At first, it looks like a jumble of random things cluttering a desk – little bits of wood, a couple fidget spinners, some coins, a pencil. Then, a hand reaches over and drops a tiny blue marble onto a slope, and the next thing you know both the marble and yourself are in for an
Four years ago, a monster sunspot complex broke a solar record. As astronomers have just figured out, it was the source of the strongest magnetic field ever measured on the surface of the Sun. It was, researchers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan concluded after five days of analysis, caused by gas outflow
A team of researchers has put a straight-forward critical thinking process to the test on 42 common climate science denier claims, showing we can help our friends and family sort fact from fake in just six easy steps. It’s said we live in a post-truth age. Thankfully there are ways we can slow the
If there are viruses on the ground and viruses in the water, one might expect there are viruses in the sky as well. And boy howdy are there ever. Scientists have just found that hundreds of millions of viruses per day are deposited above the lowest layer of the atmosphere. This could explain a
This optical illusion of two photos of a brick road is stumping Reddit and Imgur users. Although these two images look like photos of the same road taken at different angles or heights, they are actually the exact same image. Neither photo was mirrored, flipped, or edited in any way. Reddit user Saberfox said,
A crayfish that is capable of cloning itself is taking over Europe – and scientists are taking note. The marbled crayfish has a mutation that allows it to clone itself, reports Carl Zimmer at The New York Times. Zimmer profiled scientists studying the all-female species known for its massive size, which “simply did not
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, currently the most powerful launch system on Earth, roared into the sky on Tuesday afternoon atop a pillar of smoke. The rocket’s three reusable boosters lifted the vehicle skyward, sending company founder Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster on a journey toward Mars orbit. Musk was worried that the experimental 23-story
Scientists think they’ve finally discovered a totally new type of water ice called superionic water, water that is simultaneously a solid and a liquid, potentially teaching us much more about this most versatile of substances and leading to the development of new materials. The idea of superionic water has actually been around for several
The northern hemisphere’s permafrost regions have been concealing a really unpleasant surprise: mercury. A lot of mercury. Nearly twice as much mercury as the rest of the planet’s natural mercury combined. Researchers from the US Geological Survey studied core samples from the Alaskan permafrost, and their estimates show 793 million kilograms of mercury have
These days, many scientists face crazy pressures to publish in high-impact journals and get their work cited, all in order to keep their performance reviews in top shape. But while most just do the best work they can and hope other colleagues will notice, some people end up tempted to help their rankings out, just a little.
You’ve probably been on the edge of your seat wondering what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system has been up to. Now we have four new studies that have probed the planets and its star, and found that they definitely bear further investigation in our search for extraterrestrial life. According to four international teams, planets in
When NASA, pretty much every scientist, and all of the available evidence doesn’t convince you that we are on a globular planet, apparently the only thing to try is to leave Earth to find out for yourself. But Mike Hughes, the infamous flat-Earth conspiracy theorist, is currently Earth-bound for at least a little bit longer.
