The Vatican has launched a message into space on Monday on board a “papal satellite” created by students at the Polytechnic University of Turin. The CubeSat was launched into orbit on Monday from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite contains a tiny nanobook with a […]
“Lucy” Walked Upright 3.2 Million Years Ago, New 3D Model Shows
Scientists have recently looked at the bones of “Lucy,” a world-famous set of early human ancestor remains, and found further evidence that she could walk upright just as effectively as modern-day Homo sapiens. Considering she wandered about Earth 3.2 million years ago, that’s a remarkable discovery that helps to illuminate one of the most important […]
What Is Anal Cancer?
Anal cancer is a rare and often overlooked form of the disease. Like with other cancers affecting the digestive system such as colon or bowel cancer, some of the symptoms can be tricky to talk about – not everyone feels comfortable with discussions around going to the toilet, even with their doctor. But it’s important […]
Do You Need To Wash Rice Before Cooking? Here’s The Science
Rice is a staple food for billions of people in Asia and Africa. It’s also a versatile ingredient for many iconic dishes from around the world, including dolmades from Greece, risottos from Italy, paella from Spain and rice puddings from the United Kingdom. Despite its universal appeal, the question asked in every kitchen, be it […]
Fewer Than 30 Specimens Of The World’s Rarest Diamond Exist
Diamonds come in all shapes and sizes, from impressive pink jewels to rare ancient black diamonds thought to have formed in outer space. The rarest and most prized of all these diamond types is the elusive red diamond with only 20-30 specimens thought to exist in the world. Mostly found in South Africa, Australia, and […]
Basque: The “Miracle” Of Europe’s Most Isolated And Obscure Language
The Basque language is one of the most unique languages still spoken today in Europe. Separated by millennia of evolution, the language is unrelated to any other existing language on the planet, making it a treasure trove for linguists wishing to understand the past. Also known as Euskara, the language comes from the Basque […]
This Insidious Tick Can Give You A Nasty Meat Allergy, Here’s How To Spot Them
The lone star tick isn’t afraid of latching onto humans, and when it does its bite can launch a nasty and peculiar disorder known as Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS). Its symptoms range from a cough, to nausea and breathing difficulties, but curiously it can also cause you to become allergic to meat. Anaphylaxis in AGS isn’t […]
The Out of Africa Hypothesis – The Origins Of Our Origin Story
Have you ever wondered where our ancestors, a bunch of highly specialized primates, first came from and how they managed to spread to pretty much every corner of the planet? If so, then you have entertained a question that has occupied many minds for centuries – and although various ideas have been suggested in that […]
New JWST Deep Field Shows How Galaxies Changed The Universe
During the first billion years or so, the universe was opaque. Starlight was absorbed by the neutral hydrogen that existed in intergalactic space. But the light of the most massive stars ripped the electrons from the hydrogen atoms, making the universe transparent. This is known as the Epoch of Reionization. Bubbles of transparent hot gas […]
New Treasure Map Reveals Long-Lost Shipwrecks Of The Bahamas
For hundreds of years, the Bahamas in the Caribbean has been an invaluable pitstop to some of the most prominent chapters in modern maritime history, from colonist voyages and explorers to pirates and slave traders. Due to all of this seafaring activity, not to mention its treacherous waters, it’s since become home to a wealth […]
Extremely Warped Supernova, Just Spotted, Will Help Us Understand The Dark Universe
Astronomers have spotted a very distant supernova, much brighter than it ought to be given how far away it is. And they did not only see it once. They saw it four times. Don’t worry, the laws of physics have not gone haywire. It is simply that the light of this event passed near the […]
After Returning From The Moon, The Apollo 11 Crew Quarantined. Then It All Went Wrong
After the first humans set foot on the Moon and successfully splashed back onto Earth, their mission wasn’t quite over. While it may seem a strange idea now given what we know about the lifelessness of the lunar surface, at the time there were a lot of unknowns. Upon their return, the crew of Apollo […]
Cave Contains Earliest Clear Evidence Of Modern Humans In South East Asia
Human fossils found in Tam Pà Ling cave in northern Laos have been dated as 68-86,000 years old. The fossils’ finders are confident these came from Homo sapiens, rather than a near relative like Denisovans, making these the oldest reliable evidence of humans in East Asia and answering some big questions about humanity’s great migration […]
The Legend Of The Moss Men Who Went To War Covered In Bryophytes
From skull lichen usnea to “mummy brown” paint, humankind is said to have found all sorts of unlikely uses for strange materials, but our latest favorites are the Moss Men of Béjar. Their legendary and unique use of moss would put them alongside insect larvae and weevils when it comes to camouflage approaches, and they’re […]
The Beatles Will Release One “Final” Song Using Artificial Intelligence, Paul McCartney Says
The Beatles are set to release one final record, using artificial intelligence (AI) to isolate John Lennon’s voice. Paul McCartney told the BBC that Lennon’s voice had been “extricated” and used to complete the song, which will come out later this year. Though McCartney did not explicitly name the song in the interview, the BBC […]
How Can Molecules Be Left-Handed Or Right-Handed?
You wouldn’t think molecules could be left- or right-handed – they’re too tiny to have limbs, after all. However, they absolutely can be, and it’s all to do with a property called chirality. Chirality is defined by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) as “the geometric property of a rigid object (or […]
T. Rex’s Vision Wasn’t Based On Movement, But It Was Cool In Jurassic Park Anyway
“Keep absolutely still. Its vision is based on movement.” That’s the line delivered by a petrified Dr Alan Grant in a memorable sequence of Jurassic Park that sees the resident Tyrannosaurus rex, evidently no longer satisfied with tethered goat, escape its enclosure and set upon some stranded human guests. Frozen, Grant and chaotician Ian Malcolm […]
“Einstein-First” Teaching Takes School Science Classes Out Of The 19th Century
For all the variation in science teaching worldwide, classical Newtonian physics is almost always taught before 20th-century discoveries. For a decade, however, some schools in Western Australia have been trying a radically different approach. This idea, known as “Einstein-First”, has been so successful it’s now being taken nationwide, accompanied by a newer program called Quantum Girls. […]
What Are Mexican Jumping Beans?
Mexican jumping beans are seed pods that are inhabited by the larvae of a small moth. Due to the tiny larvae flexing and flickering around inside the pod, the seed jumps around. This strange phenomenon is often used as a novelty joke or magic trick, but it’s a perfectly natural part of the bugs’ life […]
Man Develops “Flesh-Eating Disease” After Being Bitten By Relative At A Reunion
A 52-year-old man in the US has developed a flesh-eating bacterial infection after being bitten by a relative during a family get together. Donnie Adams, from Riverview, Florida, noticed a pain in his left thigh as well as a small raised bump. According to Tampa Bay Times, he assumed that the mark was probably from […]
