They differ by 5.2 genetic changes on average, researchers reported ( SN: 1/30/21, p. Identical twins may not be genetically identical, after all. Sapria himalayana, a native to Southeast Asia, is an endoparasite, living inside its vine host for years before emerging as a speckled flower that can measure 20 centimeters across. himalayana appears to steal more than nutrients - more than 1 percent of its genes come from other plants, perhaps current or past hosts. Chloroplasts are the structures where photosynthesis, or food making, typically occurs. himalayana parasitizes other plants to get nutrients, so it’s not so surprising that it has entirely purged its chloroplast DNA. Steinhardt Case of the missing genesĪ foul-smelling Southeast Asian plant named Sapria himalayana has lost about 44 percent of the genes found in most other flowering plants ( SN: 3/13/21, p. Red trinitite (shown) was formed from melted sand, copper wires and other debris in the aftermath of the Trinity nuclear test. Previously, these crystals had been found only in meteorites or made in the lab. Quasicrystals have an orderly structure like a normal crystal, but that structure doesn’t repeat. Within the trinitite, scientists discovered, is a rare form of matter called a quasicrystal ( SN: 6/19/21, p. The intense heat and pressure of the first atomic bomb test, in 1945, left behind a glassy substance known as trinitite - and something even stranger. Toilet training cows on a large scale and collecting their urine to make fertilizer could cut down on agricultural pollution, the team says. Once the cow relieved itself, a window in the stall opened, dispensing a molasses mixture as a treat. Researchers successfully trained 11 calves, such as this one, to urinate in a bathroom stall. Xenobots might someday serve a useful purpose, such as cleaning up waterways, the scientists say. Scientists removed skin stem cells from frog embryos and watched the cells organize into little blobs dubbed “xenobots” that could swim around and even repair themselves, plus move particles in the environment. Chuck Carter Living machinesįrog cells transformed themselves into tiny living robots ( SN: 4/24/21, p. Jets of energy explode from a star that has cannibalized its dead companion in this artist’s illustration. Astronomers had theorized that such a star-eat-star supernova was possible, but had never observed one. The resulting spectacular explosion left behind a black hole ( SN: 10/9/21 & 10/23/21, p. In a bone-chilling event, astronomers caught a star swallowing a nearby black hole, or perhaps a neutron star, and then getting eaten by its own meal. Joe Carrotta for NYU Langone Health Death stars The kidney functioned normally for 54 hours. Here, the team examines the kidney for signs of rejection. A surgical team at NYU Langone Health in New York City attached a pig kidney to a human patient in a first-of-its-kind procedure. This successful surgical experiment marks a milestone toward true animal-to-human transplants, which would broaden the supply of lifesaving organs for people in need. In a first, a pig kidney was attached to a human, and the organ functioned normally during 54 hours of monitoring ( SN: 11/20/21, p. Lawrence Livermore National Lab Pig-to-human kidney transplant That process produces X-rays that vaporize the capsule’s exterior and compresses the fuel to the extreme pressures and temperatures needed to drive fusion. In fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility, lasers (blue in this artist’s rendering) blast a tiny cylinder containing a fuel capsule (white sphere). The test released about 70 percent of the energy used to set off the reaction, the closest yet to the break-even milestone. A big hurdle for fusion energy has been achieving ignition - the point when a fusion reaction produces more energy than required to trigger it. Hopes for making nuclear fusion the clean energy source of the future got a boost in August when a fusion experiment released 1.3 million joules of energy ( SN: 9/11/21, p. A range of cool discoveries, technological milestones and downright bizarre scientific feats - cows can be potty trained? - gave us a chance to gab about something other than the pandemic.
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