Elon Musk is getting ready to launch his own shiny red sports car to Mars orbit. On Tuesday afternoon, SpaceX is set to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, from a pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The rocket – the biggest and most powerful system SpaceX has ever built –
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the particle accelerator that just keeps on giving, and recent experiments at the site suggest we’ve got the first evidence for a mysterious subatomic quasiparticle that, until now, was only a hypothesis. Quasiparticles aren’t technically particles, but they act like them in some respects, and the newly recorded
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the particle accelerator that just keeps on giving, and recent experiments at the site suggest we’ve got the first evidence for a mysterious subatomic quasiparticle that, until now, was only a hypothesis. Quasiparticles aren’t technically particles, but they act like them in some respects, and the newly recorded
From the way you move and sleep, to how you interact with people around you, depression changes just about everything. It is even noticeable in the way you speak and express yourself in writing. Sometimes this ‘language of depression’ can have a powerful effect on others. Just consider the impact of the poetry and
From the way you move and sleep, to how you interact with people around you, depression changes just about everything. It is even noticeable in the way you speak and express yourself in writing. Sometimes this ‘language of depression’ can have a powerful effect on others. Just consider the impact of the poetry and
Cretaceous amber has ponied up another spectacular find, and something rarely seen before: tiny arachnids, with mobile tails longer than their bodies. The creatures were encased in tree resin roughly 100 million years ago, during the mid-Cretaceous, and the discovery shows that the extraordinary family of arachnids could have roamed our planet for at least 280
Cretaceous amber has ponied up another spectacular find, and something rarely seen before: tiny arachnids, with mobile tails longer than their bodies. The creatures were encased in tree resin roughly 100 million years ago, during the mid-Cretaceous, and the discovery shows that the extraordinary family of arachnids could have roamed our planet for at least 280
No other life form on our planet has infiltrated every environment as successfully as the minuscule single cells of bacteria. Amongst their many roles in life on Earth, it turns out some of these microbes are also experts at purifying precious metals. An international team of researchers has figured out how one metal-gobbling bacterium,
Elon Musk’s company, Tesla, is working with the South Australian government to turn 50,000 homes into what they’re calling a “virtual power plant”. Each home in the project will be equipped with a 5kW solar panel system and a 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall 2, at no cost to the resident and funded entirely by the sale
Elon Musk’s company, Tesla, is working with the South Australian government to turn 50,000 homes into what they’re calling a “virtual power plant”. Each home in the project will be equipped with a 5kW solar panel system and a 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall 2, at no cost to the resident and funded entirely by the sale
In an incredible world first, astrophysicists have detected multiple planets in another galaxy, ranging from masses as small as the Moon to ones as great as Jupiter. Given how difficult it is to find exoplanets even within our Milky Way galaxy, this is no mean feat. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma achieved this thanks
In an incredible world first, astrophysicists have detected multiple planets in another galaxy, ranging from masses as small as the Moon to ones as great as Jupiter. Given how difficult it is to find exoplanets even within our Milky Way galaxy, this is no mean feat. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma achieved this thanks
On February 2, a spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts on the ISS was supposed to be a regular six-and-a-half hour mission to replace an electronics box for a communications antenna. But not everything went as planned – which required extra time, and ultimately a new spacewalk record. At around the seven hour mark, the expedition commander
The 2,400-year-old skulls faced several directions, and the 10 dirt-brown, pre-Aztec skeletons fanned out to the edges of an area resembling the cosmic spiral of the Milky Way. Nothing like it has been found before. Mexican archaeologists this week revealed the burial site discovered at Tlalpan, just south of Mexico City, where rich soil,
The 2,400-year-old skulls faced several directions, and the 10 dirt-brown, pre-Aztec skeletons fanned out to the edges of an area resembling the cosmic spiral of the Milky Way. Nothing like it has been found before. Mexican archaeologists this week revealed the burial site discovered at Tlalpan, just south of Mexico City, where rich soil,
In our increasingly busy lives, sleep can feel pretty unproductive. But just because you’re not awake, doesn’t mean stuff isn’t happening. To make you really appreciate all the complex things your body during those eight (or, more realistically, six) hours you’re out each night, artist Jan Diehm from the Huffington Post has created this fascinating
Nigel, a handsome gannet bird who lived on a desolate island off the coast of New Zealand, died suddenly this week. Wherever his soul has landed, the singles scene surely cannot be worse. The bird was lured to Mana Island five years ago by wildlife officials who, in hopes of establishing a gannet colony
