In March 2020, as the UK was preparing to go into lockdown, two new trials were posted on the clinicaltrials.gov database. The researchers were proposing that BCG, an old vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), should be tested for its protective effect against COVID. As vaccines tend to activate very specific immune responses against their target disease, […]
Cretaceous Fossil Fruit Proves Dinosaurs Had The Ancestors Of Coffee and Potatoes
The family of plants that give us such treasures as tomatoes, potatoes, our most popular herbs, and even coffee coexisted with the dinosaurs, a single fossil has revealed. That doesn’t mean any of these individual plants existed in the Cretaceous, let alone the eras giant herbivores took advantage – but we can certainly be grateful […]
Battle Of The Brains: Pigeon Vs. AI Learning? It’s Pretty Similar
The champions of unclouded thought were recently put to the test in a study that sought to explore if an illogical puzzle could be more easily solved by an animal with the associative learning approach of a computer. It saw researchers put a group of pigeons to the test to investigate their performance in a […]
Huge New Titanosaur Discovered In Patagonia Had A Femur Longer Than A Human
A new species of titanosaur has been unearthed in Patagonia and based on the measurement of its femur, it was an absolute beast. With a thigh bone about the same length as a tall adult human, it’s a rare find and one that’s teaching us that there’s a lot more to learn about a group […]
Where Do Birds Go When It Rains?
We’ve all been there at one time or another: caught out in the rain. The sensible among us take shelter, while others might choose to stay out (ahem, Drew Barrymore) or turn to an umbrella or raincoat for protection. But what about birds? Do they don their metaphorical wellies and splash about? Or will you […]
Old Boy Bobi Is Officially The Oldest Dog On Record At 30 Years Of Age
The world’s oldest dog has been crowned a record-breaker at 30 years and 268 days old, toppling the previous winner Spike who was announced just two weeks ago at the age of 23. Spike the little Chihuahua has achieved a great age, but has been beaten by almost 10 years by Bobi, who almost lost […]
1,600-Year-Old Pure Gold Bead Uncovered In Jerusalem Is A Rare Find
A unique gold bead dating back to the Roman era has been discovered in Jerusalem by an 18-year-old volunteer. The find was uncovered during painstaking sifting of dirt removed from the Pilgrimage Road excavation site. “I poured the pail onto the sieve and began to wash the material that was brought from the excavations in […]
Scientists Investigate Whether Moondust Could Save The Earth From Global Warming
In the desperate quest to find a way to avoid cooking the planet, scientists have run the numbers on using dust as a sunshade. They found it might just work, but only if the dust came from the Moon. The idea of blocking sunlight to offset the effects of human activity on the global climate […]
Unexpected Rings Discovered Around Dwarf Planet In Our Solar System
The worlds at the edge of the Solar System, beyond the orbit of Neptune, continue to show just how peculiar things can get far from the Sun. For example, the heart of Pluto, the curious shape of Arrokoth, and the rings of Haumea. And now we can add the unusual rings of Quaoar to the […]
Curiosity Finds Delicious Chocolatey Meteorite On Mars
Curiosity has discovered an exciting new rock on Mars, and not just any old rock, a delicious chocolatey meteorite. It’s not the first time the rover has found meteorites on Mars but it makes a nice change from its usual rocky scenery, and frankly, meteorites are cool on any planet. This one has been nicknamed […]
New Montana Bill Would Prevent Schools Teaching “Scientific Theories”
Amongst a flurry of questionable bills being introduced in American states recently, a new piece of legislation in Montana would prevent scientific theories from being taught in schools. According to the Republican that sponsors the bill, it is a move to prevent the teachings of things that “aren’t true”. It calls into question exactly how […]
What Happens If An Elevator Cable Breaks?
We’ve all heard horror stories of a malfunction causing an elevator to plunge into freefall like the Tower of Terror ride at Disney World. An incident supposedly like this occurred in November 2018 at Chicago’s fourth-tallest building. Six people were reportedly stuck after the elevator at the former John Hancock Center in Chicago “plunged” from […]
Catatumbo’s Lightning Capital Of The World Sees 1.6 Million Strikes A Year
The lightning capital of the world can be found in Venezuela, where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo. Here, the unique geography and climate combine to create a landscape that lends itself to nocturnal thunderstorms that peak in September as a result of humid air being swept inland, colliding with cool mountain air. Known as […]
The Matrix Did Not Glitch Over The Sky Of Hawai’i
January 28 saw a peculiar event taking place above the sky of Hawai’i. Green lights were seen coming down from the heavens. The bizarre effect, reminiscent of the computer-inspired title screen of The Matrix, was not proof that we live in a simulation. It was a NASA satellite taking observations. #SubaruTelescope pic.twitter.com/5hhIsewuNp— Subaru Telescope Eng […]
Sky Camera Catches Elusive Red Sprites Dancing In The Sky Over Hawai’i
Red sprites have been caught dancing in the skies above Hawai’i thanks to the Sabaru-Asahi Star Camera atop Maunakea and some eagle-eyed viewers. The Subaru-Asahi Star Camera is a 24/7 livestream of the night sky that is in the habit of catching some very strange phenomena in the Hawaiian night sky. The sprites were caught […]
Is Your Phone Heavier When It’s Full Of Data? We’ve Done The Math
Here’s a weird question: does your phone weigh more when it’s “full” than when it’s “empty”? It sounds almost ridiculously naïve – of course, a phone isn’t like a jug of water, with each photo or contact adding an extra few milliliters to the total. How could information have a weight? But like many apparently […]
Why Do Wine Bottles Have A Dip In The Bottom?
Flip over a wine bottle and you’ll notice it has a large dent on its base. It’s a peculiar feature that’s found almost exclusively on bottles of beloved boozy grape juice, but scarcely on any other liquor bottles. The indentation on wine bottle bottoms has served different functions over the ages, but today it’s thought […]
Major Breakthrough Paves The Way For Powerful Quantum Computers Today
Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize information technology, processing problems that even our most powerful supercomputers can’t solve. However, those problems require quantum computers that have millions of qubits (quantum bits), while today’s quantum computers operate on a 100-qubit scale. Connecting more quantum microchips could help overcome the limitations of today’s machines, but they […]
Church of England Considers Whether God Has Gender-Neutral Pronouns
The Church of England is weighing up whether the Christian God should no longer be referred to as “he”. While the news has sparked blind outrage in the British tabloids, the idea of a gender-neutral God is nothing new. The church said it would launch a commission in a few months that will investigate the […]
Codebreakers Crack Secrets Of Mary Queen Of Scots’ Lost Letters
A cache of 57 coded letters, sent over four centuries ago by none other than Mary, Queen of Scots while she was imprisoned in England by Elizabeth I, has been discovered and decrypted by a team of international scholars. Thought until now to be lost or destroyed, the letters turned up in precisely the kind […]
