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Social amoebae form nanotube networks linking multiple cells

Social amoebae are unicellular organisms that act in concert, requiring extensive communication. Pierre Stallforth and colleagues studied modes of communication among cells of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, using fluorescent labeling and various imaging techniques.

'Rivers in the sky' influence marine heat waves

Long, narrow bands of moving moisture in the sky, known as atmospheric rivers, contribute to heat waves in the marine environment, according to a new study published in Nature Communications by researchers from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. The study is

Ultracold neutrons don't disappear into the mirror world

For decades, a theory in physics has postulated the existence of a mirror world whose interaction with our own reality is extremely feeble. The particles in this mirror universe are also thought to be candidates for dark matter. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI

AI-designed SARS-CoV-2 variants escape prevalent antibodies

While headlines warn that AI could unleash future biological threats, the technology also offers our best defense: a way to anticipate viral evolution and stress-test treatments. Rather than waiting for SARS-CoV-2 to mutate and outrun our immune system, my colleagues and I at

A lipid switch that blocks anthrax from entering cells

Every cell carefully builds and positions thousands of proteins that allow it to sense and respond to its surroundings. Even small changes to these proteins often determine whether they work properly or are destroyed before they ever reach the cell surface. One such protein is

New report shows nation's population growth is slowing

An estimated 370 million people will live in the United States in 2050, with more than 40% living in the South, according to national and 50-state population projections recently released by the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

A way to read quantum bits faster and with less hardware

Quantum computers process information in a fundamentally different way from conventional computers, using quantum bits, or qubits, that can exist in multiple states at once. This could allow them to tackle problems beyond the reach of today's machines, from simulating new

Tabby's star may be orbited by a planetary-mass companion

By analyzing data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and conducting new radial velocity measurements, U.K. and French astronomers have found evidence that the mysterious Tabby's star may be orbited by an object about nine times more massive than Jupiter.

Martian space suits will need to be 40% lighter

Long before a human ever sets foot on the Red Planet, we already know how harsh the environment is. Once a human finally does, the only things protecting them from that environment will be the infrastructure we've built there and the spacesuit that keeps them in a protective