News

For the first time in 35 years, the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has manufactured a plutonium pit for use in a nuclear weapon. Functioning as a radioactive core for nuclear weapons, the component has been declared war-ready and marks the beginning of a scaling-up initiative that will see 80 plutonium pits created per […]

Tornadoes together with a hurricane sounds like something from a disaster movie, but it became reality this week as Hurricane Milton hit Florida and spawned a host of destructive twisters – but why did this happen? During a White House press briefing on October 10, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that at […]

The cleanup in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which swept through Florida this week leaving a trail of destruction and millions without power, has barely begun. But now, health experts are warning of a hidden threat that could be lurking in the floodwaters – a bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus. There are around 12 Vibrio species that […]

The Scottish Highlands could soon greet some new residents: a breed of super-beefy wild cattle that have been designed to possess the appearance of aurochs, the untamed ancestor of all domestic cattle that fell into extinction 400 years ago.  Known as tauros – yes, like the Pokémon – the cattle have been selectively bred in […]

There are plenty of obvious things that one might expect to be illegal – stealing, murdering, taking the last cookie from the jar. You know, the usual stuff. Take a closer look at laws in the United States, however, and you’ll find an absolute treasure trove of thoroughly bonkers legislation that’ll make you question why […]

The Earth faces dangers, such as space rocks and close encounters with nearby stars. Nevertheless, having survived the dangerous early years, as far as we know the only thing likely to bring it to an end is the same thing that gives it life: the Sun.  So, if some very bad luck can be avoided, […]

Mount Rainier is an icon of the Washington state landscape. An active volcano, the mountain attracts visitors every year who want to climb its peak or explore the lush forests and wildflower meadows surrounding it. However, the journey to the top of this mountain may be getting easier – the mountain is shrinking, an unofficial […]

In 1898, a pair of lions repeatedly raided the tents of an encampment in Kenya, killing at least 28 people. The infamous “Tsavo man-eaters” were eventually shot and their remains put on display at the Field Museum Of Natural History in Chicago, and now a new genomic study has revealed the grim story their teeth […]

This week on Break It Down: two comb jellies become one, how Hurricane Milton grew so intense, superpowered scans reveal COVID’s impact on the brain, a humanlike robot’s jokes fail to impress his friend, Lucy the Australopithecine might have used tools 3.2 million years ago, and Mozambique’s elephants offer modern-day proof of evolution. Available on […]

Walking under the blue welcome sign at the San Diego Convention Center earlier this year was quite an experience. I was greeted immediately with a kaleidoscope of activity and dynamic sounds that only hinted at the epic science adventures to come. This was Pittcon – the largest global conference and exposition on laboratory science held […]

A lucky group of swimmers from charity Ocean Culture Life (OCL) were met with a rare treat on a trip to Tonga – an encounter with an all-white humpback whale calf. The team, who were on one of Tonga’s regulated whale swimming charters, came across the rare calf swimming and playing alongside its mother and […]

New observations of the Great Red Spot (GRS), Jupiter’s enormous storm, have revealed that it is less stable than previously thought. Regular observations over the course of 90 days have revealed that its elliptical shape can change dimension, becoming squished in different directions. The fact that it changes shape is not exactly unexpected. It has […]

Tiny pieces of charcoal have been found in sediments at the Tam Pà Ling Cave in Laos. The discoveries call into question previous confidence humans did not camp in the cave, and that remains there were instead washed inside. The cave represents our only established resource to unravel some of the biggest questions about humanity’s […]

How we respond to arguments or opinions that differ from our own can have serious implications, whether it’s a tiff between a friend or a family member, or a stubborn dispute with a colleague at work. We’ve probably all had instances where everyone involved thinks they’re right and things just don’t go anywhere. According to […]

On the Japanese islands of Ishigaki and Iriomote lives a very unusual amphibian. The Eiffinger’s tree frog (Kurixalus eiffingeri) could be said to have the most house-proud babies in nature, as their tadpoles hold in their first poop until they become frogs. These small frogs spend most of their young lives in tree hollows and […]

Unnerving footage shows the plane shake as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) flew into Hurricane Milton to learn more about its development. NOAA regularly makes flights inside hurricanes to monitor them and make predictions about their progress. Using two aircraft – nicknamed “Kermit” and “Miss Piggy” – the hurricane specialists take data from […]

Sometimes where you are born is not where you are meant to be, especially if you are going to be brighter and hotter than anyone else there. Young star cluster R136 is a stellar nursery full of stars but over the last 2 million years it has sent dozens of massive stars flying into interstellar […]

A harmonious oasis of nuanced debate and reason… is sadly not an accurate description of most social media platforms. Let’s face it, things can quickly get very nasty in those comment sections – but why is it like that? A new study explores what the authors call the “confrontation effect”, in which users become highly […]

Hurricane Milton made landfall last night as a Category 3 storm, causing destruction on Florida’s west coast and leaving millions without power.  For a brief time, the intense storm was Category 5, with Fox 35 Orlando meteorologist Noah Bergren describing it as “nearing the mathematical limit of what Earth’s atmosphere over this ocean water can […]

Every now and then, the various robots NASA has placed on Mars find an unusual rock or feature. After all, that is (partly) what they’re there for. These finds can be interesting, like a donut-shaped rock that may not be from the planet; or very interesting, like the incredibly unusual striped rock Perseverance recently found […]