This giant microbe organizes its DNA in a surprising way
3-D microscopy shows that the giant bacterium Thiovulum imperiosus squeezes its DNA into peripheral pouches, not a central mass like typical bacteria.
Category: Science
The Year in Physics
It in no way reflects my feelings toward Quanta staff writer Charlie Wood that my favorite moment of the year in physics happened when he
Trump’s rush to build nuclear reactors across the U.S. raises safety worries
A new program at the Department of Energy is pushing the development of nearly a dozen new reactor designs at breakneck speed. (Image credit: Idaho
From bird droppings to holiday kisses: How we ended up under the mistletoe
The etymology of mistletoe — a plant with small, oval evergreen leaves and waxy white berries — may strike some as repugnant. (Image credit: Gerry
Only two species can survive in Great Salt Lake? Scientist says — hold my Nalgene
Scientist Julie Jung set out on a hike along the Great Salt Lake to find nematodes. She ended up discovering a new species.
Pompeii victims were wearing woolen cloaks in August when they died — but experts are split on what that means
Some of the victims at Pompeii were wearing woolen cloaks when they died, even though it was August, new research finds.
Diagnostic dilemma: An otherwise ‘fit’ man had a stroke after drinking 8 ‘high-potency’ energy drinks a day
A man with few risk factors unexpectedly experienced a stroke, and his daily energy drink habit may have been to blame.
City-size ‘cosmic butterfly’ carved into Mars’ surface contains traces of ancient water
The European Space Agency has released new images of a rare “butterfly” crater on the Red Planet. The bug-like structure sports a pair of smooth
Mosquitoes use it to suck blood. Researchers used it to 3-D print
A mosquito proboscis repurposed as a 3-D printing nozzle can print filaments around 20 micrometers wide, half the width of a fine human hair.
Ancient burrowing bees made their nests in the tooth cavities and vertebrae of dead rodents, scientists discover
Scientists made a unique discovery in a cave on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola: dozens of fossilized bee nests inside rodent bones that were deposited
Ancient Egyptian valley temple excavated — and it’s connected to a massive upper temple dedicated to the sun god, Ra
The newly excavated 4,500-year-old valley temple from ancient Egypt holds a “public calendar” and a roof for astronomical observation.
Polar bears in southern Greenland are ‘using jumping genes to rapidly rewrite their own DNA’ to survive melting sea ice
Warming temperatures appear to be driving genetic mutations in some polar bears to help them survive the shifting climatic conditions.
Heart attacks are less harmful at night. And that might be key to treating them.
Controlling immune cells’ internal clocks helped reduce inflammatory damage in conditions like heart attack and sickle cell disease, a mouse study found.