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Research into the regeneration of eye tissue in embryonic frogs could support work to restore human tissue.
A UNLV scientist and her team have found that frog embryos can fully regrow their eyes after injuries, a breakthrough that may lead one day to the ability to orchestrate tissue regeneration in humans.
Xenopus laevis embryos of the African clawed frog, a species that had been used for decades to detect pregnancy in the United States, (only to be later released into U.S. waters after they were no longer needed in labs), has the capability to regenerate fully functioning eyes, according to researchers with the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Imagine solving prehistoric mysteries by sifting through the ashes of ancient volcanoes.
A UNLV scientist and her team have found that frog embryos can fully regrow their eyes after injuries, a breakthrough that may lead one day to the ability to orchestrate tissue regeneration in humans.

Look up at the night sky.

Pollen is in the air in Las Vegas — and that means allergy season is in full swing.
It's one of the biggest mysteries of recent human evolution. Roughly 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens went through a genetic bottleneck, a period when our genetic diversity shrank dramatically. But why? In the late 1990s, some scientists argued that the culprit was a massive volcanic eruption from what is now Lake Toba, in Sumatra, about 74,000 years ago, whose deadly effects reduced our species to a few thousand hardy individuals. Now, new evidence suggests we were right about the volcano—but wrong about pretty much everything else.
Water may be more common than expected at extreme depths approaching 640 kilometres and possibly beyond -- within Earth's lower mantle, says a study that explored microscopic pockets of a trapped form of crystallised water molecules in a sampling of diamonds from around the world.
Early humans survived a massive volcanic eruption 74,000 years ago as well as flourished during the resulting climate change, finds a new study.
Water may be more common than expected at extreme depths approaching 640 kilometres and possibly beyond — within Earth’s lower mantle, says a study that explored microscopic pockets of a trapped form of crystallised water molecules in a sampling of diamonds from around the world.
Diamonds are a geoscientist’s best friend — this is especially true for a group of researchers who recently found hard evidence that water exists deep within Earth’s mantle by examining diamonds from around the world.

FOX5's Peter Dawson shares how you can mark Pi Day in Southern Nevada.
To most of us, ice is just ice. But scientists have categorized no less than 16 types, created under different conditions and featuring different crystalline structures. Most of these have only been created in the lab, but now, geoscientists at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) have discovered a type known as Ice VII (seven) locked inside diamonds. This marks the first time the substance has been directly detected in nature, and it suggests that the Earth's mantle is home to huge pockets of water.
Community engagement is a critical component of the work needed for higher education leaders to begin to turn the tide and change public opinion around the industry. It could mean partnering with unlikely messengers to spread the word, as in the case of UNLV's Dr. Michael Pravica, who teamed up with Bleacher Report and Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch to talk physics on Lynch's web series.

ON THE ISLAND of Sumatra some 74,000 years ago, an erupting supervolcano wreaked havoc, sending up plumes of ash and debris that spread for thousands of kilometres and caused temperatures to plummet.
Around 74,000 years ago, the Toba supervolcano erupted on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It was the biggest volcanic eruption of the last 2 million years, unleashing 2,800 cubic kilometers of magma. That’s enough to bury the entire United States in a foot-thick layer of ash and rock.
Imagine a year without summer. The sky turns gray during the day and glows a sinister red at night. Trees wither and start to fall, all vegetation dries down and becomes a desolate shadow of its former self. Animals also start to suffer and thin down, and the damage propagates up the food chain, wiping out entire ecosystems. The same cycle repeats year after year, with no visible end in sight.
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Sciences News
UNLV study shows frog embryos can fully regrow their eyes after injury, debunking a belief that they can’t.
Passing the baton in the search for distant planets.
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