News

COVID-19 has infected over 600 million people (as of September 13) in practically every patch of the planet. Yet still, somehow, some people have managed to avoid the virus. That might include health carers who spent months surrounded by infected patients or even just people who have shared a bed with a sick partner. If […]

Scientists have discovered how a rare form of diamond is created in space. Found in four meteorites in north-west Africa, the strange hexagonal diamonds do not naturally occur on Earth. Now, we may know where they come from.  Billions of years ago, there was a dwarf planet in the inner Solar System that had carbon […]

All that is gold is not gold-colored, as Bilbo Baggins probably meant to say. Sometimes it’s purple, as in the Alhambra Palace where a gold layer on wall and ceiling ornaments has changed color over centuries. The chemistry of this conversion has finally been explained. The Alhambra Palace in Granada is considered one of the […]

Results from a huge study have shown the fight against cancer may have an incredible new weapon: a simple blood that test can detect multiple different types of cancer before they even show symptoms.   The Pathfinder study, which enrolled 6,600 adults aged 50 and over, offered the blood test to each adult and mixed […]

If you’re a new parent who has found themselves pleading “how do I get my baby to stop crying?!” in the dark hours of the morning (or at any time, for that matter) you’ll be pleased to know that scientists believe they have found a recipe for respite. Their “method to soothe and promote sleep […]

Most of the objects the JWST has studied are so faint they can’t be seen with binoculars, let alone the naked eye. The Orion Nebula, sometimes known as the Great Nebula or M42, is different. It’s the closest star-forming region to Earth and looks like a fuzzy star in Orion’s sword in the constellation. Even […]

The 12th Nikon Small World in Motion competition saw hundreds of entries from all over the world. A sister to the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition, both reward skill and excellence in video and photography under the microscope.  The video portion encompasses any movie or digital time-lapse photography taken through the microscope, opening up new […]

In 2012, TV producers bought a Boeing 727 with the intention of smashing it into the ground. The collaboration between the UK, the US, and Germany televised the results of the experiment, which would attempt to answer the question: where should I sit on an aircraft if I want to survive a crash? The plane […]

The world is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to fixing the planet’s climate concerns, according to a new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). While world powers have been continuously ramping up their pledges to go net-zero, the latest reports highlight a vast gulf between their aspirations and reality.  […]

It’s no secret that orca are trained assassins (they’re known as “killer whales” for a reason), but a sequence from the newly released Frozen Planet II serves as a harrowing reminder of just how skilled they are. In it, a synchronized pod can be seen targeting a seal who evidently thought they were safe snoozing […]

Look, a lot of the traditions that go on in Britain are a bit weird. Every year at the opening of Parliament, a hostage is taken by the monarchy until the ceremony is complete. A search is then carried out for gunpowder under the Houses of Parliament, in case Guy Fawkes has pulled off some […]

The myth of a flood being sent by an angry god to punish humanity (by pretty much drowning all of them) appears in a surprising number of cultures, from the Gun-Yu of ancient China to the Babylonian myth that may have inspired the Bible.  Though possibly based on memories of ancient floods, the tales are […]

Whether you love or loathe the UK monarchy, it should bring a glimmer of reassurance that the newly appointed King is an outspoken environmentalist who’s continually pushed for sustainability and climate action over the past five decades. It’s debatable whether this passion will actually result in hard policy change. After all, the UK monarchy holds […]

NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, recently took its first flight after a two-month hiatus due to dust, freezing temperatures, and low power as Jezero Crater experienced winter. Although just a short hop, it marked Ingenuity’s 31st flight on Mars, and new colored images taken by the Marscopter make you feel like you are flying along with […]

A new material discovered on the Moon has prompted China to announce plans to launch three uncrewed missions in the next 10 years in a bid to rival the US’ lunar presence, according to reports by Chinese state media. The material has the potential to be a future energy source, owing to its helium-3 content […]

An underwater waterfall might sound like a new breed of disaster movie, but such a sight can be found in modern-day Mauritius. The unique formation is made possible by the fact that this East African country sits atop a submarine plateau known as the Mascarene Plateau. Unlike continents whose land mass gradually sinks into the […]

For the first time ever, wild cetaceans have tested positive for avian flu, also known as bird flu. The contagious disease typically infects wild aquatic birds and domestic poultry, but a recent and particularly virulent strain has been popping up in a wide range of species, including a dolphin in Florida and a porpoise in […]

Supernova SN 1054 must have been truly a spectacle. It was visible in the sky for almost two years, including during the day, at first. It’s one of only eight known supernovae in the Milky Way where written testimony has been discovered in the historical record, and now scientists believe they have found a reference […]

Fasting diets have long been used in people with epilepsy and have been associated with a reduction in seizures, however, the molecular mechanism behind this approach has always eluded scientists. Until now. Scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital have gained new insights that explain how fasting influences neurons in the brain, which in turn reduces seizures. […]

New Shepherd’s mission launch today did not go according to plan when it aborted after a “mid-flight anomaly”  but you couldn’t ask for a better test of a launch abort system.  As the rocket was around 8.5 kilometers (27,800 feet) above ground, the uncrewed capsule carrying a science and research payload activated its abort engine […]