People have done all kinds of wacky things in the name of science. Thankfully, the events of this story are a bit less drastic than that time a scientist fed birds rice to see if they would explode, or when the discoverer of LSD took a pretty hefty dose to test it out, culminating in […]
TWIS: New Video Shows Longest Ever Time-Lapse Of An Exoplanet, “Demon” Quasiparticle Finally Observed, And Much More This Week
This week a new species of tarantula showed off its locks of golden hair, astronomers have set their next target following the first-ever image of a black hole, and a new shark species was discovered in Australia with some funky-looking teeth. Finally, we learned about the first name ever given in print for a dinosaur […]
Why Switching Your Phone To Airplane Mode Is Important
Airplane mode is not just for when you want to secretly read your WhatsApp messages – it’s actually supposed to be used on, you know, airplanes. You might not have realized it, but your phone’s radio signals could be causing all sorts of havoc as you zoom through the sky, with knock-on effects that could […]
Perfect Conditions To See Perseids Sparkle In The Night Sky This Weekend
The Perseid meteor shower, the best of the year, is set to peak on Saturday, August 12 with an expected 40 meteors an hour. The Perseids is one of the most prolific meteor showers and this year the conditions are perfect to view the fireworks. The rate per hour of this shower can reach 100 […]
How The Oldest Ever Human Bones Were Found Buried In A Moroccan Cave
You can find all manner of weird and wonderful stuff in caves. From softball-sized spiders to ancient water, and even the remnants of Neanderthal interior design, some of our planet’s greatest treasures have been found in its hidden hollows. It was in a cave in Morocco that archaeologists made a discovery that changed our view of […]
“Demon” Quasiparticle Finally Observed After Decades Of Predictions
Plasmons are truly peculiar quasiparticles. They arise from quantized oscillations in plasma, the fourth and most common state of matter. Just like light is an electromagnetic oscillation with its own particle, the photon, other oscillations can create something similar. One of the weirdest plasmons of all is without doubt Pines’ Demon, and the fact that […]
How The Atomic Bomb Taught Us That Greenland Sharks Live To 400 Years Old
The Greenland shark, Somniosus microcephalus, is the longest-living vertebrate on the planet with a lifespan that’s thought to possibly extend beyond 500 years. Even at the most conservative estimate of 272 years, it beats any other species on Earth – but the way we came to discover their extreme longevity begins with the atomic bomb. […]
What Are The Chances Russia And India Land On The Moon At The Same Time This Month?
A mini-race to the Moon is gonna happen over the next couple of weeks. The Chandrayaan-3 from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is expected to land on the South Pole of the Moon between August 23 and August 24. And this week, Roscosmos has announced that its very delayed Luna 25 will launch sometime […]
Molecules That Died With Neanderthals And Denisovans Recreated In “Molecular De-Extinction”
Molecules produced by extinct branches of the human family have been recreated for the first time since the species they came from went extinct. The work might help us in our quest to understand our long-lost cousins, but there is also a more practical concern: fighting pathogens to which others may have been immune. De-extinction, […]
Crocodiles Sense Distress In The Cries Of Human Babies, And It’s Attractive
Crying infants may attract Nile crocodiles, according to an eyebrow-raising new study that found these predatory reptiles are well attuned to the tearful cries of some primates. Having been a threat to the human lineage since it first developed, it’s entirely possible the squall of babies may represent attractive stimuli for these massive meat eaters. […]
Watch A Sloth Fight An Ocelot – And Win!
In one of the greatest upsets of all time, an unfancied sloth has recorded an unlikely victory against a feline predator. Known for their ponderous movements and dopey charm, sloths aren’t exactly built for combat – but as one ocelot found out in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the tree-dwelling dawdlers can pack a punch. The bout […]
Thousands Of Microplastics Discovered In Human Heart Tissue For First Time
Microplastics have been discovered in the human heart and its innermost tissues for the first time. While the health consequences of this are still unknown, the new study is yet another grim reminder of how pervasive the world’s plastic problem has become within just a century. In a new study, scientists at Beijing Anzhen Hospital […]
Who Were The Clovis People?
Across North America, a consistent style of tools can be found dating from around 13,500 to 12,700 years ago. These, and the people who made them, are known as Clovis, after a site in New Mexico where a large array of such tools were found in the 1930s. The similarity of the tools across great […]
It’s So Hot In Phoenix Its Cactuses Are Losing Their Arms
This summer’s heat is so intense that even cacti are struggling. Following a ridiculously hot July, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, has shared how its cactuses are struggling with heat stress. Along with many turning a sickly yellow or even brown color and displaying signs of dehydration, a few have even lost their […]
Vlad The Impaler May Have Cried Tears Of Blood
As if the man who inspired the story of Count Dracula needed another bloody attribute, new research has revealed that Vlad the Impaler may have had a condition that made him cry tears of blood. Unlike his fictional counterpart, however, the mortal tyrant also appears to have had various respiratory and skin disorders linked to […]
New Shark Species With Human-Like Teeth Discovered In Australia
Down in the deep waters of the northeastern Australian coast, you might be lucky enough to come across a brand new species of shark. The painted hornshark (Heterodontus marshallae) is a newly described species that belongs to the order Heterodontiformes, characterized by their unusual human-like molars. Heterodontiformes is an order with only one genus and […]
Gender-Affirming Mastectomies Have An “Overwhelmingly Low” Regret Rate
Gender-affirming care continues to be proven to provide a high level of satisfaction and incredibly low levels of regret. The latest study looked at patients who underwent gender-affirming mastectomies from 1990 to 2020 and followed up about how they have felt since the procedure. A double (or bilateral) mastectomy is considered a major surgery, most […]
After First-Ever Image Of A Black Hole, What Are We Zooming In On Next?
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) provided astronomers with the first-ever images of supermassive black holes: the one at the center of galaxy M87 and our friendly neighborhood one, Sagittarius A*, which sits at the center of the Milky Way. Those incredible images captured for the first time the shadows of black holes. Now, astronomers have a […]
JWST Reveals Color Of The Most Distant Known Star
The most distant known star is called Earendel. First seen by Hubble thanks to a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, the light of this object has traveled for almost 13 billion years to reach Earth. JWST observations have previously hinted at a possible companion and have now gone even further in establishing the color of […]
Totem Pole Mysteriously Appears On British Cliff With No Explanation
A “totem” has mysteriously emerged on top of a cliff along the southern coast of Britain. It’s not currently known who created the sculpture or placed it there, but locals are keen to find out so they can secure planning permission before it’s hastily taken away by the authorities. The pole recently appeared overnight at […]
