Arming cows with “smartwatches” could prove to be an ideal way to make “smart farms” healthier, happier, and greener, according to a team of scientists from China. In a new theoretical study, researchers from Southwest Jiaotong University in China proposed the idea of fitting cattle with “smartwatch-style sensors” that are powered by their own steps. […]
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The Flynn Effect: After IQ Increased For Decades, Are We Now Getting Stupider?
Before we get into the Flynn effect and the steady increase (and possible subsequent decrease) in IQ scores across the world, we should probably talk about the elephant in the room: there are all kinds of problems with IQ tests. The tests, created in 1905 by psychologists Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon, were originally intended […]
Groundbreaking HIV Vaccine Shows Success In Phase 1 Clinical Trial In Humans
Researchers report the positive results from a Phase 1 clinical trial focused on a vaccine against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The pathogen does not usually produce an immune response large enough to stop it, which has made it a dangerous and deadly virus. One of the goals in the creation of a vaccine is […]
Why Are My Hands And Feet Always Cold? And When Should I Be Worried?
Do you, or someone you know, often complain of having constantly cold hands and feet? In most cases, this is not a problem, and simply due to the body maintaining its temperature. For our bodies, blood is a fantastic store of heat. By diverting blood to the skin, heat is transferred to the outside air, […]
Six Common COVID Myths Busted By A Virologist And A Public Health Expert
Almost three years into the pandemic, myths and misinformation remain widespread. Here we, a virologist and a public health researcher, debunk some common misconceptions about COVID. Myth 1: The virus is becoming milder There’s a prevailing myth in the omicron era that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is becoming “milder”. Advertisement It’s true that […]
Sexual Intercourse May Be A Trigger For Asthma Attacks
Getting busy in the bedroom may be a risk factor for asthma attacks, say the authors of a new study. However, while sport and other forms of physical exercise are well recognized as triggers for asthma-related exacerbations, post-coital flare-ups have gone underreported, as patients are often too shy to discuss such intimate incidents with doctors. […]
JWST Reveals Nearby Dwarf Galaxy In Exquisite Detail
The Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte (WLM) is a small dwarf galaxy at the edge of the Local Group, the name for the family of galaxies that include the Milky Way and Andromeda. This galaxy sits away from the major players of the Local Group, and it is an interesting object of study. New JWST observations show just how […]
Can Humans Eat Grass?
Many animals spend their days munching on grass, so why don’t you see humans in a field on all fours enjoying some of that good green stuff? Well, there are a few good reasons why you shouldn’t eat grass (aside from the social stigma thrown your way). Grass is technically non-toxic, but it holds little-to-no […]
The Secret To Finding Alien Life Could Be Broccoli Gas
Astronomers finally have the tools to search for signs of life on other worlds. One team of scientists think their best shot lies with methyl bromide (CH4Br), in the hope alien vegetation has a similar waste removal scheme to the one widespread on Earth. The capacity of telescopes like the JWST and future giant Earth-based […]
Farming Group Lobbies For Killing Method Described As “Blatant Cruelty”
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been asked to potentially make “ventilation shutdown plus” – a method that animal rights groups call “blatant cruelty” – the “preferred” method for culling poultry infected with bird flu. Ventilation shutdown plus (VSD+) is a method of killing that involves turning off the airflow in a barn and […]
Gloomy Octopuses Caught Flinging Shells and Silt At Each Other For First Time
Jervis Bay, Australia, might just hold the world’s most moody octopuses. Wild gloomy octopuses (Octopus tetricus) in this area frequently hurl silt, shells, and algae through the water using their arms by creating a water jet from their siphon under their arm web. This throwing behavior is sometimes aimed at other individuals, with the material […]
How The Nazis Used Language To Pave The Way For The Holocaust
New research has shown how Nazi propaganda exploited language to dehumanize Jewish people and help pave the way for the Holocaust. While the study only looked at this particular blot on 20th-century history, the researchers argue their work also provides some insight into how politics and racism still function today; perhaps it could even prevent […]
Hidden Structure Discovered Behind The Milky Way’s “Zone Of Avoidance”
Being inside of a galaxy certainly has its perks, given that planets capable of sustaining life would be unlikely to form in intergalactic space. But it means that there is a big chunk of the universe we can’t see because it is blocked by the central region of our own Milky Way. Now astronomers have […]
The Population Of The Moon Is About To Skyrocket
The single robot inhabitant of our Moon, Yutu-2, is about to get some well-deserved company in the form of over a dozen multinational rovers and landers. Our moon will join Mars in becoming the second celestial body in our solar system to be positively teaming with little robot scientists. The Moon is currently inhabited by […]
72-Foot Fusion Gun Fires Projectiles At 4.3 Miles Per Second Trying To Create Limitless Energy
Meet the BFG – that’s Big Friendly Gun, though the original word probably wasn’t “friendly” – a 22-meter (72-foot) prototype steel gun that fires a projectile at an astronomical speed towards a fuel pellet to create nuclear fusion reactions. Designed by UK startup First Light Fusion, the gun is designed to achieve fusion without using […]
Before We Knew About The Magnetic Field, People Had An Adorable Explanation For Why Compasses Worked
The world map you are likely familiar with is based on the Mercator projection, a revolutionary way of representing the 3D world on a 2D map created by cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. World-changing though the map was, there are a few strange details on there – like a phantom island labeled “Rupes Nigra” (or […]
NASA Leaves $4 Billion Rocket Outside During Tropical Storm
Tropical Storm Nicole is currently affecting the Bahamas and is expected to make landfall in Florida very soon. The southern states, including Florida, are still recovering from the devastating impact of hurricane Ian. NASA had the Kennedy Space Center under Hurricane Condition III status, securing its facilities as well as deploying the ride-out team. But […]
What Is Greenwashing? And Why Should It Really Annoy You?
Whenever there’s a climate change conference around, there’s one term you can never get away from: “greenwashing.” What Is Greenwashing? Greenwashing is the practice of using media campaigns, PR spin, and distraction to deceive the public into believing an organization’s products, aims, and policies are more environmentally friendly than they actually are. Advertisement It’s an […]
Tales Of A Black Dead Sun Survive Generations After A Total Eclipse
Astronomers are filling in gaps in our knowledge of ancient events by deciphering descriptions from folklore and ancient texts. In accounts of three solar eclipses from the island of Hokkaido, they have found one description that is both poetic and potentially quite scientifically important. Before the mid-19th century, written astronomical records from Hokkaido are sparse, […]
Nine People With Paralysis Walk Again As Neurons Responsible For Recovery Identified
A group of neurons involved in recovery from paralysis has been identified in mice, shedding light on the mechanism that underpins rehabilitation of the spinal cord in response to electrical stimulation. This breakthrough could help in the development of targeted treatments for people with spinal cord injuries. The new study also recruited nine individuals with […]