Nigel, a handsome gannet bird who lived on a desolate island off the coast of New Zealand, died suddenly this week. Wherever his soul has landed, the singles scene surely cannot be worse. The bird was lured to Mana Island five years ago by wildlife officials who, in hopes of establishing a gannet colony
Since the Universe is big and old, and life on Earth didn’t take relatively long to evolve, then life should be everywhere in the Universe. And yet, no matter how hard we look, we don’t see any evidence of it out there, not on Mars, not sending us radio messages, and not taking over entire
One of the oldest and most fundamental questions in biochemistry is why the 20 amino acids that support life are all needed, when the original core of 13 would do – and quantum chemistry might have just provided us with the answer. According to new research, it’s the extra chemical reactivity of the newer
One of the oldest and most fundamental questions in biochemistry is why the 20 amino acids that support life are all needed, when the original core of 13 would do – and quantum chemistry might have just provided us with the answer. According to new research, it’s the extra chemical reactivity of the newer
In a hugely detailed and comprehensive new study, researchers have painted a picture of how around a tenth of Earth’s surface suddenly became covered in roaring fires at a point some 12,800 years ago. The firestorm rivals the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, and it was caused by fragments of a comet that
In a hugely detailed and comprehensive new study, researchers have painted a picture of how around a tenth of Earth’s surface suddenly became covered in roaring fires at a point some 12,800 years ago. The firestorm rivals the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, and it was caused by fragments of a comet that
UK native James Morgan was studying photography in London when he read about a group of seafaring Southeast Asian nomads who had survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami with almost no casualties. “They understood the ocean so well that they headed for protection before the tsunami hit,” Morgan told Business Insider. An anthropologist by
A galaxy called Centaurus A has been harbouring a strange secret. Researchers have found a plane of dwarf galaxies orbiting it on a plane – much like planets do around stars, and even stars around galactic cores. This is not only really cool – it also challenges a long-held theory that dwarf galaxies hang
Saying our Universe is a big place is a bit of an understatement. And with recent advances in our understanding of the effects of dark matter and black holes on the formation of galaxies, it’s surprisingly dynamic. Keeping track of all of that material requires some impressive computing grunt and clever coding, which is
The 2,000 year old Nazca Lines are the world’s best known example of geoglyphs – and they’re beautiful. Huge symbols of monkeys, fish, and other animals up to hundreds of metres long – preserved for so long we don’t know what they were there for. But one area was badly damaged on Saturday when
The 2,000 year old Nazca Lines are the world’s best known example of geoglyphs – and they’re beautiful. Huge symbols of monkeys, fish, and other animals up to hundreds of metres long – preserved for so long we don’t know what they were there for. But one area was badly damaged on Saturday when
Pyramids peek above the canopy of the Guatemalan jungle in Central America, but the roots of the ruins run a lot deeper than it looks. A LIDAR (“light” and “radar”) survey of the area has revealed 60,000 previously unknown structures – suggesting a vast megalopolis that was home to millions more people than previously thought.
NASA confirmed an incredible discovery Tuesday – that an amateur radio astronomer, on the hunt for a classified government satellite, stumbled instead upon signals from a spacecraft that had been thought lost 12 years earlier, raising hope that NASA can resurrect a mission that changed our understanding of the “invisible ocean” around the Earth.
The rise of smartphones and smart wearables means our days are more trackable than ever before, from the number of steps we take to the places we visit. Amazon seems very keen on the concept, having applied for a patent to keep very close tabs on its workers. According to the patent documents, Amazon
The rise of smartphones and smart wearables means our days are more trackable than ever before, from the number of steps we take to the places we visit. Amazon seems very keen on the concept, having applied for a patent to keep very close tabs on its workers. According to the patent documents, Amazon
If you’ve ever wondered why some dogs have floppy ears, you’re in pretty good company. After all, Charles Darwin was once curious about the very same thing. In fact, this week marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, in which the great scientist ruminated (at
If you’ve ever wondered why some dogs have floppy ears, you’re in pretty good company. After all, Charles Darwin was once curious about the very same thing. In fact, this week marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, in which the great scientist ruminated (at
Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, has issued a prediction that at least one or two of the country’s states will implement an Indian universal basic income within the next two years. Previously, the economist backed the idea in India’s Economic Survey for 2016-17. The concept of UBI has been
20 July 1969 was an unforgettable date in human history – the day Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the surface of the Moon, taking one small step for humans, and one giant leap for humankind. Between that fateful day and December 1972, NASA went back to the Moon five more times, conducting experiments and
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 34
- Next Page »