News

Fans of adorably small animals rejoice: A teeny tiny flea toad (Brachycephalus pulex) may have taken the title of tiniest frog, and also tiniest vertebrate, in the world. When we say teeny tiny, we aren’t messing. B. pulex is smaller than a pea, with males averaging just over 7 millimeters (0.28 inches) long, and females […]

They might only be small, but desert ants have a powerful skill – they can orient themselves to the Earth’s magnetic field. Where in their brains this information is processed was previously unclear, but by disrupting magnetic fields early in the ants’ development, researchers now believe they’ve uncovered the responsible regions. In a previous study, […]

Mechanical systems designed to manipulate the quantum properties of light struggle at room temperature. There are simply too many sources of noise that disrupt the quantum system. Some depend on the mechanical part, like low quality, others on the optical properties, and others still on thermal effects. Researchers have now developed a setup that allows […]

Tongue scraping involves using a tool to remove bacteria, dead cells, and food debris from the surface of the tongue. Some studies have suggested this daily ritual may hold some benefits, from reducing levels of nasty bacteria to eliminating bad breath, although other research has indicated that some of its purported benefits may be overstated. […]

We are aware that geographical sorting based on ideological lines is on the rise in the US, but do regions and states differ in personality as well? And, if so, do those who “fit” in with these community “types” also experience certain benefits? A new study suggests this may be the case. Professor Kevin Lanning […]

For the first time ever, a child suffering from a deadly type of brain tumor known as a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) has been completely cured. Until now, doctors had only been able to offer radiotherapy in an attempt to slow the cancer’s growth, yet this breakthrough offers hope for a more effective treatment. […]

Dark matter has been shown to be concentrated in threads within a spectacular cluster of galaxies popular with amateur astronomers. These filaments explain why the galaxies occupy their locations. The finding shows that, while our models of the universe are facing challenges, they continue to predict many things rather well. Galaxies are not randomly distributed […]

In the video game Simcity 2000, one of the futuristic types of energy plants was a microwave power plant where solar energy was collected in space and transmitted back down to Earth. That idea is now a reality. Since June last year, an experiment in space has been transmitting energy down to Earth via solar […]

Deep beneath the ground in South Dakota’s Black Hills, there lives a bacterium that has the potential to rapidly turn carbon dioxide (CO2) into a solid mineral under extreme conditions. If scientists figure out how to harness these bizarre microbes, they could offer a new way to capture greenhouse gases in depleted fossil fuel reserves. […]

In the quest to make better lab-grown meat, scientists in South Korea have created a beef-rice hybrid that’s grown in a petri dish. Although it does look like a slightly unappetizing pink mush, the researchers contend that it’s a protein-rich food source that pumps out significantly fewer greenhouse gases than traditional beef farming. Scientists at […]

The former forests of the eastern United States have rebounded over the last century. In the process, they’ve kept temperatures stable, or even marginally declining, for tens of millions of people while the world as a whole heats up. Climate discussion of reforestation usually relates to how much carbon it can draw from the atmosphere. […]

Have you ever wondered what happens during an autopsy? We might think we have half an idea from crime dramas like Silent Witness, but what’s the reality of a post-mortem? As part of the “Living Autopsy” series of lectures, Dr Suzy Lishman CBE, consultant histopathologist at Peterborough City Hospital, UK, takes us through the process […]

A daily dose of gold nanocrystals suspended in water led to improvements in patients with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the results of phase two clinical trials. The treatment addresses an energy imbalance that arises in the brain, and previous animal and human studies have suggested it could help slow neurological decline […]

In the northern hemisphere from October to March, you can look up and see the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. The star cluster is in the constellation of Taurus, and made up of over 1,000 stars, but the brightest of the stars are hot blue luminous stars which formed around 100 million years […]

Astronomers have discovered a very young and unusual-looking star – and named it Dracula’s Chivito, after a popular Uruguayan sandwich. The name is a nod to the most similar object we’ve seen before, the equally memorable Gomez’ Hamburger. Stars can last for billions of years, but are most interesting in the relatively brief times when […]

Last week, Oregon health officials announced that a resident had been diagnosed with bubonic plague, the state’s first human case since 2015. They believe the person was probably infected by their pet cat, who also developed symptoms. Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is rare in the US, with an average of seven human cases […]

The heliopause, the region where the solar wind’s influence stops and interstellar space begins, has been called a “Wall of Fire” surrounding the Solar System. The name is hyperbolic and technically inaccurate, but it does point to a remarkable discovery that was one of the major achievements for the Voyager missions.  The Voyager spacecraft have […]

A mysterious script engraved on wooden tablets from Easter Island is completely unlike any other known form of text, suggesting that it may represent an independent writing system that is unique to the island.  After radiocarbon dating several of the ancient objects, researchers have now discovered that the earliest carvings predate the arrival of Europeans, […]

Orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas share many traits with humans, and now it seems we can add teasing to the list. Playful teasing, that is, the kind that emerges in human babies before they can speak and that may have been a crucial stepping stone to humor in the human lineage (not that it’s always […]

A person in Alaska has died after falling sick with a rare virus known as Alaskapox. The fatal case was an elderly man with a weakened immune system who lived in the Kenai Peninsula of Southcentral Alaska. According to a bulletin from the Alaska Department of Health, he first sought medical attention in mid-September 2023 […]