Veículo
New Atlas (Austrália)
Em 2021: 1 notícias
Desde 1995: 9 notícias
Not-so-solitary electric eels observed hunting in packs
Publicado em 15 janeiro 2021
It has generally been thought that electric eels are purely solitary animals, which stalk prey on their own. Now, however, scientists have described seeing the creatures hunting in packs – which only nine other fish species are known to do.
Although a paper on the finding was published just this week, the initial observations of the pack hunting strategy were made back in August of 2012.
At that time, a team from the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History came [...]
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Rattlesnake venom compound points to promising new painkiller
Publicado em 14 fevereiro 2020New research has found a toxin extracted from the venom of a South American rattlesnake can function as an effective analgesic for neuropathic pain. The Brazilian study reveals the venom’s toxicity can be reduced by encapsulating it in tiny silica particles, with early animal studies delivering promising results. Crotoxin is the main neurotoxin found in venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus. The toxin's therapeutic potential has been well studied [...]ver notícia -
New species of electric eel is the most shocking animal
Publicado em 11 setembro 2019An international team of scientists led by Carlos David de Santana, an associate researcher at the US National Museum of Natural History, has found that the electric eel comes in three distinct species rather than one, and that one of these is a real shocker. Native to South America, the newly identified Electrophorus voltai can generate a record 860 volts – the highest voltage discharge of any known animal. Found in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers in South America, the electric eel is [...]ver notícia -
A shocking find : new high-voltage electric eels revealed
Publicado em 10 setembro 2019Call it a shock discovery: DNA research has revealed two entirely new species of electric eel in the Amazon basin, including one capable of delivering a record-breaking jolt. The findings are evidence, researchers say, of the incredible diversity in the Amazon rainforest — much of it still unknown to science — and illustrate why it is so important to protect a habitat at risk from deforestation, logging and fires. “In spite of all human impact on the Amazon rainforest in the [...]ver notícia -
Capsules made of thyme oil and corn starch used to kill mosquito larvae
Publicado em 07 agosto 2019Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits diseases such as dengue, zika, and yellow fever, is typically controlled utilizing insecticides that harm the environment. Now, however, scientists have created eco-friendly mozzie-killing microcapsules, made from cheap natural thyme oil and corn starch. Developed by a team at Brazil's University of Campinas, the capsules' active ingredient is a biodegradable phenol known as thymol, which is found in the essential oil of the thyme plant. That [...]ver notícia -
Smartphone-connected Eyer examines retinas and accesses the cloud
Publicado em 26 junho 2019In remote communities, a family doctor may or may not be present, but an ophthalmologist likely isn't. That's why Brazilian startup Phelcom Technologies created the Eyer, a smartphone-connected device that allows patients' retinal-scan images to be analyzed by ophthalmologists via the internet. Designed to be used by general practitioners or other healthcare professionals, the device ships with a compatible "high-quality" smartphone. That phone's camera lines up with [...]ver notícia -
New process uses two kinds of light to make organs safer for transplant
Publicado em 12 abril 2019t goes without saying that the greater the number of organs available for transplant, the better for patients in need of them. A newly-developed technique could help, as it uses light to kill viruses and bacteria that might otherwise make donated organs unsuitable for use. The process begins with a perfusion procedure developed by thoracic surgeon Marcelo Cypel, at the University of Toronto. That procedure involves replacing the blood in donated lungs with a non-toxic liquid preservative, and [...]ver notícia -
New method of tilapia-farming makes the old way seem square
Publicado em 28 junho 2018One of the world's most commonly farmed fish, tilapia are typically raised in square pens and get fed by hand a few times a day. New Brazilian technology that does away with those factors, however, is claimed to reduce both expenses and fish mortality rates. Developed by the Fisher Piscicultura aquaculture company, the system consists of wire mesh circular pens that are 4.5 m deep and 12 m in diameter (14.7 by 39.3 ft), each of which is housed within an aluminum frame. These pens/frames float [...]ver notícia -
Wizard-hat amoeba gets named after Gandalf
Publicado em 09 fevereiro 2017As far as most laypeople know, all amoebas are soft-bodied creatures – sort of like microscopic versions of The Blob. In fact, though, amoebas of the Thecamoeba genus have a hard outer carapace. In the case of a recently-described new species of Thecamoeba, that shell resembles the wizard's hat worn by Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. It's only fitting, therefore, that the microorganism has been named Arcella gandalfi. Over the past several years, there had been reports of [...]ver notícia