Could salt-loving microbes explain Mars’ methane?

New laboratory studies – simulating conditions on the planet Mars and using salt-loving microbes – suggest that similar organisms could be producing Mars’ mysterious methane.

This App Delivers Instant Sign Language Interpreters For Those Tricky Moments That Need More Than Pen and Paper

The new Jeenie video chat app instantly connects ASL-speakers with intrepreters who can translate sign language into spoken word.

The post This App Delivers Instant Sign Language Interpreters For Those Tricky Moments That Need More Than Pen and Paper appeared first on Good News Network.

Jewel beetles bend light to make themselves invisible to predators

We see you, little jewel beetle. But apparently, predators have a hard time distinguishing that stunningly iridescent shell from its natural surroundings. That may sound counterintuitive to the rules of camouflage. After all, insects and animals that rely on the…

Doggy blood donors save lives

Dog blood banks are much like people blood banks. Donors are screened, the blood is typed, and sometimes there’s a shortage. The U.S. typically faces dog blood shortage several times a year, says veterinarian Jean Dodds, who runs the Hemopet…

Marburg virus found in Sierra Leone bats

Scientists have detected Marburg virus in fruit bats in Sierra Leone, marking the first time the deadly virus has been found in West Africa. Eleven Egyptian rousette fruit bats tested positive for active Marburg virus infection. The presence of Marburg virus, a close relative to Ebola virus that also causes hemorrhagic disease in people, was detected in advance of any reported cases of human illness in Sierra Leone.

Why eating yogurt may help lessen the risk of breast cancer

One of the causes of breast cancer may be inflammation triggered by harmful bacteria suggest researchers. Scientists advise consuming natural yogurt, which contains beneficial bacteria which dampens inflammation and which is similar to the bacteria found in breastfeeding mothers. Their suggestion is that this bacteria is protective because breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer. The consumption of yogurt is also associated with a reduction in the risk of breast cancer.

Blue-emitting diode demonstrates limitations and promise of perovskite semiconductors

(University of California – Berkeley) Halide perovskites have garnered attention because they’re highly efficient at capturing energy in solar cells and efficient emitters in diodes. But researchers failed at making perovskite LEDs that emit blue light. UC Berkeley chemists succeeeded, but X-ray studies of the LED’s structure show that it’s very sensitive to temperature, humidity and chemical environment. Hence environmental and chemical control is essential for stable operation. But these properties also allow for potentially broader use, such as sensors.

MTU engineers examine lithium battery defects

(Michigan Technological University) Lithium dendrites cause poor performance and even explosions in batteries with flammable liquid electrolytes. How these dendrites grow, even with a solid electrolytes, is still a mystery, but materials engineers at MTU and Oak Ridge study the conditions that enable dendrites and how to stop them.

The skin of the earth is home to pac-man-like protists

(Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) The most common groups of soil protists behave exactly like Pac-Man: moving through the soil matrix, gobbling up bacteria according to a new article in Science Advances.

Climate Change Could Cause the Next Financial Meltdown – The New York Times

FRANKFURT — Climate change has already been blamed for deadly bush fires in Australia, dying coral reefs, rising sea levels and ever more cataclysmic storms. Could it also cause the next financial crisis? A report issued this week by an…