Ars Technica destaca histórias científicas que passaram despercebidas em abril

02 de maio de 2026

Reportado por IA

O Ars Technica compilou seis descobertas científicas intrigantes que quase não foram notadas. O resumo cobre a física da natação dos golfinhos, reparos em navios romanos e a comunicação de cogumelos por meio de urina. Publicadas em 2 de maio, essas histórias abrangem física, arqueologia e biologia.

Em um recurso mensal, o Ars Technica destacou pesquisas de abril que poderiam ter passado despercebidas. Entre os destaques, cientistas japoneses da Universidade de Osaka usaram simulações de supercomputadores para explicar a velocidade dos golfinhos. Eles descobriram que grandes anéis de vórtice gerados pelas barbatanas da cauda produzem a maior parte do impulso, enquanto vórtices menores são subprodutos turbulentos. 'Nossos resultados mostram que a hierarquia de vórtices na turbulência é crucial para entender a natação dos golfinhos', disse o coautor Susumu Goto. A equipe pretende aplicar isso a robôs subaquáticos, conforme detalhado na Physical Review Fluids (2026).

Artigos relacionados

Northwestern engineers print artificial neurons that can stimulate living brain cells

Northwestern University researchers report they have printed flexible “artificial neurons” that generate realistic electrical spike patterns and can trigger responses in living mouse brain tissue. The team says the work, published April 15 in Nature Nanotechnology, could help advance brain-machine interfaces and more energy-efficient, brain-inspired computing.

Scientists analyze Darwin's 200-year-old specimen jars without opening them

05 de março de 2026 Reportado por IA

Researchers have developed a laser technique to examine the contents of Charles Darwin's original specimens from the Galápagos Islands without disturbing the nearly 200-year-old jars. The method, known as Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy, reveals the chemical makeup of preservation fluids inside sealed containers. This breakthrough aids museums in preserving delicate collections worldwide.

Ciência

Scientists create atom-sized pores mimicking biological ion channels

Ciência

Physicists revisit Boltzmann brain paradox in new study

Ciência

MIT study links ancient sea sponges to earth's earliest animals

Bubble Robotics to test subsea drones this summer with Ifremer

French start-up Bubble Robotics, founded in 2025, plans to test a system of subsea drones and robotic surface vessels this summer in partnership with Ifremer. Drawing inspiration from SpaceX’s « NewSpace » methods, the company aims to monitor oceans and protect critical infrastructure. Led by Jean Crosetti and Patricia Apostol, it pursues this vision.

Physicists solve plasma asymmetry mystery in tokamaks

02 de abril de 2026 Reportado por IA

Researchers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have identified plasma rotation as the key factor explaining why particles in fusion tokamaks strike one side of the exhaust system more than the other. Their simulations, which matched real experiments, combined rotation with sideways drifts. The discovery could improve designs for future fusion reactors.

Researchers uncover new bacterial movement mechanisms without flagella

Scientists at Arizona State University have identified two unexpected ways bacteria can spread without their usual flagella structures. In one study, E. coli and salmonella use sugar fermentation to create fluid currents for surface migration, dubbed 'swashing.' A separate study reveals a molecular 'gearbox' in flavobacteria that controls directional movement.

Single-celled organism shows capability for Pavlovian learning

13 de março de 2026 Reportado por IA

Researchers have demonstrated that the single-celled protist Stentor coeruleus can engage in associative learning, similar to Pavlov's experiments with dogs. This finding suggests such cognitive abilities may predate the evolution of brains by hundreds of millions of years. The study highlights unexpected complexity in simple organisms.

terça-feira, 28 de abril de 2026, 22:48h