Science Daily News

• Mars habitability limited by its small size, isotope study suggests September 20, 2021
  Researchers measured the potassium isotope compositions of Martian meteorites in order to estimate the presence, distribution, and abundance of volatile elements and compounds, including water, on Mars, finding that Mars has lost more potassium than Earth but retained more potassium than the moon or the asteroid 4-Vesta; the results suggest that rocky planets with larger […]
• Cancer cells’ unexpected genetic tricks for evading the immune system September 16, 2021
  In a surprising new finding in mice, researchers have discovered that many genes linked to human cancer block the body's natural defense against malignancies.
• Plants evolved complexity in two bursts -- with a 250-million-year hiatus September 16, 2021
  A new method for quantifying plant evolution reveals that after the onset of early seed plants, complexity halted for 250 million years until the diversification of flowering plants about 100 million years ago.
• Can fruit fly research help improve survival of cancer patients? September 16, 2021
  Scientists don't really know what kills many cancer patients, but fruit fly research could provide answers. By following flies with tumors up to the point of death, researchers have discovered chemicals produced by tumors that shorten life span apart from the damage done locally to critical organs. This suggests a novel strategy for extending a […]
• Climate change threatens base of polar oceans' bountiful food webs September 16, 2021
  The cold polar oceans give rise to some of the largest food webs on Earth. And at their base are microscopic, photosynthetic algae. But human-induced climate change, a new study suggests, is displacing these important cold-water communities of algae with warm-adapted ones, a trend that threatens to destabilize the delicate marine food web and change […]