European free-tailed bats can surf uplifting winds to fly a mile high.
Why it matters: The small mammals can achieve such heights — and high speeds sometimes of up to 84 mph — without expending a large amount of energy. Harnessing those principles could help to improve drones and other high-speed, low-energy modes of flight.
Personal experiences — more than cold, hard facts — may be a way to bridge the moral and political divides that have fractured so many families and friendships. But that same cognitive tug can also be leveraged to fuel misinformation.
Why it matters: Personal stories, especially those about experiences of harm, may establish common ground among people who don't agree on politics, according to a new study. But they are a powerful driver of what we perceive as true and can be misinterpreted or misused, experts warn.
Gene-editing may lead the next generation of diagnostics that could help to quickly stop disease outbreaks and pandemics.
The big picture:New mRNA vaccine platforms, up-and-coming CRISPR diagnostics and other genomics-based tools may be the key to halting future pandemics. Their "plug and play" characteristics should allow a short turnaround to diagnose a pathogen, contact-trace suspected carriers, and develop a protective vaccine, experts tell Axios.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that the Biden administration supports NASA's Artemis program to send humans back to the surface of the Moon.
Why it matters: Some speculated that NASA's Artemis program would be canceled under Biden, as previous administrations have dramatically changed the direction of NASA's exploration goals.
