Water on Mars Could Unlock The Secrets of The Origin of Life on Earth
NASA scientists recently announced that hyper-saline water occasionally flows on the surface of Mars, even in the present day. The evidence is the detection of chlorate salt deposits on the surface and the association of those minerals with channel-like features on some steep slopes—channels that form, disappear and reappear at different times throughout the Martian […]
Is it cyberbullying? Parents’ views differ on how schools should respond
Beata Mostafavi, University of Michigan Health System 1 in 5 parents say students who post online rumors about sex should be referred to police; far fewer feel the same for rumor of cheating on test The digital age has given teens new platforms for cruelty: A social media prank intended to embarrass a classmate. Spreading […]
Does a lack of vitamin D put you at greater risk of multiple sclerosis?
Patrick Lewis, University of Reading People with a combination of genes linked to lower vitamin D levels appear to be at greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis, according to the authors of a recent study. The paper’s researchers used data from a very large genetic study of 14,000 people with MS (specifically looking at a […]
Which species will survive the Earth’s sixth mass extinction?
Matthew Wills, University of Bath Scientists recently suggested that the Earth’s sixth mass extinction has begun. As terrifying as that sounds, surely humans are too smart and too important to get wiped out? Palaeontologists have long tried to shed light on this question by looking for general rules that might predict the survival of a […]
Anxiety driving you insane? Check your brain and cultivate your optimism
Diana Yates, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A new study links anxiety, a brain structure called the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and optimism, finding that healthy adults who have larger OFCs tend to be more optimistic and less anxious. The new analysis, reported in the journal Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, offers the first evidence that […]
Gigantic ‘Supertree of Life’ covers 2.3 million species
STEAM Register Staff The first draft of the “tree of life” for the roughly 2.3 million named species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes has been released. This circular family tree of Earth’s lifeforms is considered a first draft of the 3.5-billion-year history of how life evolved and diverged. Credit: opentreeoflife.org The tree depicts the […]
The Pope’s Visit Puts Into Perspective How Screwed Up the Republican Party Has Become
In case you haven’t heard, Pope Francis is making his big U.S. debut this week. It’s a visit I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time. Not only am I a fairly big fan of this pope, but I’ve been extremely interested to see what sort of reaction he’s going to trigger from conservatives […]
Microbeads Were a Terrible Idea And They’re Coming Back to Haunt Us
Microbeads—the tiny plastic spheres used as exfoliants in face wash, toothpaste and just about any other beauty products on the shelves—were a really, really bad idea. Our wastewater treatment plants aren’t designed to handle them, they don’t biodegrade and there are now a mind-boggling volume of microbeads winding up in all the wrong places. A […]
Gray wolf in northern Lower Peninsula
It took a year and a half, but there’s now no doubt: The animal spotted on a trail camera in Emmet County in the northwestern Lower Peninsula was indeed a gray wolf — only the second one confirmed in the Lower Peninsula since 1910. The wolf was confirmed on the reservation land of the Little […]
Pope calls for ‘really significant global environmental agreements’
Pope Francis demanded swift action on Friday (11) to save the planet from environmental ruin, urging everyone to make an effort ahead of upcoming international meetings on the issue.55 His encyclical Laudato Si (Praise Be), published in June, was the first papal document dedicated to the environment. ‘On the Care of Our Common Home’, Francis […]
