With summer temperatures baking much of the US, Texas’s notoriously ailing power grid is set to be put under intense strain once again. Blackouts and power failures are on the cards for many – but previous years have shown some cashing in on the sweltering weather. Advertisement Faced with sky-high demand last summer, the Electric […]
World First As Boy Receives Pioneering Brain Implant For Rare Form Of Epilepsy
A 13-year-old boy has become the first patient in the world to test out a brain stimulation device to treat severe epilepsy. Oran Knowlson, who had the surgery in October 2023 when he was 12, was sometimes having hundreds of seizures per day before the device was fitted, and his family says he is already […]
NASA’s Latest Asteroid Impact Exercise Sees How We Could Fail To Protect The Earth
For many years, NASA, together with national and international partners, has been conducting tabletop exercises on what it would be like if an asteroid were to be on a collision course with our planet. Sometimes the Earth was saved, and sometimes it wasn’t. But there have always been lessons to learn. The latest one is […]
The World’s Fourth-Largest Eagle Is Making A Comeback In Europe
Remarkable white-tailed eagle specimens star in the Natural History Museum, London’s exhibition Birds: Brilliant And Bizarre, created in affiliation with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). These rare birds are the fourth largest eagles in the world, but almost went extinct in Europe in the 19th century. Now, thanks to a conservation […]
METI: The Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence Has A Highly Controversial Twin
For over a century, humanity has attempted to search for signals from alien civilizations out there in the universe. Early efforts in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) focused on listening for messages from within the Solar System, before turning our eyes and ears to the galaxy and universe beyond. Advertisement So far, these searches […]
Attempts To Hack The Climate In The US Could Have Unintended Consequences For Europe
A new study has warned of risks posed by unregulated geoengineering techniques designed to lower high temperatures in specific areas. These efforts may only provide temporary benefits for some populations while introducing negative impacts for other parts of the world. Advertisement In order to meet the goals set by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, countries […]
What Happens When The Body Overheats?
The heatwave currently gripping parts of the US is only the latest in a chain of sweltering temperatures that have hit regions across the globe, and with this trend, the realities of heat-related illness are becoming all too real. Advertisement Not only is the extreme heat causing problems in the animal world, but it’s affecting […]
Sunlight Causes Toxic Chemicals To Leach Out Of Plastic Bottles
Unless you fancy gulping down a medley of potentially toxic chemicals, we suggest you keep your water bottle out of the Sun. New research has shown that plastic water bottles exposed to sunlight degrade and emit a wide variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Advertisement VOCs are chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature and […]
What Is A Heat Dome? The Phenomenon Behind Current Extreme Heatwaves In US
Unless you’ve been living under an air-conditioned rock for the past week, you’ll probably be aware an extreme heatwave has been sweeping across the US, with large parts of the country experiencing miserably hot temperatures. This week, temperatures are expected to soar above 32.2°C (90°F) in the Southeast, Mid-South, and central/southern Plains, possibly surpassing 37.8°C […]
Family Sues NASA In Unprecedented Case After Piece Of ISS Smashes Into Their House
A family in Florida has launched a lawsuit against NASA, seeking compensation after a piece of space junk fell from the sky and crashed through the roof of their house. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, although the family’s lawyer says the ramifications of this case go far beyond mere damage reparation and […]
What Is Wet Bulb Temperature? Experts Issue Warnings As Heatwave Grips US
Well, we’re halfway through 2024, so in keeping with increasingly terrifying tradition, the Northern Hemisphere is melting. Advertisement Currently, a heatwave is gripping parts of the US, with temperatures expected to soar above 32.2°C (90°F) in the Southeast, Mid-South, and central/southern Plains, possibly surpassing 37.8°C (100°F) in some parts. The forecast has prompted widespread Heat […]
Inexplicably Massive Black Hole From The Universe’s Origins Refutes Previous Explanations
The cosmic puzzle created by evidence of apparently enormous black holes in the very early universe continues to deepen. Observations by the JWST of one such anomaly, known as J1120+0641, indicate that the once favored explanation for how these objects could emit so much light so soon after the Big Bang is unlikely, forcing astronomers […]
Why Do We Always See The Same Side Of The Moon?
Full Moons can appear different sizes when rising compared to high in the sky, but they always have the dark patches in the same spots. Telescopes reveal the same craters month after month. It’s not just a full Moon thing. When the Moon is a crescent or half full, you won’t be able to see […]
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Spots Shimmering Rock Unlike Any Other Seen On Mars
A strangely light-toned boulder on Mars is completely unlike any other rock we’ve seen on the Red Planet up to now. Spotted by NASA’s Perseverance rover at a site called Mount Washburn – which sits within the wider study location of Jezero Crater – the unusual object may provide some intriguing clues into the ancient […]
The Human Y Chromosome Is Evolving Way Faster Than The X Chromosome
For the first time, researchers have fully sequenced the sex chromosomes of non-human primates, revealing how the male-specific Y chromosome is evolving at an incredible speed while the X chromosome remains largely static. Comparing these findings to the human genome, the study authors discovered that our own species is very much part of this evolutionary […]
How Glacier Algae Are Challenging The Way We Think About Evolution
People often underestimate tiny beings. But microscopic algal cells not only evolved to thrive in one of the most extreme habitats on Earth – glaciers – but are also shaping them. With a team of scientists from the UK and Canada, we traced the evolution of purple algae back hundreds of millions of years and […]
New Threat Emerges For Mars-Bound Astronauts
Astronauts who make the round-trip to Mars may be rewarded with a unique badge of honor in the form of “cosmic kidney disease”, which is a hell of a lot less fun than it sounds. According to new research, the conditions experienced by interplanetary travelers can radically alter the structure and function on the kidneys, […]
Why Is Our Galaxy Called The Milky Way?
There’s something deliciously creamy about the band of stars that streaks across the night sky. Perhaps that’s why so many chocolate bars are named after celestial objects (I’m thinking Mars, Galaxy and Milky Way), although the story of how our spiraling home got its name actually has nothing to do with confectionery. Advertisement The tale […]
Medicine For Regrowing Teeth To Be Tested On Humans For The First Time
A drug that regrows teeth could be on the market by 2030, if all goes well in an upcoming clinical trial. Beginning in September of this year, 30 adult males will be intravenously administered the medicine as part of a Phase I study into its safety and efficacy, marking the first time that a drug […]
Is Blue Light From All Our Devices Actually Bad For Us?
With screens dominating much of our day-to-day lives, people are keen to know whether or not they have any effect on us – not just from the content we see, but from the light of the screen itself. Some are particularly concerned about the impact of blue light, with all sorts of accessories being peddled […]
