The skeleton of a female warrior who appears to have been slain in battle has been discovered at a cemetery for Medieval knights in central Spain. According to the authors of a new study, the ancient soldieress may have been a member of the Order of Calatrava, which defended the kingdom of Castile from North […]
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Quarter Of Americans Still Believe False MMR Jab Autism Link, Despite Total Lack Of Evidence
Survey data from a nationally representative panel of US adults has revealed that a quarter still do not accept the overwhelming scientific consensus that there is no link between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine – or MMR jab – and autism. This is one conspiracy theory that’s proving exceptionally hard to shake off, despite […]
New Quantum Engine Fueled By Ions’ Entanglement
The strange features of quantum substances are being explored in the hope they will lead to engines more powerful and efficient than their classical counterparts. There’s still a lot we don’t understand about how the various aspects of quantum physics can help and hinder machines. A new exploration of one of quantum physics’ most distinctive […]
Something Very Weird Happens To Metal In Space
For millennia, humans have been able to manipulate metals. In modern times, we have learned ways to make them more resistant to environmental effects. One could assume that in the vacuum of space, metals would fare better without ways to rust or degrade, but there are other concerns in vacuum. Concerns that can have very […]
Oldest Crystals In The World Reveal Earth Had Rain And Oceans 4 Billion Years Ago
The oldest crystals in the world show evidence of exposure to both fresh and salty water during their formation, a new study reports. This indicates that the very early Earth had both oceans and land on which rainwater could collect. Although hellish in many ways, it suggests a planet far more like the one we […]
Why Do Animals Sometimes Eat Their Young?
“I could just gobble them right up!” isn’t an uncommon phrase when it comes to seeing a baby, but some animals take it a bit too literally. Known as filial cannibalism, chowing down on your offspring might seem a bit heartless to us – not to mention counterintuitive when it comes to species survival – […]
People Are Confused At What “Biweekly” Actually Means
It’s enough to bring you out in a cold sweat. That dreaded moment when your boss asks you to schedule a “biweekly” call, and you have no idea what they mean. Is that twice a week or once every two weeks? We know lots of people are stumped by this so, good people that we […]
What Are “Gorilla Ribs” – And Should I Worry If I Have Them?
Humans like to think they’re special, but at the end of the day, they’re just another primate. For proof, look no further than our DNA: we’re up to four percent Neanderthal, 99 percent chimpanzee, and 50 percent banana (the most monkey of all fruit, and you know it.) Advertisement But despite knowing all this, you […]
New Lung Cancer Drug Trial Hailed As Best Result Ever, Setting A “New Benchmark”
Phase III trial results for a new drug targeting advanced lung cancer have just been reported, with some experts calling them “unprecedented” and “off the chart”. The drug is called lorlatinib, and the trial team says it’s setting a “new benchmark for targeted therapies in cancer.” A staggering 60 percent of patients on the drug […]
China Is Back On The Far Side Of The Moon – Ready To Collect Its Haul
China has made history on the Moon once more. It successfully landed once again on the far side of the Moon, having been the only nation to have done that before. The new mission, Chang’e 6, is going for another first. It will collect rocks and soil, bringing them back to Earth. If it does […]
Silky Shark Swims Record-Breaking Migration Route Of Over 27,000 Kilometers
Animal migrations are some of the most spectacular sights the natural world has to offer, from incredible wildebeest moving across Africa to the incredible solo journeys undertaken by bird species across planet Earth. Now, a silky shark has entered the record books with a record-breaking migration that helps highlight the vulnerability of this species. Advertisement […]
Tiny Plant Thought Extinct In Vermont Accidentally Rediscovered Over 100 Years Later
After a years-long hunt, Vermont botanists have rediscovered a floodplain-dwelling plant species that hadn’t been seen in the state since 1916. Advertisement When it comes to the search for false mermaid-weed (Floerkea proserpinacoides), it’s not exactly an understatement to say it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. The plant is small, making it […]
2,700-Year-Old “Portal To The Underworld” Makes Long-Awaited Return
An ancient Olmec monument symbolizing the entrance to the afterlife has finally been restored to its former glory and returned to its ancestral home, almost 3,000 years after it was sculpted. The enormous Portal al Inframundo (Portal to the Underworld) is thought to have been looted in the 1960s, yet was only brought back to […]
A Solar Cemetery? Spain’s Largest Urban Solar Farm Is Being Built In Graveyards
As part of efforts to shift towards “greener” urban areas, a city in Spain has begun installation of what’s to be the country’s largest urban solar farm in a somewhat unconventional location: cemeteries. Advertisement Valencia, found on the east coast of Spain, is on a mission to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. It’s in part […]
First Intact Skull Of Australia’s Terrifying Extinct “Giga-goose” Revealed
Several fossil remnants of a huge bird called Genyornis newtoni, including the first intact skull, have been described, offering insight into the lifestyle of the last of the giant thunder birds that once roamed Australia. Advertisement If you think Australia’s existing fauna are terrifying, take a look at what used to inhabit the continent. A starring […]
New Record-Breaker: Earliest And Most Distant Galaxies Ever Found Spotted By JWST
An international team of astronomers has announced the detection of two of the earliest and most distant galaxies known. The light of both of them comes from just 300 million years after the Big Bang and it was possible to observe them only thanks to the power of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Advertisement […]
North Korea Sends 600 More Trash-Loaded Balloons To South Korea
North Korea launched a second wave of trash-filled balloons toward South Korea after a similar campaign just a few days earlier. It might seem like the North is simply trying to irritate their rival neighbors – and that’s no doubt a factor – but the balloons have a deep historical context in Korea. Advertisement Over […]
People Are Confused How You Can Sail From The USA To India In A Straight Line
As a science website, it is easy to get caught up in the mysteries of vanishing stars and the crisis in cosmology, while people out there on the Internet are struggling with why flying against the planet’s rotation doesn’t decrease flight times, and why we can’t power our trucks with magnets. This week, it appears […]
Prehistoric Babies Buried Beneath “Dragon Stone” May Have Had Exceptional Birth
During the 16th century BCE, prehistoric people in what is now Armenia placed a 3.5-meter (9.8-foot) tall basalt stone over a barrow. Buried below the stone were the remains of an adult woman and two newborn children. At first, researchers believed the babies were twins, but new analysis suggests a more complicated and remarkable relationship. […]
Aquarium Solves Mystery After Stingray Alone In Tank Of Sharks Appeared Pregnant
Earlier this year, there was a bit of a mystery at the Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina, after a stingray appeared to become pregnant despite no male stingrays being present. While an interesting mystery in its own right, the case drew extra attention after suggestions by the head of the aquarium that […]