Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

<figure><iframe width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/l_73rnDHd1k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> · Scientists have long puzzled over why some dinosaurs had feathers and wings long before they evolved the ability of flight. Experiments with a robot dinosaur may now have revealed the answer – they used them for hunting. · Feathers show up in a range of dinosaur species, including icons like the…

A Dutch startup says everyone's hugely underestimating the potential of battery-electric aircraft – that it's possible to build large battery-electric airliners covering distances most assume we'll need hydrogen for. Elysian plans to prove it. · The company doesn't believe it'll need some giant leap in batteries to do it, either; it says it can take 90 passengers some 800 km (497 miles) using a pack with 360 Wh/kg. Amprius, meanwhile, was…

Undertaking a study of proteins found in the complement system, an important part of the immune system, of patients with long COVID, researchers have identified a blood protein ‘signature’ that may improve the diagnosis and lead to a treatment for the debilitating condition. · About 5% of all people infected with SARS-CoV-2 don’t recover from acute disease and develop debilitating long-term symptoms commonly known as ‘long COVID.’ While the…

Humans are increasingly passing pathogens to animal populations, imperilling endangered species such as chimpanzees and gorillass. · There was something wrong with the chimpanzees. For weeks, a community of 205 animals in Uganda’s Kibale National Park had been coughing, sneezing and looking generally miserable. But no one could say for sure what ailed them, even as the animals began to die. · Necropsies can help to identify a cause of death,…

Plans for an ambitious new supertall skyscraper have been revealed for Oklahoma City. Assuming the project goes ahead as expected, it will be the second-tallest skyscraper in the United States – as well as the second-tallest in the entire Western Hemisphere. · The Boardwalk at Bricktown skyscraper has been designed by AO for developers Matteson Capital and Thinkbox, and is part of a larger development push in the downtown area. · It will…

2023 has been another big year for the small living movement and, as it comes to a close, we're taking a look at 10 of the most interesting and innovative tiny houses we've seen over the past 12 months. · Our selection of the best tiny houses of 2023 encompasses lots of different models, from relatively simple and compact dwellings to those far larger and more complex. · As usual, we're not being too strict with the definition of tiny house…

While it's important for your dog or cat to have a form of ID in case they get lost, tags can fall off, and microchips can migrate out of place. Japanese scientists are developing an alternative, in the form of quick and painless tattoos. · First of all, yes, some pet owners do already get their animals tattooed. However, because the procedure is time-consuming, invasive and a bit painful, the creature typically has to be placed under general…

People are swallowing hundreds of thousands of microscopic pieces of plastic each time they drink a liter of bottled water, scientists have shown — a revelation that could have profound implications for human health. · A new paper released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found about 240,000 particles in the average liter of bottled water, most of which were “nanoplastics” — particles measuring less than one…

The rail system, built to connect tourist destinations, has been criticized for endangering archaeological and environmental sites. · Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador inaugurated the first part of the controversial Maya Train in late December. Billed as an ambitious effort to boost tourism, the rail system will eventually connect archaeological and tourist destinations in a rough loop through five states. · The newly completed…

Scientists have uncovered fossils detailing a new huge predatory worm species thought to have hunted in the Earth’s water column more than 518 million years ago. · Researchers from the University of Bristol's Schools of Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences believe this worm – named Timorebestia, or ‘terror beast’ in Latin – was one of the planet’s earliest carnivorous swimming animals and part of a diverse “dynasty” of predators that until…