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A new study dates the start of the Anthropocene, the epoch where human impact on the Earth system causes it to deviate from its natural behavior, as having started in the middle of the last century. Human activities have reached a point where their impacts on the planet’s system can be observed, and it’s driving […]

The great thing about having telescopes that can look further and further into the past is being surprised by what we see there.  Advertisement With the infrared JWST, we were hoping to learn more about the formation of galaxies, as well as clear up mysteries about how supermassive black holes became so large. But we […]

The jets released by supermassive black holes are formidable. Some extend for millions of light-years and most have particles that move close to the speed of light with incredible energies – and it seems that might affect events completely unrelated to them such as novae eruption. Advertisement A nova is a temporary brightening of an […]

Paleontologists have described a brand-new species of duck-billed dinosaur with one hell of a honker, and this giant schnoz – alongside some pretty huge toothlike structures – is part of the reason why they were able to identify it as such. The new species, dubbed Coahuilasaurus lipani, is thought to have lived around 72.5 million […]

There are some sentences you never expect to write. Things like: the porcupine C-section was a success, and both mother and porcupette are doing well. Advertisement And yet, that’s where we find ourselves – because that’s exactly what has happened. This April saw the birth by cesarean section of Dakota, a male baby porcupine from […]

A 50-year-old idea about electromagnetic waves known as the Zel’dovich effect has been tested by physicists in the lab, and proven to be correct.  Advertisement The idea behind the Zel’dovich effect came from a strange place. In 1969, British physicist and mathematician Roger Penrose suggested that energy could be extracted from black holes by lowering […]

Life isn’t easy under the sea, but luckily its resident creatures have evolved all sorts of clever tricks to keep themselves out of the jaws of predators. That includes the humbug damselfish, which new research suggests takes a much more complex approach to hiding from predators than previously thought – and it dazzles while doing […]

Satellite images of the test site of Russia’s infamous “Satan II” superweapon taken this month appear to show that a test launch ended in failure. Advertisement The RS-28 Sarmat, sometimes called “Satan II”, is a liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile developed by Russia as a replacement for the Soviet-era SS-18. Back in October, Russian president Vladimir […]

Brace yourself to meet the Lammergeier, a bone-crushing bearded vulture that dyes its feathers red with baths in springs of iron-rich mud. As tough as it appears, the intense-looking vulture has been wiped out from much of its historic range and continues to face existential threats in parts of its habitat. The species (Gypaetus barbatus) […]

A little-known population of orcas living off the coast of Chile has been seen hunting and eating dusky dolphins for the first time. The behavior may offer insights into the lives and diets of all orcas in the southern hemisphere, which could help future conservation efforts. Advertisement Off the coast of Chile is the Humboldt […]

A small study of 156 people with COVID-19 has found that mutations that confer resistance to antiviral drugs were “commonly detected”, especially in immunocompromised patients. The authors stress that most of these mutations were transient and occurred at low frequencies – the results do not mean that drug-resistant strains of SARS-CoV-2 are going to become […]

The Pennsylvanian might make up a hefty chunk of one of Earth’s most important periods, the Carboniferous, but we know relatively little about the land ecosystems that existed in its earliest days. Now, thanks to the discovery of an “exceptionally preserved” fossil site in Massachusetts, researchers are beginning to fill in the gaps. Advertisement The […]

In the balmy air above the Amazon rainforest, nasty human-made chemicals called PFAS have been discovered for the first time. While it’s known that “forever chemicals” have become ubiquitous in the natural world, the researchers behind the discovery have described it as “shocking”.   Advertisement An international team of scientists collected air from a 325-meter-tall (1,066-foot) […]

Scientists have just discovered the mechanism through which a winged fish uses its “legs” to taste the seafloor. The peculiar fish is so good at tasting the seabed, in fact, that other animals follow it for clues on where to find food. Isn’t the ocean just absurd? Advertisement Every now and then an animal comes […]

A recent Supreme Court ruling has seen calls for clarification after a study found that it could result in nearly all of the nontidal wetlands in the conterminous USA being stripped of federal protections. Advertisement The ruling in question was over Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, a case that concerned the scope of the 1972 […]

A decade ago, California became the first US state to ban single-use plastic bags. It proved to be a massive failure. Hoping to rectify the problem, the Golden State is doubling down with a new, even bigger plastic bag law.  Advertisement The initial 2014 ban prohibited grocery stores from distributing free single-use plastic bags for […]

For the first time, a ruby has been grown in situ by planting a “ruby seed” in a platinum ring. The novel approach could transform the jewelry industry as it demonstrates that, theoretically, we no longer need to mine to get great gemstones. The ruby seed used to grow the stone in situ can be […]

We know that Mars was different in the past. Flowing water, abundant ice, and a denser atmosphere were the main features of the ancient Red Planet. All of that is gone, but the evidence remains. Planetary scientists have conducted an in-depth analysis of the various terrains present on Mars and found fossilized evidence of the […]

Everywhere the President of the United States goes, they are accompanied by an aide carrying what’s known as the nuclear football. Unlike your regular pigskin, however, this holds the fate of the world within. Advertisement Also known as the Presidential Emergency Sachet, the football is actually a black briefcase containing several items that must be […]

Whales have been up to all sorts this year, from joining the list of animals demonstrating tool use and accidentally almost scooping up seals to slapping people in the face. It seems that their antics have not slowed down, as researchers look into them doing acrobatic headstands. Advertisement Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) off the coast […]