News

A mighty Saharan Sand Dune has been found to have a 13,000-year-old base, but most of its current height grew within the last 1,000 years. The information transforms the way geologists think about star dunes, the tallest class category of sand dunes. Since star dunes are found not only in the deserts of Africa, Asia, […]

Moonlight can spell disaster or triumph in the animal kingdom, helping those species with limited eyesight catch prey more easily, while also giving those who might be the prey fewer places to hide away in the dark. Now, new research has investigated which species might benefit from or avoid moonlight, with the help of some […]

In the lowlands of southwestern Madagascar there is, and sometimes isn’t, a lizard known as Labord’s chameleon (Furcifer labordi) with an unusual life cycle. The chameleons, as pointed out by UK fun fact podcast No Such Thing As A Fish, are functionally extinct for several months of the year, with no adults alive (as far […]

Let’s hope for clear evenings ahead of us this month, because there are many celestial happenings in the March sky. The equinox will be at 3:06 am UTC on March 20 (10:06 pm ET on March 19), with the Northern hemisphere entering spring and the Southern hemisphere entering autumn. This month is the best time […]

During the Cold War, when messing around with nuclear energy was all the rage, the US military left a legacy of radioactive debris at a few different sites around the world. Much of the fallout was kept at bay or contained – well, depending on who you ask – but climate change is now threatening […]

Scientists have developed a new robo-surgeon that can remove cancerous tumors from extremely delicate locations that can prove challenging and risky for even the most experienced human surgeons. When removing cancerous tumors, a process known as resection, the aim is to preserve as much healthy tissue as possible while removing the cancerous cells to prevent […]

Forget vapes – there’s a new nicotine product on the block, and it’s safe to say it’s been getting people a bit riled up recently. Nicotine pouches, sold under brand names like Zyn and Velo, have been both lambasted and lauded by politicians, influencers, and parents when it comes to their supposed health effects. But […]

Funerals could easily be assumed to be a uniquely human phenomenon, but a new study appears to challenge that after researchers observed Asian elephants burying dead calves and loudly mourning for them. Both African and Asian elephants have previously been observed interacting with their dead and displaying grief-like behaviors, but the current study aimed to […]

After decades of dwindling, nuclear energy could be making a big comeback in the US. Last week, the House passed through bipartisan legislation that aims to bolster nuclear energy with a sweeping 365-36 vote.  The measure, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act, will essentially make it easier to build nuclear power plants by speeding up environmental […]

An elaborate artifact that was once used to tell the time and calculate distances appears to have been used by members of three different faiths during its long and storied life. Known as an astrolabe, the relic has been dated to the 11th century CE and bears inscriptions in Arabic, Hebrew, and Western numerals. Astrolabes […]

A meteorite allegedly exists in the Sahara that would make all the other meteorites look like pebbles. An object the size of a skyscraper, it was reported in 1916 by Western observers but then disappeared without a trace. Now, scientists in the UK have set out to solve the mystery with the help of radar […]

Yosemite National Park in California has reopened to the public after temporarily shutting down late last month. The US National Park was forced to close on February 29, telling visitors to stay away due to an atmospheric river over California threatening an incoming storm that was predicted to leave Badger Pass covered in over 2 […]

A proposal has been published for a mission to send a spacecraft to study a future interstellar object passing through our Solar System. Although only two such objects have ever been detected with confidence, advances in surveillance systems mean that number is almost certain to shoot up very soon. Acknowledging that it will be a […]

With the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent decision on the status of embryos raising concerns about the future of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics in the state, it’s safe to say fertility is on a lot of people’s minds at the moment. According to the World Health Organization, around 1 in 6 adults around the world experience […]

Overall, the turbines that provide wind-generated electricity are a great deal, environmentally speaking. They have a “payback” time – that is, the length of time taken for one turbine to provide enough clean energy to offset the pollution created by its manufacture – of less than a single year; they generate virtually zero pollution once […]

The largest natural flow of hydrogen gas ever discovered has been detected seeping through a pool of water deep within a chromium mine in Albania. Reporting the find in a new study, researchers say the deposit could pave the way for new, cleaner ways of capturing hydrogen for use as a clean fuel. Hydrogen gas […]

Billions of people around the world regularly fast to lose weight or for religious reasons, yet until now the full biological implications of prolonged calorie restriction have remained poorly understood. Hungry for some proper data to get their teeth into, researchers have now analyzed the systemic changes that occur across multiple organs during long periods […]

Mighty mountain ranges can be found on every continent, yet the longest continuous chain of peaks is not located on any of these seven landmasses. Instead, the world’s most extensive range lies at the bottom of the sea. Known as the mid-ocean range, this absurdly lengthy mountain chain traces the outline of the Earth’s tectonic […]

Visitors to California’s Yosemite National Park have been told to leave immediately with intense blizzards forecast throughout the area. Releasing a statement on Thursday, February 29, the park announced that it would be closing at midnight and would “remain closed at least through Sunday at noon (possibly later).” The sudden warning comes with an atmospheric […]

Just over five years ago, on 22 February 2019, an unmanned space probe was placed in orbit around the Moon. Named Beresheet and built by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, it was intended to be the first private spacecraft to perform a soft landing. Among the probe’s payload were tardigrades, renowed for their ability to […]