NASA hopes to have astronauts on Mars in the near future. It is not going to be an easy journey and being on another world will be extremely dangerous. The space agency wants to be there as prepared as possible. And part of that requires volunteers who want to take part in a 12-month-long simulation […]
Watch Live As The US Tries To Land Back On The Moon After Over 40 Years
Today is the day! In just a few hours, Intuitive Machines might be making history. They could become the first private company to soft-land on the Moon. The company’s lander, named Odysseus (also known as IM-1), launched last week, and it is scheduled to land on February 22 at 17:49 EST (22:49 UTC) inside Malapert […]
Over 100 Never-Before-Seen Species Discovered Along Deep Sea Mountain Range
More than 100 new species have been discovered on an underwater mountain range off the coast of Chile. Among the never-before-seen critters seen on the expedition are corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, lobsters, plus a gaggle of peculiar fish and squid that are already known to science (but no less strange). The discoveries come […]
Newly Discovered Cretaceous Mammal Was An Absolute Unit
In the Cretaceous Period, dinosaurs were big, and mammals were small. At least, that’s been the general view – until very recently, when a slew of larger ancient fuzzies started turning up in the fossil record. None, however, come anywhere close to the size of Patagomaia chainko: a brand-new Late Cretaceous mammal reckoned to have […]
Free iPhone App Lets You Locate Our Galaxy’s Supermassive Black Hole At All Times
Around 26,000 light-years from Earth, at the center of our galaxy, lies Sagittarius A* – a supermassive black hole 4.1 million times the mass of the Sun. While it poses no threat other than to the nearby stars it demolishes, it’s still nice to know where it is at all times. A new app for […]
Liquid Breathing: Could A Human Breathe In Oxygen-Rich Fluids?
Breathing liquids is generally a bad idea. In fact, few ideas could be worse for anybody who enjoys breathing. But there is a concept – which has been tested on animals and humans – that we should be able to breathe in certain liquids that are rich in oxygen. It sounds like the stuff of […]
The United States Might Land Back On The Moon Tomorrow After Over 40 Years
If all goes well, Intuitive Machines might be making history tomorrow, becoming the first private company to soft-land on the Moon – one of the many attempts to get to the Moon this year. Theirs will be the closest lander to the Moon’s South Pole, an area of extreme interest for future human settlement of […]
40,000-Year-Old Multi-Compound Glue Suggests Neanderthals Were Smarter Than We Thought
A type of complex adhesive found on stone tools made by Neanderthals has provided researchers with new insights into the intelligence of this extinct human species. Made of a mix of bitumen and ocher, the multi-compound glue resembles that employed by early Homo sapiens in Africa, indicating that our ancient cousins may have had a […]
Breakthrough Could Make Electric Cars Go 1,000 Kilometers On One Charge
One of the concerns in the transition from petrol-based to electric vehicles (EVs) is range. How far can you go on a single charge? Researchers believe that they have a formulation that expands on traditional design massively. They claim they can push the average range of EVs beyond 1,000 kilometers (600 miles). The secret is […]
Rare Stone Box Dating Back 2,000 Years Found In Jerusalem
A rare and ancient box retrieved during an excavation in the City of David is being revealed to the public for the first time at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Dating back to the Second Temple period, it was found within the Jerusalem Walls National Park during excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority. The […]
The Oldest Paved Road In The World Transported Volcanic Rock For Royal Sarcophagi
In 1994, geologists mapping the stone quarries of Ancient Egypt identified a 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) stretch of limestone and sandstone slabs leading from one basalt quarry to Lake Moeris. Using pottery found at the site, likely left by workers of the quarry, and an ancient worker camp, researchers were able to date the discovery to around […]
ADHD May Have Improved Survival Of Foragers Who Knew When To Quit
Evidence has emerged for the evolutionary benefits of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in paleolithic times, potentially explaining its presence today. Indeed, in the study done, ADHD proved so advantageous it’s fair to ask why not everyone has it. The presence of genetic conditions considered to be disadvantageous has posed a puzzle at least since […]
Every Human Placenta Tested In One New Study Contained Microplastics
Microplastics have been found pretty much everywhere from the oceans, to food, and even in our bodies. That includes human placentas, and a new study shows just how pervasive these tiny pieces of plastic can be – they were found in every single placenta tested. Though microplastics were discovered in placentas for the first time […]
Up To 3 In Every 100 COVID Infections Could Last More Than A Month
COVID-19 is a slippery customer. A quick look through the comment section of any social media post with a photo of that dreaded positive test will tell you that everyone’s journey with this disease is different. One thing that’s become clear during this pandemic is that, in some unlucky people, the initial infection takes a […]
Astronaut Used Last Day On ISS To Capture Perfect Shot Of The Pyramids
Take a look out your window wherever you work and it most likely looks like a trash-filled alley behind a fast food restaurant in comparison to the view astronauts get aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Retired NASA Astronaut Terry Virts is well aware of this, and used a lot of his time on board […]
Fossil Hunters Walk Through 200 Million Years Of History Along The Jurassic Coast
Some of the best fossils in the world have been found along a 95-mile-long stretch of coastline in the UK. Known as the Jurassic Coast, it’s turned up the world’s first fossilized ammonite eggs, more belemnites than you can shake a stick at, and a giant sea monster that lived 150 million years ago. It […]
Chernobyl Frogs Have Changed Color, And It Could Be What’s Helped Them Survive
It would be easy to assume that little life remains in the area irradiated by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. However, against the odds, some species have adapted – including Eastern tree frogs. How did they manage to do this? Researchers think it could come down to rapidly developing a different skin color. Eastern tree […]
First Ever Photo Taken Of “Lost” Bird Species, And Boy Is It Fabulous
How far would you go to look for something that might not be there at all? Well, researchers from the University of Texas at El Paso spent six weeks looking for a lost bird species in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and they have managed to capture the first ever photo […]
Bacteria Gone Bad Could Have A Surprisingly Simple Cause
The common bacteria Escherichia coli usually lives harmlessly in our guts, but sometimes escapes to cause serious disease in other organs. Analysis of the difference between the disease-causing “bad bacteria” and the non-toxic “good” versions reveals the harmful ones have lost the capacity to produce cellulose. Besides its role as an indicator of the health […]
Newly Discovered Speedy Planet Orbits Its Star In Less Than An Earth Day
Astronomers have found a new, speedy planet: TOI-1347 b orbits its star in just 20 hours and 24 minutes. Its existence has only been recently confirmed, and it looks like a truly intriguing world. It’s not just its extremely close orbit that is peculiar – it’s the biggest in its class, and it might have […]
