Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Vampire Bats Lose Bitter Taste

Once though essential to every animal species as a caution against ingesting toxins, three species of vampire bats have significantly fewer taste receptors for bitter compounds due to their evolutionary specialization for an all-blood diet.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Small Asteroids May Be Clusters

Using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, researchers have found small asteroids that are up to 65% empty space and that many smaller bodies may be clusters of rubble or a dust cloud with a solid nucleus instead of solid rocky bodies.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Water Reservoir Inside Earth

A massive reservoir of water three times the volume of Earth's oceans has been discovered 700 km down inside the mantle locked within a blue rock called ringwoodite, with the liquid "sweating" out of the mineral due to the great pressures and temperatures.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Dark Side of the Moon Mystery

Astrophysicists have solved the Lunar Farside Highlands Problem, the question dating from 1959 as to why the far side of the Moon has no maria like the near side, the explanation being that the Moon was tidally locked with Earth's orbit soon after its formation resulting in a temperature gradient and thicker crust on the side facing away from Earth.