A tape measure to estimate the size of ancient marine predators
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Dec-2025 13:11 ET (22-Dec-2025 18:11 GMT/UTC)
A team from the University of Liège has developed novel equations to estimate the size of large marine reptiles from the dinosaur Era known from incomplete skeletons. This work, published in Biology Letters, paves the way for a better understanding of the evolution and ecology of these marine predators.
Many applications—from drug discovery and diagnostics to cell engineering and gene modulation—require delivering biomolecules into large numbers of cells and rapidly evaluating the outcomes. The challenge is twofold: achieve intracellular delivery at scale across diverse cells and cargos, and obtain quantitative results fast enough to keep pace with that delivery.
The Shockley–Queisser (S-Q) model sets a theoretical limit on the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of single-junction solar cells at around 33%. Recently, a PCE of 50%-60% was achieved for the first time in n-type single-junction Si solar cells by inhibiting light conversion to heat at low temperatures. Understanding these new observations opens tremendous opportunities for designing solar cells with even higher PCE to provide efficient and powerful energy sources for cryogenic devices and outer and deep space explorations.
A multinational research team has discovered a mysterious tubular structure — previously unknown in any organism — within Profftella, a symbiotic bacterium associated with a major global citrus pest. This discovery, made using advanced microscopy, may lead to breakthroughs in both pest control and the study of life’s evolution.