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Analysis of swabs from China's Tiangong Space Station has revealed a new strain of bacteria sporting new adaptations for surviving outer space. Scientists have discovered a new microbe never-before-seen on Earth inside China's Tiangong space station. The new strain of bacteria, named Niallia tiangongensis after the space station, is a variant of a soil-dwelling terrestrial microbe that can cause sepsis, and was found inside one of the station's cabins. Now, a new analysis of the strain has revealed that the bacterium isn't only one of a kind, but has also picked up some key adaptations that could be helpful in...

Chinese scientists discovered a novel strain of bacterium with “unique abilities” that allowed it to thrive on the Tiangong Space Station, according to a report. The newly named Niallia tiangongensis was isolated by taikonauts from surface hardware on the China Space Station, according to a paper from the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. The novel strain is closely related to the terrestrial bacterium Niallia circulans, which is found in soil, sewage, food and human stool — but exhibits several mutations that could prove beneficial in the study of life...

Scientists have discovered a thriving ecosystem of ‘infectious organisms’ aboard the International Space Station. A Nasa team found five different varieties of Enterobacter, which are similar to bugs found in hospitals down here on Earth. The toilet of the orbiting space base was one of the main sites of infection along with the exercise area. Researchers calculated that there is a ‘79% probability that they may potentially cause disease’, although analysis has only been carried out on dead samples at this stage so this risk could prove to be higher or lower following further research. Dr Nitin Singh, who has...

Living bacteria were found on the surface of the International Space Station (ISS), and they might have extraterrestrial origins, Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov said. The microorganisms will be studied further on Earth. Shkaplerov, an ISS expedition flight engineer who will take his third trip to the ISS in December as part of the Expedition 54 crew, said that scientists found living bacteria while they were taking samples from the surface of the station. Speaking to TASS, he said that the microorganisms might have come from outer space. ... However, traces of bacteria originating on Earth – from Madagascar – and...

Bacterial cells treated with a common antibiotic have been spotted changing shape to survive while aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The way bacteria act in near-zero gravity environments could pose a serious problem for treating astronauts with infections. ... An experiment on the common E coli bacteria subjected it to different concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin sulfate, a drug which kills the bug on Earth. However, in comparison to a control group on Earth, the space bacteria showed a 13-fold increase in cell numbers and a 73% reduction in cell column size. "We knew bacteria behave differently in space...

Scientists have confirmed the rediscovery of Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, a species previously thought to be extinct for over 60 years.This ancient, egg-laying mammal was found deep within the rainforests of Indonesia.It is scientifically known as Zaglossus attenboroughi and named after the legendary naturalist David Attenborough.Echidnas, characterized by their spiky fur and beaks, are often referred to as "living fossils" due to their ancient lineage, believed to have originated around 200 million years ago during the time of dinosaurs...In 2023, during an Oxford University expedition to the remote Cyclops Mountains — located 2,000m (6,561ft) above sea level — a glimmer of...

Scientists studying the cooperative behavior of Longhorn Crazy Ants (Paratrechina longicornis) witnessed individual colony members performing several seemingly impossible feats of swarm intelligence, such as anticipating and clearing potential obstructions for other members transporting food back to the nest. The team that witnessed the unexpected behavior initially assumed individual Longhorn Crazy Ants were somehow anticipating others’ needs and acting accordingly. However, laboratory experiments confirmed the ants were instead working collectively like neurons in the human brain to perform advanced planning tasks with a level of forethought well beyond any individual ant’s limited brain capacity. Witnessing Longhorn Crazy Ants Using Swarm...

Peripatopsis barnardi represents the first ever species from the little Karoo, which indicates that the area was historically more forested than at present. It is one of seven new species from the Cape Fold Mountains described by researchers from Stellenbosch University. Credit: Savel Daniels A newly discovered velvet worm species is the first ever found in South Africa’s arid Karoo region. In March 2022, Stellenbosch University student Rohan Barnard was exploring a farm in the Swartberg Mountains between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn, turning over rocks in search of ants, reptiles, and other small creatures. During his search, he made the discovery...

Social control within spotties goes hand in hand with the overall body size. A female spotty/paketi (an endemic species of wrasse) in the Gemmell Lab at the University of Otago. - Gemmell Lab ========================================================================= Researchers at the University of Otago have discovered that the New Zealand spotty fish, or paketi, can begin displaying dominant behaviors just minutes after a shift in their social order, well before their bodies begin changing sex. The study highlights how quickly social hierarchies can influence this remarkable species’ behavior and even biological transitions. “The aggressive behaviors (called ‘rushes’) involved the dominant fish swimming rapidly towards...

A mysterious creature has baffled a woman in Colorado, with even wildlife experts unable to figure out what the creature is. Janay Lynn, 30, said the animal gave her ‘the chills’ when she saw it on Monday outside her home in Pueblo, Colorado. Some have suggested the creepy animal is a ‘chupacabra’ or ‘skin-walker’ after footage emerged of the creature. After first seeing the animal, Janay said nobody believed her – until she filmed it. Footage showed a small, brownish-black creature with red spots on its face eating with its hands on Janay’s porch. ‘Ew, it’s all bloody!’ she remarked...

