US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has recently made a pretty bold – and misleading – claim about the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, stating that it contains “a lot of aborted fetus debris and DNA particles.” Kennedy Jr made the claim on April 30 when speaking to News Nation about why some […]
News
A Gluten-Free Kiss: Can People With Celiac Disease Ingest Gluten From Kissing?
People with celiac disease often have to adopt strict diets to avoid contact with gluten, but what happens if a person with this condition kisses someone else who has just eaten a gluten-filled snack? This question may seem trivial, but it causes anxiety among many people living with celiac disease. Thankfully, new research has challenged […]
“Algebra’s Oldest Challenge” Gets A Sparkly New Answer
Ah, math. Take an easy problem we all studied in our teens, scale it up by just a couple of steps, and suddenly you’re facing something that has stumped generations of the world’s best mathematicians. Ain’t it always the way? Well, according to a new paper from Norman Wildberger, an honorary professor in the University […]
“The Hum” Has Hit The Hebrides – But It’s Not The First Unexplained Noise To Stump Scientists
What’s more annoying than tuning into an unidentifiable humming noise when you’re trying to sleep? You know what I’m talking about. A persistent low-frequency buzzing noise that just won’t stop. No matter how hard you try to ignore it, once you’re aware of its presence, you cannot escape it. For most of us, if we […]
Making Art For 45 Minutes A Day Can Lower Stress Levels, Even If It’s Rubbish
Humans have been churning out art in different forms for millennia, demonstrating that creative self-expression is important for the species, but what does it do for our health? Turns out, dedicating a small window of your day to art making may have a positive influence on biomarkers of stress, and best of all? You don’t […]
Trump Administration’s Proposed Budget Slashes NASA, NOAA, Health Research
The Trump administration’s continuous attack on science has been consolidated in the administration’s proposed Discretionary Budget Request, released Friday, May 2, which slashes budgets across many agencies and institutions, ranging from space, climate, education, and health, while increasing spending on defense. The approach the new administration has taken to halt and defund scientific research is […]
Earth’s Mini-Moons Might Come From A Lot Closer To Home Than We Thought
A new study has concluded that Earth’s mini-moons may not have come from the asteroid belt as we once thought, but a source far closer to home. Mini-moons are small asteroids or comets that can become captured by a planet’s gravity, temporarily orbiting around it until they are flung on their path around the Sun […]
Astronomers Find Odd Radio Signal Coming From Fracture In Milky Way’s “Cosmic Snake”
The mystery of a giant “fracture” in our galaxy – the Milky Way – may have been solved after new observations from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and radio telescopes. Looking towards the center of the Milky Way, astronomers have previously spotted giant structures that are sometimes referred to as “bones”. “High-mass star formation in the […]
What Is A Dinosaur Tree? The Living Fossil Dinosaurs Once Munched On That’s Still Around Today
When we think about living fossils, most of us likely think about crocodiles, alligators, sharks or some other primeval creature that has roamed the world for millions of years. But what about trees? There is one tree, often referred to as the “dinosaur tree” that used to be nibbled on by the “terrible lizards” of […]
People Are Asking How We Took Those “Fancy Pictures” Of Our Own Galaxy
People over on Reddit are once again asking how we have photos of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, when we are inside of it. “How did we [take] those fancy pictures of our own galaxy, Milky Way?” Redditor fourps asked on Friday, adding, “We cannot fly out of it to take a picture”. Fortunately, […]
China’s New Space Laser Can Find A Satellite 130,000 Kilometers Away – Even During The Day
In a world first, Chinese scientists have been able to find a satellite using an infrared laser during the daytime. The approach was able to find the Tiandu-1 satellite at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) from Earth, well beyond where most satellites are located. The satellite and its twin are, in fact, […]
Ancient Chinese Poetry Reveals The 1,400-Year Decline Of World’s Only Freshwater Porpoise
A study of 724 ancient poems has revealed how far the Yangtze finless porpoise once roamed within the mighty river, allowing scientists to see how far its range has contracted and when that occurred. This may help identify how much threat the porpoise is under, and provide a stretch goal for restoring its ecosystem’s state. […]
Chatty Dolphins Might Know More Language Than Just Each Other’s Names, Reveals New Study
Dolphins might be famous for their impressive jumps or even their whistles and clicks but did you know that they also call each other by name and even have accents? These sounds are known as name-like signature whistles and have been known to researchers for quite some time. Now, new research has looked into whether […]
Human Lifespans May Have No Biological Limit
The prospect of immortality may not be off the table for us humans, as life expectancies across the world continue to rise and defy all claims that they’ve already peaked. At least, that’s the conclusion of a new, not yet peer-reviewed study which suggests that our years may not be numbered by any natural limit. […]
Oldest Known English Book On Cheese Explains Why You Shouldn’t Eat Dog Cheese, But Camel Is Cool
If you’ve hankering to read the earliest-known English book on cheese, you’re in luck. The University of Leeds’ Cultural Collections have announced that they’ve transcribed the curious book’s contents, revealing some rules about cheese consumption that we didn’t see coming. Titled, “A pamflyt compiled of Cheese, contayninge the differences, nature, qualities, and goodnes, of the […]
T. Rex Handbags Could Soon Be A Thing, Ronan The Sea Lion Has Better Rhythm Than Some Humans, And Much More This Week
This week, one of the closest large gas clouds ever was detected near Earth, just 300 light-years away, and it takes up as much sky as a typical constellation. An exceptionally well-preserved Austrian mummy has been embalmed using previously unknown methods, and a snake collector has inspired an antivenom previously thought impossible by letting himself […]
Human Trash Is Expediting Rock Formation, From Millions Of Years To Just 35
Human trash is wreaking all sorts of havoc on the natural world, including, according to recent research, accelerating rock formation in some parts of the globe. Thanks to a coin and a drinks can tab, researchers from the University of Glasgow’s School of Geographical and Earth Sciences discovered a new type of rock in West […]
Yosemite National Park Warns Visitors To Keep Distance From One Of Its “Most Dangerous” Animals
Yosemite National Park has just put out a reminder that tourists to the site should steer well clear of what it calls one of the park’s “most dangerous animals”. That’s gotta be something teethy, or with big claws, right? Nope – it’s a mule deer. Yep – these literally doe-eyed, adorably large-eared cutie patooties are […]
In 2024, “Extinct” Sihek Were Released Into The Wild After 36 Years. Now, They’ve Laid Their First Eggs
Some good news from the Palmyra Atoll: following its successful release back into the wild in 2024, the sihek – also known as the Guam kingfisher – has laid its first eggs in the wild in almost 40 years. These endangered birds went extinct from the wild back in 1988, but a few birds under […]
Did You Know That Some Narwhals Have Two Tusks? It’s Rare, But It Happens
Narwhals are up there with the most fascinating creatures on the planet. These curious cetaceans have been compared by some to unicorns of the sea for the famous (and somewhat mysterious) tusk that sticks out from the center of their heads like a giant horn. Thing is, sometimes narwhals sprout two of them. Double-tusked narwhals […]