News

Researchers have been able to trap electrons in a three-dimensional crystal for the first time, a breakthrough that allowed them to start toying with the quantum effects that the electrons produce when in a state called an electronic “flat band” – and that includes superconductivity. An electron moving through a 3D material would interact with […]

The Trace Gas Orbiter mission, a European Space Agency craft, has reported the first detection of visible light of nightglow on Mars. This effect, well known on Earth and photographed by many astronauts, was expected to also happen on Mars. But it had never been seen before in visible light. The nightglow looks similar but […]

In the forests of West Africa, chimpanzees are engaging in a never-before-seen behavior. To spy on rival gangs, chimps will tactically move to higher ground to get a better view and gather information. They will then use this “reconnaissance intel” to decide their next steps. This is an age-old tactic of human warfare, but a […]

How would you feel about a radically different calendar, one that organized the year into 13 months, each with exactly 28 days? Well, this nearly became a reality for the world following the First World War, but people were so unhappy about it that it never came about. Messing with time Fiddling with calendars is […]

On average, through the year, there are 12 hours when the Sun is above the horizon – but that doesn’t mean 12 hours of light. Although it might not seem like it for Northern Hemisphere residents heading into the depths of winter, we get some extra time when the sky stays light, something that was […]

A tumor with teeth has been discovered in the pelvis of an ancient Egyptian woman who died over 3,300 years ago. The strange mass is an example of a teratoma, a rare type of tumor that can grow different types of tissue such as bone, teeth, muscle, and hair.  The remains of the young woman, […]

On October 31, NASA announced that astronaut Thomas Kenneth Mattingly, a key player in ground control efforts to bring the damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to Earth, had died aged 87. It seems a fitting time to explore what actually happened on the Apollo 13 Moon mission and how close it came to disaster.  […]

JN.1 is the latest COVID-19 variant to get attention, after being flagged in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report late last month. The new, highly mutated strain is a descendant of Omicron, specifically the BA.2.86 (Pirola) variant, and while it’s not believed to be widespread at present, it does appear to be emerging […]

On October 31, 2023, an orca pod undertook a relentless attack on a Polish yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar.  The incident lasted for 45 minutes and resulted in severe damage to the vessel, which eventually sank near the port of Tangier Med. Throughout the ordeal, the crew, port tugs, and the Moroccan Navy all […]

According to new research, 40 percent of people would prefer not to know the consequences of their actions – choosing ignorance – so that they have an excuse to act selfishly. “Examples of such willful ignorance abound in everyday life, such as when consumers ignore information about the problematic origins of the products they buy,” […]

The family tree of the last primate to inhabit North America before human arrival has been revealed, thanks to a comparison of teeth and jaws half a world apart. Humans have a lamentable history of leaving extinction behind when we reach new lands, North America included. However, at least in that case, we don’t have […]

It’s well-established that learning a second language can broaden your horizons, but it may also radically alter the way you perceive the world, even with seemingly simple concepts like color. In a new study, cognitive scientists and linguists looked at the way colors are perceived and expressed by Tsimané people, an Indigenous Amazonian group native […]

When you wander through your local neighborhood or out in the suburbs, how much attention are you paying to the green spaces within? While neat front lawns might look aesthetically pleasing, new research suggests that there is a much more dangerous side to these perfectly preened green rectangles than meets the eye. Grass lawns cover […]

The incredibly drug-resistant “super gonorrhea” may have finally faced a foe it can’t best in the form of first-in-class antibiotic zoliflodacin. In a Phase III trial, the results of which were announced last week, the drug was found to treat the bacterial infection, making it the first new antibiotic in decades for targeting gonorrhea. Gonorrhea […]

You think of essential fatty acids and you may think of omega-3 or omega-6, but there is a new kid on the block, and it was discovered while helping US Navy dolphins. These dolphins are fascinating creatures. They have been taught to wear cameras so marine biologists can take a peek at various behaviors, such […]

In 2002, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge’s industrial labs was given the chance to play with a new Xerox color photocopier.  As a PhD student, he naturally chose to photocopy money. But when he did so, he discovered something odd. Instead of a fresh pile of notes printed on paper which would […]

There are a multitude of ways we’re told that could help us to live longer – exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, minimize stress. A new study in roundworms has instead taken a more molecular approach and found that controlling “jumping genes” could be the key to extending lifespan. “Jumping genes” are also known as […]

Space rock fans can now gawp at NASA’s first-ever sample collected from an asteroid, as a rocky fragment from asteroid Bennu goes on display at the National Museum of Natural History. Launched in 2016, the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) probe successfully touched down briefly on asteroid Bennu in 2020, finding […]

The Great Wall of China was built centuries ago to defend against nomadic tribes from the north. While this threat is now dead and buried, a new menace is lapping at China’s frontiers: rising sea levels. Could another great wall be the solution? Climate change has raised the average global sea level by around 24 […]

As anybody who’s ever got slightly tipsy near a pool, squinted up at a diving board, and thought to themselves, “I’ve seen the Olympics, it doesn’t look that hard,” can tell you, doing a belly flop into water can hurt. But have you ever wondered why that is? Well, grab some arnica gel and a […]