A new study finds humanity's closest living relatives will chew plants and apply makeshift poultices to wounds, and use leaves for a hygienic scrub. VIDEO AT LINK.............. Wild chimpanzees have been observed self-medicating their wounds with plants, providing medical aid to other chimps and even removing others from snares left by human hunters, new research suggests. The behaviors — which are documented in a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Evolution and Ecology on Wednesday — provide new clues about the origin of medical care in humans. The study combines historical data and about eight months of new...

A creepy creature with unsettling human-like hands has been discovered in Michigan. Is it a new species, or something else entirely? A strange and eerie discovery at Michigan State University has captured the attention of scientists and folklore enthusiasts alike. A bizarre mummified creature, dubbed the ‘Capacabra‘ (a name inspired by the legendary chupacabra), with human-like hands was found during renovations of Cook-Seevers Hall. A Creature With Human-like Features Found in a University Discovered in 2018, the Capacabra has baffled scientists since its unveiling. According to Jerielle Cartales, a Ph.D. student involved in the investigation, the creature is about the...

The Republic of Cascadia Sasquatch Militia Operating under the aegis of the Bureau of Sasquatch Affairs & the Cascadian Defense Department "From The Forests We Will Fight!" Join the Sasquatch Militia... Sasquatch: The might of Cascadia is in your arms! Are you an able-bodied Sasquatch aged 10 to 150 who loves his or her country? If so, The Republic of Cascadia needs YOU to enlist in the Sasquatch Militia and defend our homeland against our many enemies, including such nefarious evildoers as: Canadians Southern Californians Geoduck & Tree Octopus Poachers Paraterrestrials Americans International Organized Crime Syndicates Nosey Cryptozoologists Besides...

A snail with a Picasso-like shell is among 46 dazzling new species recently identified in Southeast Asia. Their discovery highlights both nature’s hidden artistry and the urgent threat of habitat destruction. Credit: Artistic enhancement of photos by Gojšina et al. A tiny snail with a cubist-style shell, named after Picasso, sheds light on undiscovered biodiversity and growing habitat loss in Southeast Asia. They say beauty is everywhere, if we have eyes to see. For one team of scientists, it revealed itself in a tiny, 3-millimeter snail. While surveying snail biodiversity in Southeast Asia, an international team of malacologists, scientists who...

Art imitates life ... maybe.There’s something intriguing, even frightening, about the image of an ancient horned serpent roaming across the land. Thanks to some suggestive fossils and legends of old, talk of such a creature isn’t a new concept. But the recent discovery of 200-year-old rock paintings found in South Africa now has scientists hypothesizing that this ancient creature may have been far more than just a legend. The first formal scientific descriptions of this horned serpent—a supposed member of the dicynodont group—appeared in 1845. Considering the abundance of dicynodont fossils found in the Karoo Basin in South Africa, some...

Video Proof Disputed in Case of Ivory Bill The writer of a field guide to North American birds and three academic colleagues have challenged the videotape evidence offered as proof of the existence of an ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas' Big Woods region. Long believed to be extinct, the bird made headlines around the world last April when scientists announced that they had spotted it several times and caught it on film. But David Sibley and his team argue that the low-quality video shows the more common pileated woodpecker, not the ivory-bill, preparing to take flight from a tupelo tree and...

A rare “dinosaur fish,” once believed to have disappeared 70 million years ago, has been filmed in the wild by divers in the Indonesian archipelago. The Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis) was captured on camera in its natural habitat, marking a breakthrough for marine exploration. The discovery was made in October 2024 during a deep-sea mission led by Alexis Chappuis of UNSEEN Expeditions. Using special breathing equipment, Chappuis and fellow diver Alexandre Leblond descended to 152 meters along a volcanic slope in the Maluku Islands, where they spotted the elusive creature at a depth of 144 meters. Long-lost species returned to...

A proposal to designate the tortilla as New Mexico’s official state bread had unanimous support from lawmakers. On Friday, though, it ended up falling flat. It wasn’t because Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t a fan of the round wraps that have long been a staple of Mexican, Central American and Southwestern U.S. cooking. It was because she believes lawmakers missed opportunities to debate bills that deal with weightier matters as the state faces extraordinary challenges. “Of course, I enjoy celebrating our unique culture,” she wrote in her veto message, ticking off numerous official state symbols and songs that New Mexico...

Have you ever wondered why you don't have thick hair covering your whole body like a dog, cat or gorilla does? Humans aren't the only mammals with sparse hair. Elephants, rhinos and naked mole rats also have very little hair. It's true for some marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, too. Scientists think the earliest mammals, which lived at the time of the dinosaurs, were quite hairy. But over hundreds of millions of years, a small handful of mammals, including humans, evolved to have less hair. What's the advantage of not growing your own fur coat? I'm a biologist...

Ants are among the most familiar insects on Earth today, but their origins remain cloaked in deep evolutionary history. Until now, the oldest known ant specimens came from amber deposits in France and Myanmar, dating to the Cretaceous period around 100 million years ago. But a new discovery—published recently in the journal Current Biology—pushes that timeline back even further. “Our team has discovered a new fossil ant species representing the earliest undisputable geological record of ants,” said lead author Anderson Lepeco in a recent statement. “What makes this discovery particularly interesting is that it belongs to the extinct ‘hell ant,’...