Mars is full of surprises, and the latest one is a set of strange, web-like structures spotted by the Curiosity rover. These formations, called "boxwork, " stretch up to 12 miles wide and look like giant spiderwebs from above. They are made up of mineral-rich ridges that crisscross each other, and s
Ever wondered why some genes are active in certain tissues but not others? Or why they behave differently in sickness compared to health? The answer might lie in the promoters, the gene's silent conductors. Promoters are like the gene's personal managers. They decide when and where a gene should be
A long time ago, people lived on the Ryukyu Islands near Japan. No one knows how they got there. The trip was tough because of a super strong ocean current called the Kuroshio Current. To figure it out, scientists built a boat like the ones from that time and tried the journey themselves. They used
Deep beneath the Earth's surface, something incredible is happening. A column of molten rock is rising up in pulses, like a heartbeat. This is causing a big crack in the African continent. Scientists have been studying this in a place called Afar, in Ethiopia. Here, three huge cracks in the Earth's
Plants have clever ways to handle tough conditions. One such method involves a signaling system called the MAPK cascade. This system acts like a plant's alarm and response team, kicking into gear when faced with stress like too much salt, dry spells, or extreme heat. At the top of this team is a gen
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has just made a big find. It has spotted its first new planet outside our solar system. This planet, named TWA 7b, is special. It is the lightest planet ever seen directly outside our solar system. It is about 100 times the mass of Earth. That is still very ligh
The universe is full of mysteries, and one of the biggest is dark matter. Scientists have been trying to figure out what it is for a long time. Recently, a particle called the axion has become a hot topic. It was first thought of to solve problems with the strong nuclear force, but now it's being co
Some plants have a superpower: they can survive extreme drought. These are called resurrection plants. They can dry out completely and come back to life when water returns. Scientists have been studying these plants for a long time. They want to understand how these plants do this. This knowledge co
Ever wondered how some fish can sense electric fields? It's all thanks to some special cells and genes. Scientists have been digging into this mystery, and they've found some pretty cool stuff. First, let's talk about the stars of the show: hair cells and electroreceptors. These tiny cells help fis
Proteins are like tiny workers in our cells, and they need to be managed well for our bodies to function properly. One such protein, UFD-3, has been found to have two important jobs. First, it helps to control the breakdown of other proteins that are tagged for destruction. Second, it plays a role i
