Scientists have figured out why vampire bats are the only mammals that can survive on a diet of just blood, Phys.org reports.
They compared the genome of common vampire bats to 26 other bat species, and identified 13 genes that are missing or no longer work in vampire bats. Over the years, those gene tweaks helped them adapt to a blood diet rich in iron and protein, but with minimal fats or carbohydrates, the researchers reported Friday in the journal Science Advances.
The bats live...
The U.S. and the EU have announced a major deal on liquified natural gas, in an attempt to reduce Europe's reliance on Russian energy.
The agreement will see the U.S. provide the EU with extra gas, equivalent to around 10% of the gas it currently gets from Russia, by the end of the year, the BBC reports.
The bloc has already said it will cut Russian gas use in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia currently...
Private Caribbean islands owned by deceased sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein are up for sale and could fetch up to $125 million.
A lawyer for Epstein's estate confirmed to the BBC that the two islands – Little St. James and Great St. James – have been listed.
Lawyer Daniel Weiner said some proceeds from the sale will be used to settle outstanding lawsuits.
Epstein died in jail in 2019, awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The financier...
President Joe Biden has called on private companies and organizations in the U.S. to "lock their digital doors," claiming that intelligence suggests Russia is planning a cyber attack on the U.S.
The U.K.'s cyber-authorities are supporting the White House's calls for "increased cyber-security precautions," though neither has given any evidence of a Russian cyber scheme.
Russia has stated that such accusations are "Russophobic."
However, Russia is a cyber superpower with a serious arsenal of cyber tools, and hackers capable of...
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders are expected to approve major increases in its forces in eastern Europe at a special summit tomorrow, reports the BBC.
The military alliance has 30 members that have agreed to come to one another's aid in the event of an armed attack against any one member state.
Although NATO originally offered Ukraine eventual membership back in 2008, this hasn't happened, mainly because of Russia's long-standing opposition to such a move.
However, several...
By Public Library of Science
A survey of nearly 30,000 high school students in Korea reveals an association between non-academic time spent on the Internet and mental health, with teenagers who spent more time online having higher levels of stress and more feelings of sadness and suicidal ideation.
The study is published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Yeunhee Kwak of Chung-Ang University, Korea, and colleagues.
Internet usage in adolescence has been shown to be associated with...
Great white sharks around Mexico's Guadalupe Island sometimes hang out with each other – and while it's not a popularity contest, some might just be a little more social than others, writes Angela Nicoletti of Florida International University (FIU).
FIU marine scientist Yannis Papastamatiou, PhD candidate Sarah Luongo, and a team of researchers, wanted to uncover some of the mysteries of the white sharks that gather seasonally around Guadalupe Island. With an innovative combination of tracking tools, they...
As with most everything in the world, football looked very different in 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, many National Football League (NFL) games were played in empty stadiums, while other stadiums opened to fans at significantly reduced capacity, with strict safety protocols in place.
At the time it was unclear what impact such large sporting events would have on COVID-19 case counts, particularly at a time when vaccination against the virus was not widely...
Students' identities can play a key role in how comfortable they feel and how often they speak up in the classroom, especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.
For instance, women generally speak far less than men in undergraduate engineering classes. But this is not always the case, according to Princeton researchers. When classes are taught by women instructors, the gender gap practically disappears.
Another major factor in women's class participation is participation by other...
In 2006, the Cassini spacecraft recorded geyser curtains shooting from "tiger stripe" fissures near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus – sometimes as much as 200 kilograms of water per second. A new study suggests how expanding ice during millennia-long cooling cycles could sometimes crack the moon's icy shell and let its inner ocean out, providing a possible explanation for the geysers.
Enceladus has a diameter of about 504 kilometers. (For context, Earth's diameter is...
