Remote Indonesia volcano erupts again after thousands evacuated
A remote Indonesian volcano sent a tower of ash spewing into the sky Friday, after nearly half a dozen eruptions earlier this week forced thousands to evacuate when molten rocks rained down on their villages. ⌘ Read more

Indonesia on alert for more eruptions at remote volcano
Indonesian authorities were on alert Friday for more eruptions from a remote island volcano that forced thousands to evacuate this week, as nearby residents began clearing debris after molten rocks rained down on their villages. ⌘ Read more

Key protein regulates immune response to viruses in mammal cells
Researchers have revealed the regulatory mechanism of a specific protein that plays a key role in balancing the immune response triggered by viral infections in mammal cells. These findings could help drive the development of antiviral therapies and nucleic acid medicines to treat genetic disorders. The research is published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research. ⌘ Read more

First evidence of ancient human occupation found in giant lava tube cave in Saudi Arabia
If you look from above, you can see thousands of stone structures dotting the landscape of the Arabian peninsula. On the ground, you can find a bounty of stone tools and ancient fireplaces scattered along the edges of ancient lakes, as well as rock art depicting hunting and herding scenes in the surrounding mountains. ⌘ Read more

Why the kookaburra’s iconic laugh is at risk of being silenced
Once, while teaching a class of environmental science students in China’s Hebei University of Science and Technology, I asked who knew what a laughing kookaburra was. There were many blank faces. Then I tilted my head, much like a kookaburra does, and opened my mouth: “kok-kak-KAK-KAK-KAK-KOK-KAK-KOK-kook-kook-kok, kok, kok.” I became the “bushman’s alarm clock”. ⌘ Read more

Materials follow the ‘Rule of Four,’ but scientists don’t know why yet
Scientists are normally happy to find regularities and correlations in their data—but only if they can explain them. Otherwise, they worry that those patterns might just be revealing some flaw in the data itself, so-called experimental artifacts. ⌘ Read more

SpaceX tallies 1st of two launches over two days from Space Coast
SpaceX launched Wednesday evening the first of a pair of Space Coast rockets in two days, both carrying batches of the company’s Starlink satellites. ⌘ Read more

Indonesians leave homes near erupting volcano and airport closes due to ash danger
Indonesian authorities closed an airport and residents left homes near an erupting volcano Thursday due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami. ⌘ Read more

Here’s why experts don’t think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai’s downpour
With cloud seeding, it may rain, but it doesn’t really pour or flood—at least nothing like what drenched the United Arab Emirates and paralyzed Dubai, meteorologists said. ⌘ Read more

Researchers identify genetic variant that helped shape human skull base evolution
Humans, Homo sapiens, have unique features compared with other closely related hominin species and primates, including the shape of the base of the skull. The evolutionary changes underlying these features were significant in allowing the evolution of our increased brain size. ⌘ Read more

Mountain chickadees have remarkable memories. A new study explains why
Lost your keys? Can’t remember where you parked the car? If only you had the memory of a mountain chickadee. ⌘ Read more

Higher density living is changing the way neighborhoods work in Canada
There is growing concern about people’s unwillingness to get to know their neighbors. This concern is significant enough to have spurred research into what has been termed the “emerging asocial society”—one of the challenge areas of an initiative called Imagining Canada’s Future. ⌘ Read more

Astronomers discover the most metal-poor extreme helium star
Using the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), astronomers have performed high-resolution observations of a recently detected extreme helium star designated EC 19529–4430. It turned out that EC 19529–4430 is the most metal deficient among the population of known extreme helium stars. The finding was reported in a research paper published April 5 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ Read more

Silver-based micromotors that eliminate bacteria can move freely in aqueous media
Researchers at ICIQ in Tarragona have developed a simple technique to produce microscopic crystals that activate in the presence of light, releasing silver ions with antimicrobial activity. ⌘ Read more

NASA’s VIPER moon rover gets its head and neck
In this image from Feb. 12, 2024, engineers lift a mast into place on NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) robotic moon rover. VIPER’s mast and the suite of instruments affixed to it look a lot like the rover’s “neck” and “head.” The mast instruments are designed to help the team of rover drivers and real-time scientists send commands and receive data while the rover navigates around hazardous crater slopes, boulders, and places that … ⌘ Read more

Supreme Court to consider whether local governments can make it a crime to sleep outside if no inside space is available
On April 22, 2024, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could radically change how cities respond to the growing problem of homelessness. It also could significantly worsen the nation’s racial justice gap. ⌘ Read more

‘Urban form’ and the housing crisis: Can streets and buildings make a neighborhood more affordable?
As of 2007, most humans live in cities. Though this is a relatively recent trend, many of our settlements contain street, block, and building patterns that have developed over centuries. These patterns—which collectively make up what we call “urban form”—are far from a neutral backdrop: they influence who lives where, what businesses find footholds in which locations, and what makes some areas … ⌘ Read more

Attosecond imaging made possible by short and powerful laser pulses
Extremely short pulses of laser light with a peak power of 6 terawatts (6 trillion watts)—roughly equivalent to the power produced by 6,000 nuclear power plants—have been realized by two RIKEN physicists. This achievement will help further develop attosecond lasers, for which three researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023. The work is published in the journal Nature Photonics. ⌘ Read more