This fossil is the last common ancestor of worms Ikaria wariootia, a fossil, is predicted to be 560-551 million years old and thought to be the last common ancestor of bilaterians, like worms, found in South Australia.

February 15, 2021 by Deniz Akbulut Read More

Fungi may be able to help clean up polluted water A few species of fungi were tested for their ability to clean up wastewaters contaminated with selenium. With additional nutrients added, it mostly worked. The fungi Alternaria showed great potential for cleaning up water polluted with selenite.

November 24, 2020 by Mary Sabuda Read More

Chronically trapped in your own negative thoughts? Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is linked with a penchant for unshakable negative inner dialogues and intrusive thought patterns that just won’t quit.

November 19, 2020 by Jessica Beaudoin Read More

3D Brain model shows how the herpes virus can trigger Alzheimer’s disease Scientists injected the herpes-simplex virus type 1, the strain that causes cold sores, into brain tissue and found that it caused the brain to look and act like an Alzheimer’s brain. Injecting an antiviral drug was successful in reducing the spread and damage.

July 27, 2020 by Jocelyn Solis-Moreira Read More

microgreens in dirt

Disease-causing bacteria can grow on hydroponic microgreen mats Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes are two bacteria that can make you sick when eating contaminated produce. It turns out, some microgreen grow mats might be a breeding ground for these bacteria.

July 2, 2020 by Gina Misra Read More

Muscles lost in our adult primate ancestors still appear in humans A review of previous anatomy studies found that some “ancient” muscles that are normally present in other primate species may be more common in humans than previously thought

June 15, 2020 by Eve K. Boyle Read More

What can microbes teach us about life in extreme environments? Microbes living in an extreme environment hosted by a rock called serpentinite use a variety of sulfur compounds to gain energy and survive, which has implications for life that might exist elsewhere in our Universe.

May 13, 2020 by Mary Sabuda Read More

Fungi influence the recovery of pollutants in the environment Researchers found a hidden selenium cycle tied to manganese oxide minerals made by common soil fungi.

May 11, 2020 by Mary Sabuda Read More

Believe it or not, we can (kind of) measure the air pressure of early Earth! Blue-green algae's response to different nitrogen pressures may tell us what fossils to look for and what those fossils tell us about ancient air pressure.

February 13, 2019 by Sanjoy Som Read More

Lasers and Fool’s Gold Give a Glimpse Into Our Ocean’s Past The amount of pyrite in the sea floor gives us an idea of how much oxygen was in the ocean millions of years ago.

January 30, 2018 by Daniel Gregory Read More