This week a tiny star only slightly bigger than Earth is the smallest ever discovered, a battery breakthrough could see electric cars travel 1,000 kilometers on one charge, and a 40,000-year-old glue suggests neanderthals were actually pretty smart. Finally, we question if math was discovered or invented.
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New Giant Anaconda Species Discovered While Filming With Will Smith In Amazon
The Amazon rainforest hosts the largest and heaviest (although not longest) snake species on Earth: the green anaconda. However, what was thought to be a single species covering a vast area has now been revealed as two, with a little help from Will Smith and an accompanying documentary crew. Read the full story here
Smallest Star Ever Discovered And It’s Only A Tiny Bit Bigger Than Earth
Astronomers have reported an incredible stellar discovery. Actually, they’ve reported two incredible discoveries: they have found the smallest star ever and it orbits its companion with the smallest known period for binary stars at just 20.5 minutes. Read the full story here
First-Ever Lab-Grown Testicles May Be Capable Of Producing Sperm
For the first time ever, researchers have succeeded in growing a pair of testicles in the laboratory. Created from immature testicular cells taken from newborn mice, the cultured cojones quickly developed structures resembling those seen in natural knackers and may even be capable of sperm production. Read the full story here
Breakthrough Could Make Electric Cars Go 1,000 Kilometers On One Charge
One of the concerns in the transition from petrol-based to electric vehicles (EVs) is range. How far can you go on a single charge? Researchers believe that they have a formulation that expands on traditional design massively. They claim they can push the average range of EVs beyond 1,000 kilometers (600 miles). The secret is silicon. Read the full story here
40,000-Year-Old Multi-Compound Glue Suggests Neanderthals Were Smarter Than We Thought
A type of complex adhesive found on stone tools made by Neanderthals has provided researchers with new insights into the intelligence of this extinct human species. Made of a mix of bitumen and ocher, the multi-compound glue resembles that employed by early Homo sapiens in Africa, indicating that our ancient cousins may have had a similar level of cognition to our own ancestors. Read the full story here
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Feature of the week:
Is Math Discovered Or Invented?
We’re so used to math being this indispensable tool that we don’t often stop to consider where it comes from. So, which is it? Is math invented, with all those theorems and concepts so rigorously proved throughout millennia just a byproduct of human perception; or is it discovered, prompting the notion of some factual, real “six” out there in the cosmos somewhere? It’s a trickier question than you might think. Read the full story here
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Source Link: New Giant Anaconda Species Discovered While Filming With Will Smith, Lab-Grown Testicles May Be Capable Of Producing Sperm, And Much More This Week
