How do you view science and scientists? Are they the same thing? Would you say you have equal trust in them or do you see one as more trustworthy than the other? Since the COVID-19 pandemic, confidence in science has been in decline in the US and elsewhere, but at the same time, the institution […]
A Bold Theory Could Push Alzheimer’s Disease Research In A New Direction
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the major health challenges facing humankind today. Recent years have seen the development of the most promising drug treatments we’ve ever seen, as well as trials of innovative therapies and tests. But debates around what actually causes the disease continue to rage in the background. Into this fray steps a […]
Surprising Claims For Literacy Skills Among Nonspeaking Autistic People
A new peer-reviewed study explores a controversial theory about the capabilities of nonspeaking autistic people in an innovative way. If the claims made are confirmed it could open the door to greatly expanded opportunities for the people involved. However, the small sample size and history of discredited claims in the area put it in the […]
Neanderthals May Have Skinned Hyenas And Used Their Fur To Stay Cosy
Neanderthals living near what is now Madrid may have worn hyena pelts to stay warm in the frosty Iberian mountains. Until now, it was largely assumed that the extinct hominids mostly wore the skins of herbivorous mammals such as deer or bovines, yet new findings suggest that the Neanderthal wardrobe may also have included the […]
These Amphibians Feed Their Offspring “Milk” From Their Behinds And Let Them Eat Their Skin
Parental care in the animal kingdom comes in many forms. From those that lovingly protect their eggs, to families that stay together for their entire lives. While parental care and the providing of milk to offspring is typically seen as a mammalian trait, for the first time, it seems amphibians are getting in on the […]
Mammoths May Return By 2028, But We Already Brought Back Mammoth Meat
Yesterday came the exciting news that de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences claim that they have taken a big step towards being able to resurrect the mammoth by their target of 2028. But for those who are only interested in reintroducing an ancient giant to see what it tastes like, we have good news: mammoth meatballs have […]
Voyager 1 Continues To Send NASA Repeating Pattern Of 1s and 0s From Interstellar Space
Voyager 1 has traveled further than any human-made object, crossing the heliopause and heading into interstellar space. While doing this, it has continued to send back useful data to Earth, helping us learn about the space between stars outside of our own Solar System. All this while working with just 69.63 kilobytes of memory, and […]
Bumblebees On A Quest Can Share Their Knowledge With Pals
The cumulative acquisition of knowledge through culture was once thought to be unique to humans – but now, new research has shown that it’s a trait that may extend to invertebrates. Sending a bunch of bumblebees on a quest to learn how to reach a reward in a puzzle box has shown that they too […]
Next Month’s Total Solar Eclipse Might Have An Unexpected Guest
People across North America will experience a total solar eclipse on April 8. Going from the west coast of Mexico diagonally towards the east coast of Canada, the spectacle is expected to be seen by millions. And those lucky observers might see more than they were expecting. As the sky darkens during the minutes of […]
200-Year-Old Physics Law Might Have Some Major Exceptions
Heat transfer is among the oldest known laws of physics. First formalized by Netwon and then generalized by Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier, the eponymous Fourier’s Law has been unrivaled for centuries to explain how heat diffuses through a solid object. However, researchers have now discovered that the laws are definitely not complete. It had been established […]
People Are Only Just Learning That Earth Has Four Hemispheres
An unexpectedly controversial post popped up on social media platform X on Tuesday, stating that the island nation of Kiribati is the only country that sits in all four hemispheres. People in the replies had a lot to say (which isn’t exactly an unusual thing on this particular site) – but what kind of claims […]
The Chess Playing “Machine” That Beat Benjamin Franklin And Napoleon
In 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer made artificial intelligence (AI) history, becoming the first machine to beat a reigning world champion – Garry Kasparov – at the game of chess. Though Kasparov went on to draw two other games with Deep Blue, and won a further three, it was an impressive achievement for AI. Chess, […]
Using A Forest As A Massive Neutrino Detector? A Physicist Thinks It Might Be Possible
Neutrinos are a bit like the Force in Star Wars. These “ghost particles” surround us and penetrate us but don’t interact with the forces that bind the galaxy together. The reason they can go through not just us but the entire planet without problem is because they are extremely light in mass and have no […]
Top Computer Scientist Thinks Super-Intelligent AI Could Be Here By 2029
The computer scientist who popularized the term artificial general intelligence (AGI) believes that it could arrive as early as 2029. Ben Goertzel, who founded SingularityNET, which aims to create a “decentralized, democratic, inclusive and beneficial Artificial General Intelligence”, gave a talk at the Beneficial AGI Summit 2024. In the talk, he told the audience that […]
What Is The Oldest US National Park? And Why Was It Created?
At 152 years old, Yellowstone National Park is the oldest US national park. It was established in 1872 under a set of unique circumstances, but it has since set the precedent for the creation of dozens of other national parks in the US. Some people say that Hot Springs in Arkansas was the first national […]
“Living Flying Carpet” Found In The Deep Sea Is A Shiny New Worm Species
A new-to-science worm has been found in the deep sea near a methane seep off the coast of Costa Rica. If that’s not enough buzzwords to get your chops around, it also has massive jaws, feathery gill-carrying appendages, and has been described by its namesake as a “living magic carpet”. The deep-sea worm has been […]
Could We Soon Be Suffering From “Plastic Attacks”?
As if microplastics hadn’t been found in enough places in the human body, researchers have just added another one to the list: the fatty deposits that build up in some people’s arteries. But do these tiny plastic fragments pose any extra risk to us? Though far from definitive, this latest study suggests that they might. […]
Mammoth Cave National Park Is Home To The World’s Longest Cave System
Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park is bursting at the seams with natural delights. From rolling hills and deep river valleys to the world’s longest known cave system and a surprising number of sharks, the UNESCO World Heritage Site has much to offer. Located in south-central Kentucky, the park spans over 52,000 acres (21,000 hectares), primarily […]
What Is A Living Fossil? First Evidence Of A Biological Mechanism Reveals All
Fans of ancient animals may have heard the term “living fossil” used to describe creatures that have taken a relaxed approach to evolution, remaining seemingly unchanged for millions of years. Now, new research into gars is the first to uncover a mechanism that can explain why some animals get left behind. In some living fossils, […]
Octopuses Already Had The Oldest Known Sex Chromosomes 248 Million Years Ago
The chromosomes in cephalopods that determine whether they will be male or female have been in use for at least 248 million years – longer than those for any other animal equivalent we have found. The longevity contrasts with other animal classes, which change systems far more frequently. Not all animals use chromosomes to determine […]
