Scientists have identified an enigmatic whose genome seems to be almost entirely new to science, populated by unfamiliar genes that have never before been documented in viral research.The so-called Yaravirus, named after – or Iara, a water-queen figure in Brazilian mythology – was recovered from Lake Pampulha, an artificial lake in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte.While Yaravirus (Yaravirus brasiliensis) may be no supernatural siren, the could prove to be just as mysterious as the water nymph of legend.That's because the virus constitutes "a new lineage of amoebal virus with a...…Scientists have identified an enigmatic whose genome seems to be almost entirely new to science, populated by unfamiliar genes that have never before been documented in viral research.The so-called Yaravirus, named after – or Iara, a water-queen figure in Brazilian mythology – was recovered from Lake Pampulha, an artificial lake in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte.While Yaravirus (Yaravirus brasiliensis) may be no supernatural siren, the could prove to be just as mysterious as the water nymph of legend.That's because the virus constitutes "a new lineage of amoebal virus with a...WW…

NASA is actively monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth's magnetic field: a in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa.This vast, developing phenomenon, called the , has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers. The space agency's satellites and spacecraft are particularly vulnerable to the weakened magnetic field strength within the anomaly, and the resulting exposure to charged particles from the Sun.The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) – to a 'dent' in Earth's magnetic field, or a kind of...…NASA is actively monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth's magnetic field: a in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa.This vast, developing phenomenon, called the , has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers. The space agency's satellites and spacecraft are particularly vulnerable to the weakened magnetic field strength within the anomaly, and the resulting exposure to charged particles from the Sun.The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) – to a 'dent' in Earth's magnetic field, or a kind of...WW…

A long-known but under-studied deposit of Cretaceous rock on the edge of the Sahara desert was more than just an ancient stomping ground for , according to a comprehensive new paper.The  in eastern Morocco might also represent a prime candidate for the most dangerous time and place to have been alive in Earth's prehistoric past, based on its fearsome preponderance of large-bodied carnivores, as evidenced in the fossil record.That prevalence – in contrast to the relative scarcity of herbivore remains – constitutes a bias towards giant flesh-eaters that can't be found in any comparable...…A long-known but under-studied deposit of Cretaceous rock on the edge of the Sahara desert was more than just an ancient stomping ground for , according to a comprehensive new paper.The  in eastern Morocco might also represent a prime candidate for the most dangerous time and place to have been alive in Earth's prehistoric past, based on its fearsome preponderance of large-bodied carnivores, as evidenced in the fossil record.That prevalence – in contrast to the relative scarcity of herbivore remains – constitutes a bias towards giant flesh-eaters that can't be found in any comparable...WW…

Traces of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s can still be found in American honey, new research reveals.The radioactive isotope identified, cesium-137, falls below levels considered to be harmful – but the amounts measured nonetheless emphasize the lingering persistence of environmental contaminants in the nuclear age, even a half-century after international bomb tests ended."There was a period in which we tested hundreds of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere," lead researcher Jim Kaste, an environmental geochemist at William & Mary university in Williamsburg,...…Traces of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s can still be found in American honey, new research reveals.The radioactive isotope identified, cesium-137, falls below levels considered to be harmful – but the amounts measured nonetheless emphasize the lingering persistence of environmental contaminants in the nuclear age, even a half-century after international bomb tests ended."There was a period in which we tested hundreds of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere," lead researcher Jim Kaste, an environmental geochemist at William & Mary university in Williamsburg,...WW…

If you could cross a monkey with a human, what might that creature tell us? We are beginning to find out.In a pioneering and controversial experiment, scientists successfully created just such a hybrid: a chimeric combination of monkey and human cells, existing together in a living embryo that otherwise would never have been conceived by nature alone.Ethically fraught science? Yes. Mad science? No.While research into human-animal hybrids has a , in recent years researchers have pursued chimeric organisms to probe questions of biology that stand to offer significant gains in fields such as...…If you could cross a monkey with a human, what might that creature tell us? We are beginning to find out.In a pioneering and controversial experiment, scientists successfully created just such a hybrid: a chimeric combination of monkey and human cells, existing together in a living embryo that otherwise would never have been conceived by nature alone.Ethically fraught science? Yes. Mad science? No.While research into human-animal hybrids has a , in recent years researchers have pursued chimeric organisms to probe questions of biology that stand to offer significant gains in fields such as...WW…

