RNA from a Tasmanian tiger (thylacine) specimen preserved more than a century ago has been sequenced. This marks the first time the feat has been achieved for any extinct species, including those whose demise was much more recent. The fact the specimen had been stored at room temperature demonstrates RNA sequencing should be possible for […]
The Sahara Transforms Into A Lush And Green Land Every 21,000 Years
It may feel like the sand dunes and rocky plateaus of the Sahara Desert are as old as time, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. As shown by a new study, this vast strip of North Africa flips from arid desert to lush green woodland every 21,000 years or so. The last period […]
Human-Driven Extinction Is Eliminating Entire Branches Of The Tree Of Life
The planet is currently undergoing its sixth mass extinction, but it’s not just individual species being wiped out. A new study has found that human activity is responsible for eliminating entire groups of species, in what researchers are calling a “mutilation of the tree of life”. The Tasmanian tiger, Yangtze River dolphin, and passenger pigeon […]
Signs Of Dark Photons Could Illuminate Search For Dark Matter
A reanalysis of thousands of experiments in particle accelerators worldwide has found evidence for an unknown particle, one that does not fit in the Standard Model of particle physics. If confirmed, that alone would be an immense discovery, but the physicists involved go further. They suspect what they have found are “dark photons”, particles that […]
We Now Know Where The Amazon’s Mysterious Dark Earth Comes From
Ancient patches of super fertile black soil have been found dotted throughout the Amazon rainforest, supporting agricultural communities within the dense jungle for thousands of years. Over recent decades, archaeologists have been struggling to come up with an explanation for this so-called Amazonian dark earth, yet new research shows that it was intentionally created by […]
Hunter-Gatherers Inflicted 10,000 Years Of Violence In The Atacama Desert
Hunter-gatherers in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile did not live in perfect harmony – quite the opposite, according to research published today. Instead, they were immersed in millennia-old endemic violence, which was a consistent part of life in these ancient societies. Communities maintained a traditional lifestyle of fishing, hunting, and gathering for 10,000 years […]
What Is “Noctalgia”? The Sky Grief Affecting The Modern World
The night sky around the world is getting brighter. Not only has light pollution from human settlements increased dramatically over the last several decades, but the growing numbers of satellites in space are also affecting the ability of darkness to fall, even where no artificial light is to be found. The faster-than-expected growth in earthly […]
Is The US Entering Its “End Times”? Other Fallen Societies May Suggest So
Isaac Asimov’s classic sci-fi novel Foundation tells the story of mathematician Hari Seldon and his creation of psychohistory, a futuristic discipline that combines history, sociology, and math to make predictions about the future of humanity. In a world of big data, powerful computers, and uncertain times ahead, could such an idea be possible today? Peter Turchin, […]
Extraordinary Photo Of Snake With Fish Stuck In Its Throat Hints At Bigger Problem
Snakes are famous for being able to get their jaws around just about anything, from eggs to birds and even centipedes. However, one snake in France bit off much more than it could chew, and that might be just the beginning of the story. Two extraordinary images captured by herpetologist Nicolas Fuento show a viperine […]
Piltdown Man Hoax: Mystery Of The “Missing Link” Fossils Found In 1912 England
In 1912, a British amateur archaeologist told the world he had made an important discovery in Piltdown Village, Sussex, England. According to Charles Dawson, who contacted the Natural History Museum with the information, while exploring Pleistocene gravel beds he had found an unusual human-like fragment of skull. Dawson and Arthur Smith Woodward, keeper of geology […]
Massive Eruption Covering “Half The Sun” Causes Geomagnetic Storm On Earth
An eruption that appeared to cover “over half the Sun” has been captured in videos produced by NASA and solar physicist Keith Strong. The eruption, which took place on Saturday, saw a large filament released from the Sun’s surface. Known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), electrically charged plasma was sent out from the Sun, […]
Spider Venom That Causes Big Boners Could Be A New Viagra
A new alternative to Viagra is being developed with the help of spider venom that’s prone to giving guys boners. Scientists in Brazil have been able to create a synthetic version of the vital molecule and are now looking to test it out on men with erectile dysfunction. The spider in question is Phoneutria nigriventer, […]
Now They’re Claiming The Alien Mummies Were Alive And Filled With Eggs
In an incredible achievement previously not thought possible, the story of the “mummified aliens” that have been “found” in mines in the city of Cusco, Peru, has gotten even stupider. Last week, people were baffled as journalist and UFO researcher Jaime Maussan presented the “aliens” to the Mexican congress, claiming that they were a thousand […]
Parker Solar Probe Survived A Massive Explosion From The Sun And Caught It All On Camera
Last year, the Sun burped out one of the largest releases of plasma and magnetic fields since we started watching it closely, and the Parker Solar Probe flew through it, capturing incredible observations and footage. Considering the impact events like this can have on satellites and even on Earth, its survival is a testimony to […]
Astronomers Suggest A New Way We Might Find Advanced Alien Civilizations
In 2018, the world got very excited about an unusual star. KIC 8462852, better known as Boyajian’s star or just the “alien megastructure” star, it was found to be dimming in an unusual way. As a planet orbits around a star, it blocks out a certain amount of light and causes it to dim from […]
Neanderthal Ancestry May Make People More Vulnerable To COVID-19
New research has suggested that people with genes inherited from Neanderthals were at a higher risk of falling seriously sick with COVID-19 during the first devastating surge of the pandemic in 2020. Neanderthals fell into extinction some 40,000 years ago, but their genetics still live on in today’s modern human population thanks to rampant interbreeding […]
This Is How Many Cells There Are In The Human Body
The human body has a lot going on, and as such it checks out that it would be made up of a fair few cells. From brain cells and blood cells, to skin cells and stem cells, each type is finetuned to perform a specific task, which, when combined, keep us alive and functioning. But […]
Some Meditators Can Switch Off Their Consciousness For Up To Seven Days
Meditation is known to help calm both body and mind, yet an emerging field of research suggests that some experienced meditators may be able to take things to the next level by taking a deliberate leave of absence from their senses. Describing this unique yet poorly understood phenomenon in a new paper, an international team […]
Guard Dogs Protect Sheep From Prowling Puma In First Of Its Kind Footage
A prowling puma’s late-night efforts to hunt sheep in Patagonia were foiled by the barking alarm call of guard dogs in dramatic footage captured for a new National Geographic series. In Animals Up Close, wildlife photographer, filmmaker, and presenter Bertie Gregory is on scene with a team using thermal imaging cameras to track the invading […]
Why The Location Of The World’s Tallest Tree Is A Secret
The world is full of very tall things that tourists enjoy visiting: think the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Chrysler building in New York, or the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates. But the tallest living tree in the world is one such visitor experience that you might not get to enjoy. With a […]
