New research from physicists at Peking University, China, suggests that some pulsars may have massive mountains on them, measuring up to 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) tall. At the end of a giant star’s life, the core collapses and the outer layers are blown away in a supernova explosion. After this, what is left behind is […]
40,000-Year-Old Mammoth Ivory Boomerang And Human Finger Hint At Mysterious Prehistoric Rituals
Around 42,000 years ago, Homo sapiens in Europe ushered in a type of prehistoric Renaissance known as the Aurignacian, characterized by the appearance of artistic creations and aesthetically refined tools in the archaeological record. Among the most striking finds from this cultural movement is the probable world’s oldest boomerang, exquisitely carved from a mammoth tusk […]
99-Million-Year-Old Amber Fossils Mark The Oldest Known Example Of “Zombie Fungus” Infection
Around 99 million years ago, some insects got trapped in tree sap that later fossilized to form what we call amber. Sounds miserable, right? But these insects had already met a far grimmer fate before that sap came along. It was the age of dinosaurs, but it wasn’t something big and scaly with sharp teeth […]
Breakthrough Qubit Control Near Absolute Zero Is Scalability Game-Changer For Quantum Computing
Quantum computers have the capability to revolutionize how we model and compute things in the world. They can do things that not even the most advanced supercomputers can do. We do not have such a quantum computer yet, because we cannot have the million qubits needed to make that processing happen. A new breakthrough has […]
“On A Timescale Of Millions Of Years”: Scientists Detect Pulsing “Heartbeat” Under Africa
Geologists have attributed age-dependent variations in the chemistry of Ethiopian volcanic rocks to rhythmic pulses like a “heartbeat” in the Afar mantle plume. The plume drives volcanic activity in the area and is leading to the breakup of the African continent. At various points around the Earth, unusually hot mantle material is rising, sometimes from […]
Skin Moles: What Are They And When Should You Get Them Checked?
Moles – most of us have at least one, and let’s be honest, a lot of the time, we get so used to them that it’s easy to forget that they’re there. However, they’re worth paying attention to – but when should we do so, and how do we know when they’re a problem? What […]
20 New Bat Viruses – Some “Cousins” Of Deadly Hendra And Nipah – Spark Fears Of Human Disease
Intrepid microbe hunters have discovered 20 new viruses lurking in the bat populations of the orchards of southwestern China. Along with new species of bacteria and protozoan parasites, the find has sparked concerns about the potential risks to humans, as two of the viruses are in the same genus as the deadly Hendra and Nipah […]
“Nobody Expected This”: Earth’s Rotation Will Speed Up In July And August, Bucking The Downward Trend
The Earth is predicted to increase its rotation speed in July and August, once again bucking the trend of a slower rotation over time. Though there are clear reasons for the increased rotational speed this summer, the cause of the recent increase in speed is a little puzzling to scientists. The Earth’s rotation has altered […]
What Is The “Heat Dome” Causing Baking Temperatures In The Eastern US This June?
Tens of millions of people in the US are still up to their necks in an intensifying heatwave. This week, a “heat dome” parked over central and eastern regions is driving possible triple-digit temperatures and oppressive humidity, set to turn half of the country into a sweltering, sauna-like oven. The Midwest and eastern US are […]
Over 500 Bird Species At Risk In Next Century As We Face “Unprecedented” Extinction Crisis
Many species are facing threats to their population sizes, from climate change and habitat loss to illegal poaching and the wildlife trade. While protections are put in place to help species, sometimes these fall short of the mark. A new study has looked at almost 10,000 bird species and come to the worrying conclusion that […]
World First: Mice With 2 Dads Father Their Own Offspring
In a world first, scientists have created mice with two fathers, capable of having offspring of their own. It’s a huge step forward for our understanding of mammalian reproduction, and could, in theory, have implications for us humans – though this is still a long way off becoming reality. Led by Yanchang Wei of Shanghai […]
Largest Ever Space-Based Gravitational Wave Observatory Begins Construction
LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, will be a revolutionary instrument that will allow humanity to observe gravitational waves from events we can’t track with the observatories on Earth. They are simply not big enough. For such a task, three spacecraft will be flying in perfect formation while precisely shooting lasers at each other across […]
Plastic Trash? This Bacterium Can Turn It Into Paracetamol – AKA Tylenol®
Paracetamol. Tylenol®. Acetaminophen. Whatever you call it, chances are you’ve had it. As one of the world’s most common drugs (though we only just recently figured out how it works), we produce tons of the stuff globally, but it may surprise and disappoint you to learn that it comes from fossils fuels. What if we […]
What Is The Earliest Evidence For Blue Eyes In Humans?
In the history of Homo sapiens, blue eyes just showed up fashionably late. Throughout most of the species’ existence, all humans had brown eyes, until a random genetic mutation emerged over 6,000 years ago in a single prehistoric person. This trait eventually spread, giving rise to the millions of blue-eyed people in the world today. […]
Now 124 Years Old, Henry Is The World’s Oldest Known Crocodile – And He’s A Big Boy
At the ripe old age of ~124 years old, Henry is the oldest known crocodile in the world – and what a life he’s led. In the past few decades alone, the mature gentleman has fathered thousands upon thousands of offspring. With all those decades under his belt, Henry has amassed a gigantic size. The […]
What Happened When A Kansas Family Lived With 2,055 Brown Recluse Spiders For 5 And A Half Years
A case report details the story of a family who lived with 2,055 brown recluse spiders in their Kansas home over the course of five and a half years. Spiders have a pretty bad reputation amongst humans for a group of species that is so good at pest control. But while most species are harmless, […]
The Last Thing A NASA Spacecraft Saw Before Plunging Into Saturn
Though our telescopes have become pretty darn good over the last century, there’s nothing quite like seeing a planet from the point of view of an approaching spaceship. In 1979, 1980, and 1981, humanity got our first brief glimpses of Saturn from close up, as Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2 flew past the […]
Neolithic Ireland Wasn’t Ruled By Incestuous “God-Kings” After All
Unlike ancient Egypt, Hawai’i, or the Inca Empire, Neolithic Ireland probably wasn’t governed by a dynasty of demi-gods who married their own siblings. This finding contradicts the narrative hastily put forward by the media in 2020 following the discovery of a rare case of incest in a 5,500-year-old passage tomb. Located in the Boyne Valley, […]
NASA’s Voyager 1 & 2 Were Not The First Missions To Reach The Outer Solar System
For almost 48 years, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have traveled across the Solar System and beyond. The missions have been pivotal in our understanding of the gas giant planets of the Solar System, and later of interstellar space, becoming the first human-made objects to enter it. However, they were not the first missions designed […]
See Incredible First Images From Space Mission That Will Weigh All The World’s Forests
How much does a forest weigh? This sounds like a philosophical question, but we will be able to answer it soon thanks to the European Space Agency’s Biomass spacecraft. The mission possesses a special radar that can map woodland areas from space. Now, it has released its first-ever images, and they cover more than just […]
