Bats use echolocation to hunt insects, many of which fly in swarms. In this process, bats emit a sound signal that bounces off the target object, revealing its location. Smaller insects like mosquitos are individually hard to detect through echolocation, but a new Tel Aviv University study reveals that they become perceptible when they gather… Read More
Certain plants, insects, crustaceans and fish possess the uncanny ability to change the sex of their offspring before they are born. Mammals have never before demonstrated this genetic skill, until now. A new Tel Aviv University study reveals a genetic system in mammals that enables two animals to mate and produce only females. A similar… Read More
Nematodes, worms found in virtually all environmental habitats, are among the most studied model organisms. They reproduce quickly and their genome contains nearly the same number of genes as the human genome. A new Tel Aviv University study finds a mechanism exhibited in nematodes allows the nervous system cells — neurons — to communicate with… Read More
Lightning was the main electromagnetic presence in the Earth’s atmosphere long before the invention of electricity. There are some 2,000 thunderstorms active at any given time, so humans and other organisms have been bathed in extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields for billions of years. These electromagnetic fields — the result of global lightning activity… Read More
A new Tel Aviv University study specifies the first yearlong productivity rates of seaweed-borne macroalgae in Israel’s coastal waters, and the surface area required to produce mass quantities of the macroalgae in order to manufacture ethanol, a green alternative to oil. “Oil leads to wars, to pollution, to political dependency, to terrorism,” says Dr. Alexander… Read More