If you could cross a monkey with a human, what might that creature tell us? We are beginning to find out.In a pioneering and controversial experiment, scientists successfully created just such a hybrid: a chimeric combination of monkey and human cells, existing together in a living embryo that otherwise would never have been conceived by nature alone.Ethically fraught science? Yes. Mad science? No.While research into human-animal hybrids has a , in recent years researchers have pursued chimeric organisms to probe questions of biology that stand to offer significant gains in fields such as...…If you could cross a monkey with a human, what might that creature tell us? We are beginning to find out.In a pioneering and controversial experiment, scientists successfully created just such a hybrid: a chimeric combination of monkey and human cells, existing together in a living embryo that otherwise would never have been conceived by nature alone.Ethically fraught science? Yes. Mad science? No.While research into human-animal hybrids has a , in recent years researchers have pursued chimeric organisms to probe questions of biology that stand to offer significant gains in fields such as...WW…

It can't beat us. Yet. But an (AI) program developed by scientists at IBM is so good at debating against humans that it may just be a matter of time before we can't compete., an autonomous debating system that's been in development for several years, is capable of arguing against humans in a meaningful way, taking a side in a debate on a chosen topic, and making a strong case for why its viewpoint is the right one.The AI, described in a , isn't yet at the point where it can trump human argumentative logic, but a showed just how far its artificial way of reasoning has come.In a showcase...…It can't beat us. Yet. But an (AI) program developed by scientists at IBM is so good at debating against humans that it may just be a matter of time before we can't compete., an autonomous debating system that's been in development for several years, is capable of arguing against humans in a meaningful way, taking a side in a debate on a chosen topic, and making a strong case for why its viewpoint is the right one.The AI, described in a , isn't yet at the point where it can trump human argumentative logic, but a showed just how far its artificial way of reasoning has come.In a showcase...WW…

In a new first for genetic engineering, scientists have developed a single-celled synthetic organism that grows and divides much like a normal cell, mimicking aspects of the cell division cycle that underlies and generates healthy living cellular life.The achievement, demonstrated in an engineered unicellular bacteria-like life form called JCVI-syn3A, is the result of decades of genomic sequencing and analysis by scientists, exploring the roles individual genes play inside living creatures."Our goal is to know the function of every gene so we can develop a complete model of how a cell...…In a new first for genetic engineering, scientists have developed a single-celled synthetic organism that grows and divides much like a normal cell, mimicking aspects of the cell division cycle that underlies and generates healthy living cellular life.The achievement, demonstrated in an engineered unicellular bacteria-like life form called JCVI-syn3A, is the result of decades of genomic sequencing and analysis by scientists, exploring the roles individual genes play inside living creatures."Our goal is to know the function of every gene so we can develop a complete model of how a cell...WW…

For years now, experiments with have suggested that can offer a range of psychological benefits to people, with the potential to help treat and other mental health conditions.The notion that these long-controversial drugs might actually improve people's mental wellbeing, cognition, and creativity was hailed as an – but according to a new study, the supposed benefits of these substances may not be what they seem.In what's being described as the largest placebo-controlled trial on psychedelics to date, researchers found that the positive psychological effects linked with psychedelic...…For years now, experiments with have suggested that can offer a range of psychological benefits to people, with the potential to help treat and other mental health conditions.The notion that these long-controversial drugs might actually improve people's mental wellbeing, cognition, and creativity was hailed as an – but according to a new study, the supposed benefits of these substances may not be what they seem.In what's being described as the largest placebo-controlled trial on psychedelics to date, researchers found that the positive psychological effects linked with psychedelic...WW…

New satellite data from the European Space Agency (ESA) reveal that the weakening Earth's magnetic field continues to evolve, with the most recent observations showing we could soon be dealing with more than one of these strange phenomena.The is a vast expanse of reduced magnetic intensity in Earth's magnetic field, extending all the way from South America to southwest Africa.Since our planet's magnetic field acts as a kind of shield – protecting Earth from solar winds and cosmic radiation, in addition to determining the location of – any reduction in its strength is an important event we...…New satellite data from the European Space Agency (ESA) reveal that the weakening Earth's magnetic field continues to evolve, with the most recent observations showing we could soon be dealing with more than one of these strange phenomena.The is a vast expanse of reduced magnetic intensity in Earth's magnetic field, extending all the way from South America to southwest Africa.Since our planet's magnetic field acts as a kind of shield – protecting Earth from solar winds and cosmic radiation, in addition to determining the location of – any reduction in its strength is an important event we...WW…