interior. The results suggest that a larger amount of the Earth's mantle has melted and formed the Earth's crust than previously thought.
Read moreCorn, soybean, and cotton farmers shudder at the thought of Palmer amaranth invading their fields. The aggressive cousin of waterhemp – itself a formidable adversary – grows extremely rapidly, produces hundreds of thousands of seeds per plant, and is resistant to multiple classes of herbicides. New research explains Palmer's evil genius.
Read moreOnce dismissed as 'junk DNA' that served no purpose, a family of 'jumping genes' found in tomatoes has the potential to accelerate crop breeding for traits such as improved drought resistance.
Read moreThe origin of matter remains a complex and open question. A novel experimental approach could be exploited to better test the theories of physicists.
Read moreHow people behave in one situation often tells us how they will act in others. A shy introvert in one place, for example, isn't likely to be the gregarious life of the party in another.
Read moreValley fever is endemic to hot and dry regions like the southwestern United States and California's San Joaquin Valley, but a new study predicts climate change will cause the fungal infection's range to more than double in size this century, reaching previously unaffected areas across the western U.S.
Read moreA key question for climate scientists in recent years has been whether the Atlantic Ocean's main circulation system is slowing down, a development that could have dramatic consequences for Europe and other parts of the Atlantic rim. But a new study suggests help may be on the way from an unexpected source — the Indian Ocean.
Read moreAstronomers have discovered the most massive neutron star to date, a rapidly spinning pulsar approximately 4,600 light-years from Earth. This record-breaking object is teetering on the edge of existence, approaching the theoretical maximum mass possible for a neutron star.
Read moreThe overall brightness of Tabby's Star has been gradually dimming for years. A new study suggests chunks of an exomoon's dusty outer layers of ice, gas and carbonaceous rock may be accumulating in a disk, blocking the star's light and making it appear to slowly fade.
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