It’s easy to envisage other universes, governed by slightly different laws of physics, in which no intelligent life, nor indeed any kind of organised complex systems, could arise. Should we therefore be surprised that a universe exists in which we were able to emerge? That’s a question physicists including me have tried to answer for […]
Castaway Depots: The Story Behind The Shacks That Saved Shipwrecked Sailors’ Lives
In the 1860s, a particularly tricky trade route from Australia and New Zealand to Europe saw an intolerable number of shipwrecks for boats that sailed upon it. In one (or should that be two?) particularly noteworthy incident(s), the surviving crews of two ships found themselves shipwrecked on New Zealand’s Auckland Island, unaware of their fellow […]
OpenAI Releases ChatGPT-4 And Performs Impressive Demonstration
OpenAI has released a new version of ChatGPT, claiming that the new language learning model is capable of passing – and even excelling in – a variety of academic exams. ChatGPT-4, which will be available on Bing as well as the OpenAI website, is more reliable and more creative than its predecessor, according to OpenAI. […]
NASA’s $180 Million Plan For Destroying The ISS Revealed
As the ISS hurtles towards the end of its long life, NASA wants to begin researching a spacecraft that will take it down from space and guide it on its way to crashing into the sea. The plan would involve giving it a light “space tug” out of orbit at the perfect time for it to […]
The “Triple-Dip” La Niña Is Finally Over, But Now El Niño Looms
It looks like it’s all over for the exceptional “triple-dip” La Niña weather event that cooled the Pacific Ocean and shaped the Earth’s weather for the past three years. However, scientists have already warned that an El Niño warming phase could be brewing. If true, then it could have some worrying implications for the warming […]
Famous Sika Deer Represent Rare Ancestral Population That’s Survived For 1,000 Years
For a thousand years the wild sika deer of Nara Park have been considered sacred in Japanese culture. Their status has protected them from hunting and isolated from other populations of wild sikas, which according to new research has preserved a rare ancestral population that’s genetically unique from other wild deer. Nara Park’s sika deer […]
Indonesian City Makes 12th-Graders Start School At 5:30 AM, Sparking Backlash
A new trial pushing back school start times to 5:30 am for some 12th-graders in Indonesia is facing criticism. Introduced by Governor Viktor Laiskodat as a way “to build our students’ character so they know discipline,” many have voiced concerns about potential safety risks, as well as detrimental effects on health and school performance. The […]
Listen To The Sounds Of Ancient Languages Being Spoken, From Egyptian To Aztec
From the Ancient Egyptians to Sumerians, Romans to Maya, or even the Vikings and Celts, listen to 14 ancient languages that will transport you back in time. Many are not spoken anymore, so we may not know how they were pronounced but these languages offer a little window into the past and the cultures that […]
NASA Reveals Prototype Spacesuit The First Woman On The Moon Will Wear
In the first public event presenting the Artemis III Lunar Space Suit, NASA revealed the prototype that will be worn by the first woman and person of color to go to the Moon. Made by Axiom Space, the next-gen spacesuit will eventually be white, but is currently on display with a black cover while they […]
Robots Are Performing Hindu Rituals – Some Devotees Fear They’ll Replace Worshippers
It isn’t just artists and teachers who are losing sleep over advances in automation and artificial intelligence. Robots are being brought into Hinduism’s holiest rituals – and not all worshippers are happy about it. In 2017, a technology firm in India introduced a robotic arm to perform “aarti,” a ritual in which a devotee offers […]
A Sign Of Volcanic Activity Has Been Spotted On Venus
Archival images of Venus show part of the surface changed quite significantly in the space of eight months. Two planetary scientists consider this a likely sign the long-sought volcanic activity on Venus was still happening 30 years ago, which will give an extra boost to plans for future missions still under consideration. Some frozen moons […]
A Glorious Coral Reef Is Thriving On A WW2 Shipwreck In Red Sea
A gloriously diverse coral reef is thriving on a World War Two shipwreck that lies at the bottom of the Red Sea, harboring a diverse gang of brightly colored fish, giant eels, and endangered species. As explained by a new study, the shipwreck shows how artificial reef structures may have the possibility to help corals […]
Anxious Dogs Show Similar Brain Activity To Anxious Humans
Pet dogs that have anxiety exhibit neurological abnormalities that mirror those seen in people with mental health issues, new research has revealed. These findings may have major implications for the treatment of canines with emotional distress while also shedding light on the neurology of anxiety-related disorders in our own species. To reach these conclusions, the study […]
People With Personality Disorders Are More Likely To Sign Up For Psychology Studies – Here’s Why That’s A Problem
Many psychological studies rely on participants to give up their time to take part in experiments or complete questionnaires. They take part because they get paid or because they are required to as part of their university course. But, beyond this, not much is known about what motivates people to take part in these studies. […]
Baby Mice Born From Two Fathers Thanks To Egg Cells Derived From Males
Stem cells from male mice have been successfully converted into cells containing two X chromosomes. These cells were then differentiated into eggs and fertilized with sperm, resulting in the births of seven healthy baby mice. It’s a landmark finding, and it was made possible thanks to an issue that’s long been a headache for scientists […]
Giant Dinosaur Had The Longest Neck Of Any Animal Ever Discovered
Giant giraffes walked the Jurassic in the form of long-necked Titanosaurs and Sauropods, but among them was one species to out-neck them all. A new fossil analysis has crowned the Chinese sauropod Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum as the longest-known neck in the animal kingdom, stretching to a whopping 15.1 meters (49.5 feet). The biggest dinosaurs aren’t always […]
Sneezing On Everest Leaves Behind Germs That Could Survive For Centuries
Humans climbing Mount Everest leave a lot in their wake, including plastic and, occasionally and very tragically, their own bodies. But they also leave a lasting microbial legacy, according to new research. Everest’s slopes are littered with microorganisms adapted to withstand the harsh conditions on Earth’s tallest peak. In the past, it has been impossible to identify […]
Can Dogs Tell If You’re Pregnant? It’s Complicated
There’s not much that can get past a dog’s nose. They’re not just used for saying how-do-you-do: a practiced pooch can sniff out a scent trail through a busy city two days after it was created; they can smell explosives and detect contaminants in soil at concentrations lower than a single part per million. So […]
Long-Lost Underwater Civilizations May Be Found With Magnetic Fields
Magnetic fields are promising to be a useful tool in the hunt for human settlements that have been lost to the sea off the coast of the UK. An upcoming project is set to use magnetometry data to scour Doggerland, the flooded chunk of land that connected Britain to mainland Europe until the end of […]
Time Reflections Of Electromagnetic Waves Have Been Demonstrated For The First Time
By switching the dielectric constant of a metamaterial, physicists have time-reflected electromagnetic waves being carried within it. The didn’t turn back time Cher-style, but the signal carried by the waves underwent both a reversal in order and frequency lengthening. Besides confirming a possibility theoreticians have been toying with for 60 years, the work could allow […]
