Religions and languages are like any other social traits, such as age or wealth. They evolve and change over time, just like people do. New ones pop up while others fade away. Have you ever wondered how many religions or languages exist at any given time? Or how they change and spread? Scientists s
Ever wondered how tiny insects like fruit fly larvae can zip through their environment, seeking out food and avoiding danger? It all starts with their olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). These guys are the first responders to smells. Scientists wanted to figure out how these ORNs help larvae navigate
Citrus melanose, a group of plant diseases caused by fungi in the Diaporthe genus, is a major issue for citrus growers. Over 30 species of Diaporthe affect citrus, ranging from harmless to highly damaging. One of the most troublesome is Diaporthe citri, which causes black spots and sand-like symptom
Have you ever had to quickly adapt to a new situation, like learning to use a new tool or master a new motion? Scientists are curious about how our brains handle these changes. They're especially interested in something called "internal models" – this is like a mental map of our body and how it inte
Scientists have come up with a clever way to deal with water pollution. They've created tiny graphene cages that can trap and break down nasty chemicals, like N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF), found in water. First, they mix graphene with a special polymer to create a kind of super material called PGO.
Theoretical physicist Julian Schwinger was a big deal in the world of science. He helped shape modern quantum mechanics. On February 12, 2018, Harvard University held a special event called "The Memories of Julian" to mark 100 years since his birth. It's pretty impressive that even a century after h
Imagine a group of people where some are more famous than others. We'll call these important folks "celebrities" and their status "celebrity weight. " The goal for everyone in this group is to get close to the most famous people while keeping their own costs down. This is what we're calling the "cel
Have you ever wondered how we measure the evolution of technology? Scientists have struggled with this question for years, trying to figure out the best way to track the progress of technology over time. Some have suggested looking at the current level of technology, or how it changes, but these met
Ever wondered how random walks work in strange, or "degenerate, " environments? Scientists have figured out how to calculate the speeds of these walks, both in uniform and non-uniform places. Interestingly, in some non-uniform spots, the speeds aren't always smoothly increasing or decreasing – they
Imagine you're walking through a park, but the path you take isn't just random—it's determined by a series of independent probabilities. This is the essence of a random walk in a Dirichlet environment. In this environment, the chances of moving from one spot to another are not fixed but are themselv
