Before people can mine resources on the moon, asteroids or Mars, they need to answer a few key questions: What is there? How much is there? And where can it be found? A team led by SETI Institute research scientist Pablo Sobron is looking into a new way to answer these questions without having to land, drill or bring samples back to Earth.
Tsetse flies transmit some of Africa's most persistent parasitic diseases. They have affected human health, livestock production and rural development for generations, across a region spanning millions of square kilometers in 37 sub-Saharan countries.
As antimicrobial resistance grows around the world, novel therapies to counter it become increasingly important. Phages—viruses that infect bacteria—are an exciting avenue of research in this regard, providing a means to selectively kill pathogenic bacteria, even those resistant to traditional antibiotics.
New research by a Washington State University economist examines how changing environmental conditions may influence the practice and trustworthiness of sustainable ecolabeling in the fishing industry.
New research reveals that microbial clocks—forensic tools that track the succession and development of bacteria and fungi involved in decomposition after death—are highly accurate for estimating time since death, or postmortem intervals (PMIs), across different environments and between pigs and humans.
Climate change is making Australia's housing crisis more dangerous for older women. Extreme heat, floods, fires and storms are turning insecure housing into a safety issue, not just an affordability issue.
As AI continues to develop at a rapid pace, social robots powered by AI are becoming more commonplace in customer service settings such as retail, hospitality, tourism and health care. But as these robots become smarter and appear more human, little attention has been given to how this might affect the consumers interacting with them.
Growing up as the oldest sibling of a younger brother and sister shaped the way University of Delaware associate professor Mellissa S. Gordon learned to communicate and cope with challenges. As a single parent, her mother often looked to Gordon to set an example, and over time, she found herself acting as a parental figure. When her siblings struggled to express frustrations or felt overwhelmed by school and friendships, they often came to her for advice, and they talked through problems together.
Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and energy production remains one of the major technological challenges in addressing climate change. Membrane-based gas separation offers an energy-efficient alternative to conventional separation technologies, but identifying membranes that allow gases to pass through rapidly while also separating them effectively has long presented a major materials-design challenge.
Sand, powders, and other collections of visible-sized grains are found throughout daily life, from food and pharmaceuticals to soils and industrial materials. When grains of similar size are arranged regularly, they can form a strong crystal-like solid. Yet what happens inside such an ordered structure immediately before it begins to break has remained unclear.
