AMHERST, Mass. – Grapevine Trunk Diseases, or GTDs, are the bane of vineyard owners worldwide, and as of 2012, were responsible for more than $1.5 billion in annual economic damages. While researchers have long known that a host of pathogenic fungi combine to gang up on grapevines, the mechanics of how these GTD-causing fungi work … Read more
One of our most-read old posts is the step-by-step explanation for why increasing CO2 is a significant problem (The CO2 problem in 6 easy steps). However, that was written in 2007 – 15 years ago! While the basic steps and concepts have not changed, there’s 15 years of more data, updates in some of the … Read more
Understanding the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and the brain’s vascular system – its complex network of vessels and veins – is a longstanding challenge for scientists. Credit: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Understanding the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and the brain’s vascular system – its complex network of vessels and veins – is … Read more
As the climate crisis looms, scientists are racing to find solutions to common clean energy problems, including solar energy storage. Solar energy is one of the best renewable resources we have, but it has challenges that prevent it from being widely adopted and replacing conventional energy sources. Because solar energy is variable throughout the day … Read more
Bronchitis in early childhood has been found to increase the risk of lung diseases in middle age according to research from the Allergy and Lung Health Unit at the University of Melbourne. Bronchitis in early childhood has been found to increase the risk of lung diseases in middle age according to research from the Allergy … Read more
The vast majority of experimental work in behavioral and biomedical science involves group comparison — in the simplest case, an experimental and a control group. Average data are compared and the variability within each group is used to estimate the probability that any mean difference could have occurred by chance. The estimation method typically used, … Read more
The idea of a mirror universe is a common trope in science fiction. A world similar to ours where we might find our evil doppelganger or a version of us who actually asked out our high school crush. But the concept of a mirror universe has often been studied in theoretical cosmology, and as a … Read more
Former University of Toronto Professor of Clinical Psychology Jordan Peterson recently received a flurry of condemnation for a tweet in which he criticized Sports Illustrated’s choice to put plus-size model Yumi Nu on the magazine’s cover. His tweet (below) not only criticized her looks, but also suggested that her appearance was an authoritarian attempt by … Read more
Lindsay Krall decided to study nuclear waste out of a love for the arcane. Figuring out how to bury radioactive atoms isn’t exactly simple — it takes a blend of particle physics, careful geology and engineering, and a high tolerance for reams of regulations. But the trickiest ingredient of all is time. Nuclear waste from … Read more
The model developed by the scientists includes the history of the rotation of the sun but also the magnetic instabilities that it generates. Credit: Sylvia Ekström / UNIGE An international team of astronomers has succeeded in developing a model to solve part of the “solar problem.” All was wrong with the Sun! A new set … Read more