Narcissists fall out of love with themselves as they get older

When it comes to human foibles, there isn’t much that aging doesn’t cure. Most of us eventually grow out of all that petty self-puffery — the vanity, pride and arrogance of youth. But narcissism is a tough nut to crack….

Climate change expected to accelerate spread of sometimes-fatal fungal infection

(American Geophysical Union) Valley fever is endemic to hot and dry regions like the southwestern United States and California’s San Joaquin Valley, but a new study predicts climate change will cause the fungal infection’s range to more than double in size this century, reaching previously unaffected areas across the western U.S.

This Cheap Little Device Generates Light and Electricity Simply By Harnessing the Cold Night Sky

Since solar panels can’t generate any electricity at night, researchers designed this contraption to power LED lights simply by relying on cold evening air.

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Plastic pollution has entered fossil record, says study

A new study has found that plastic pollution is being deposited into the fossil record, with deposits increasing exponentially since 1945.

Device generates light from the cold night sky

(Cell Press) An inexpensive thermoelectric device harnesses the cold of space without active heat input, generating electricity that powers an LED at night, researchers report Sept. 12 in the journal Joule.

Climate change may cut soil’s ability to absorb water

Coasts, oceans, ecosystems, weather and human health all face impacts from climate change, and now valuable soils may also be affected. Climate change may reduce the ability of soils to absorb water in many parts of the world, according to a new study. And that could have serious implications for groundwater supplies, food production and security, stormwater runoff, biodiversity and ecosystems.

Why male honeybees try to blind their queens

You don’t casually date a queen. Most male honeybees only get one shot at it. And she doesn’t have time for dinner. So what does a humble drone do to make sure she always remembers him? Wear his best pin-striped…

Promising mobile technologies find methane leaks quickly, Stanford/EDF study finds

(Stanford University) Finding natural gas leaks more quickly and at lower cost could reduce methane emissions. Ten promising technologies mounted on drones, trucks and airplanes were tested last year. The results are in.

Satellite data record shows climate change’s impact on fires

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) While every fire needs a spark to ignite and fuel to burn, it’s the hot and dry conditions in the atmosphere that determine the likelihood of a fire starting, its intensity and the speed at which it spreads. Over the past several decades, as the world has increasingly warmed, so has its potential to burn.

Synthetic biologists extend functional life of cancer fighting circuitry in microbes

Bioengineers have developed a method to significantly extend the life of gene circuits used to instruct microbes to do things like produce and deliver drugs, break down chemicals and sense the environment. Most circuits synthetic biologists insert into microbes break or vanish after a certain period of time — typically days to weeks — because of various mutations. Researchers demonstrated they can keep genetic circuits going much longer.