News

Since living through a pandemic, we’ve all recently become acutely aware of the stresses associated with living in close quarters with a single group of people for a prolonged time. Spare a thought, then, for the six men and women who entered the Russian Academy of Science’s SIRIUS-23 project last Tuesday – and won’t come […]

During the early stages of their invasion of Ukraine, Russia experienced a significant loss when its flagship, the Moskva, was sunk by Ukrainian forces in the Black Sea. The vessel’s destruction was a surprise not only to the Russians, but also to many who observed this conflict at the time, but now researchers believe they […]

Earlier this month, two astronauts were on a repair mission outside the International Space Station (ISS) when they dropped a tool bag. While it’s easy to think spotting the dropped object from space could be a bit tricky, with the help of a telescope, it’s now been photographed in action. The image of the tool […]

Hypnosis doesn’t work on everyone, with some people being particularly responsive to suggestion while others are more difficult to mesmerize. To try and understand why certain individuals are so easily entranced, researchers have recorded the brain activity of a group of volunteers while attempting to hypnotize them, revealing key differences between the brains of the […]

Have you ever pulled an all-nighter and wound up feeling wired, hyper, even a bit like you’re drunk? Well, scientists are looking to harness that feeling to see if it could help people suffering from depression, and a new study in mice has uncovered the changes in the sleep-deprived brain that seem to cause it. […]

At most day spas and retreats, mud baths take about 20 minutes. At the thermal baths of San Casciano dei Bagni, near Siena, Italy, however, they can last for 2,300 years – and it appears to work wonders. It was last year, after three years of excavations, that the team working on this ancient site […]

A piece of human-made space junk slammed into the far side of the moon last year, initially leaving scientists stumped. After some astronomical detective work, new research argues that it was most likely a Chinese booster rocket – with an unknown object attached to it. On March 4, 2022, a mysterious object known as WE0913A […]

A fresh look at an influential report from the 1970s has found that its predictions of global collapse within this century look worryingingly accurate. In 1972, a team of scientists from MIT used a computer model to look into the future of humanity after receiving a commission from the Club of Rome, an international group […]

Whether it’s in response to a chill in the air or an especially tasteful guitar solo, it’s often thought that goosebumps are largely out of our conscious control — but that might not always be the case. Some people possess the unusual ability to control their goosebumps at will, flicking them on and off like a […]

You’ve probably been told at some point that oil is made from dinosaurs, thinking that when you are at a gas station you are pumping refined velociraptor directly into your Volvo. As widespread as the belief is, it’s not true. Oil is not made from the decomposed bodies of ancient dinosaurs.  “For some strange reason, […]

The idea of a red apple doesn’t seem all that unusual – unless we’re talking about its color inside. Whilst most apples have off-white flesh (and hopefully, a satisfying crispness), slice into a Mountain Rose or Redlove apple and you’ll find insides with a bright and vivid red. But why do some apples possess such […]

After receiving regulatory approval earlier this week, SpaceX is about to attempt a second launch for its Starship rocket. With a problem-laden first attempt, only a 20-minute window to launch, and the hopes of the next Moon landing in the balance, the stakes are higher than ever. The rocket is scheduled to lift off from […]

The Gulf of Mexico is home to a wealth of oil and gas rigs, fishing boats, shipping lanes – and one of the most endangered whale species in the world. Only 51 Rice’s whales remain and, according to experts and conservation groups, bringing them back from the brink of extinction means that human activities in […]

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. Why does Swiss cheese have holes? – Owen F., age 13, Belmont, Massachusetts There are thousands of kinds of cheese, each with its own color, shape, nutritional value, flavor and […]

Just over 80 years ago, an American bomber plane, co-piloted by 2nd Lt Gilbert Haldeen Myers, was shot down over Sicily, Italy. Nowhere to be found after the crash, Myers was declared missing in action. Now, using specialist forensic techniques, Myers has finally been accounted for. The plane holding the 27-year-old Myers and five crewmates […]

We’ve all seen it in movies and on TV. The witness watches from behind a two-way mirror while a line of potential perps files into a room. They turn to the left, then to the right, and maybe one or two of them step forward for a closer look. Then the million-dollar question: are any […]

Anyone who has experienced sleep paralysis will tell you that it is one of the most terrifying things a person can go through. A form of parasomnia, this weird sleep phenomenon typically involves an inability to move while witnessing nightmarish figures hover over one’s body – despite having just woken up. In most cases, the […]

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have achieved the alchemist’s dream. Well, kind of. They have found a way to metaphorically turn graphite into “gold”. The MIT physicists created a method for isolating five ultrathin flakes of graphite, one of the main components of pencil lead, that are stacked in a specific order. The […]

Air filtration systems – as well as a host of other supposedly risk-reducing strategies that have proliferated since the COVID-19 pandemic – may be ineffective in real-world situations, according to a new analysis from researchers in the UK. In a review of more than 30 studies conducted between 1970 and 2022, the team behind the […]