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Unlike the other three mRNA vaccines currently available in the U.S., Novavax's vaccine is made from small nanoparticles made of proteins from the coronavirus's surface.

Innovation for Good

FDA Advisers Recommend Novavax’s Covid-19 Vaccine for Use in Adults

The vote of support is a step forward for the long-in-production protein-based vaccine that may be a different option from current mRNA-based vaccines

Charles Darwin first proposed that chickens may have descended from the red jungle fowl because of their similar appearances. (Pictured: A red jungle fowl)

Researchers Pinpoint Date When Chickens Were First Domesticated

New findings push back the fowl’s domestication thousands of years

There's more than meets the eye going on when someone pops a bottle of bubbly.

What Really Happens When You Pop Champagne, According to Science

Researchers now have a clearer picture of the supersonic shock waves that form when carbon dioxide escapes from a bottle of bubbly

The eggs laid at at Galveston Island State Park were transported to an incubation facility, which will improve their chance of survival.

Good News

107 Critically Endangered Sea Turtle Eggs Found in Texas State Park

This is the first time in ten years that a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle has nested at the park

A common bottlenose dolphin swimming off the coast of France. 

Dolphins Have Different Whistles Based on Their Environment

Genetics have little influence on the differences between dolphin whistles, but location and population demographics play an important role

A Mexican wolf pup less than 14 days old is given a health check before being placed into a wild den in New Mexico.

Eleven Mexican Gray Wolf Pups Released Into the Wild

The pups were part of a cross-fostering program to boost genetic diversity in the endangered subspecies

Each pup was rewarded with toys like tennis balls if they picked out the virus successfully in sweat samples.

Dogs Sniff Out Covid-19 With Surprising Accuracy

Canines were even able to detect asymptomatic cases

In a new study, researchers collected over 7 million sleep records from 47,628 people and compared those to local meteorological data. 

Climate Change May Affect Our Ability to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

New research suggests that higher temperatures may lead of 50 to 58 hours of lost sleep per person every year by the end of the century

A bison walking on a road in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. 

Woman Gored by a Bison in Yellowstone National Park

An Ohio woman came within ten feet of the animal and was thrown ten feet in the air

Giraffes may have evolved such long necks, in part, because of sexual competition.

An Extinct, Head-Butting Animal May Help Explain Giraffes' Long Necks

The giraffe’s ancestor used its sturdy head and neck to fight for mates

The seagrass Posidonia australis.

World’s Largest Plant Is a Seagrass That Clones Itself

The 4,500-year-old plant lives off the coast of Australia

 Researchers speculate that type two inflammation that occurs in allergic conditions may reduce levels of the ACE2 receptor on the surface of airway cells, where SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein binds to. (Pictured: Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 under and electron microscope)

Some Allergies Associated With Lower Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

An NIH study found that food allergies reduced risk of infection by 50 percent

Uranus (left) and Neptune (right)

Why Neptune Appears Bluer Than Its Cousin Uranus

Though the solar system’s two outermost planets are very similar, their color is a puzzling difference

Asian elephants

Scientists Are Using YouTube to Understand How Elephants Mourn Their Dead

The research is part of a growing trend of using crowdsourced videos to learn about elusive or hard-to-study animals

Researchers used the teeth of 13 megalodon sharks and 20 modern great white sharks to analyze dietary signatures and their trophic levels or where they fit in the food chain. (Pictured: a megalodon tooth on the left next to a great white shark tooth on the right)

Great White Sharks May Have Driven Megalodons into Extinction

Scientists analyzed zinc isotopes in fossilized teeth and found both sharks may have competed for the same food

Trees at Alerce Costero National Park

A New Candidate for Oldest Tree in the World Is Discovered in Chile

Environmental scientists used unorthodox methods for calculating Alerce Milenario’s age

Goldfish, as voracious eaters, will devour snails, small insects, fish eggs, and young fish, out-competing native fish. They can also grow over a foot long outside in the wild. (Pictured: A 14-inch goldfish removed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from the Niagara River that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario)

Though Cute as Pets, Goldfish Are Highly Invasive Once in the Wild

The animal’s insatiable appetites, bold behaviors and adaptability make them harmful to new environments

Minnesota River from Gifford Lake Unit, Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area

Human Skull Found by Minnesota Kayakers Dates Back 8,000 Years

The skull fragment will be turned over to Upper Sioux Community tribal officials

Researchers wanted to study how Anna's hummingbirds adapted to higher elevation. (Pictured: male Anna's hummingbird)

Scientists Moved Hummingbirds to High Elevations to See How Climate Change Might Affect Them

Artificial migrations to colder environments altered the small bird's metabolism and ability to fly

Researchers have long tried—and failed—to sequence the complete genome of someone who died in Pompeii. 

This Man Was Encased in Volcanic Ash in Pompeii. Here’s What His DNA Reveals

The adult man’s genome is the first to be fully sequenced from remains found in the ancient city

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