Latest science News

First supermoon of 2021: See the Pink Moon light up the night sky this month

(WJW) — You can see the “Pink Moon” light up the night sky this month. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Pink Moon rises on the night of Monday, April 26. It is the first supermoon of 2021. It will reportedly be visible after sunset, reaching peak il…

NASA releases stunning photo of beautiful blue dunes on Mars

We can't stop staring.

Scientists Discover "Doomsday Glacier" More Unstable Than Ever

Researchers recently discovered that the Doomsday Glacier is melting faster than they previously anticipated — triggering concerns for sea level rise.

CRISPR-on, CRISPR-off: New game-changing gene editing technique is entirely reversible

US researchers have unveiled a significant upgrade to the CRISPR gene editing system, which, unlike its predecessor, can target specific genes with high precision and make completely reversible changes.

A final flyby for asteroid Bennu and 5 other top space and science stories this week

Welcome to Wonder Theory, your weekly space and science digest. A spacecraft bids farewell to its asteroid companion, NASA's newest Mars rover and helicopter gear up for a history-making moment, researchers gain insight about ancient cave painters, and more.

Why some physicists are skeptical about the muon experiment that hints at "new physics"

A particle physics experiment could upend the Standard Model of physics. But some physicists think it may be a fluke. Here's why

3.3 magnitude earthquake shakes south central Texas - KTRK

A 3.3 earthquake shook parts of Texas, including Gonzales County overnight.

NASA detects rare 'double quasar' in ancient corner of the universe

Finding this rare object was like 'a needle in a haystack,' the researchers said.

2021 Lyrid meteor shower brings a bright show this month: How to see it

The year's shooting-star spotting season kicks off in earnest soon.

The President's Funding Request for NASA on This Week @NASA – April 9, 2021

Coverage Set for NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 Briefings, Events, Broadcasts

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

Fossil Friday: microbes discovered deep underground remain virtually unchanged since 175 million years ago

Sometimes, not adapting is the best adaptation.

Are You Confused by Scientific Jargon? So Are Scientists

Scientific papers containing lots of specialized terminology are less likely to be cited by other researchers.

Beast of five teeth: Scientists unearth skunk that walked among dinosaurs

A fossil of a skunk-like mammal that lived during the age of dinosaurs has been discovered in Chilean Patagonia.

Aerojet Rocketdyne refurbishing RS-25 engines for Artemis 1 launch and production restart testing - NASASpaceFlight.com

With the completion of another single-engine RS-25 development test, Aerojet Rocketdyne is now refurbishing five…

Current climate model simulations overestimate future sea-level rise

The melting rate of the Antarctic ice sheet is mainly controlled by the increase of ocean temperatures surrounding Antarctica. Using a new, higher-resolution climate model simulation, scientists from Utrecht University found a much slower ocean temperature in…

Pathways and modification of warm water flowing beneath Thwaites Ice Shelf, West Antarctica

Thwaites Glacier is the most rapidly changing outlet of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and adds large uncertainty to 21st century sea-level rise predictions. Here, we present the first direct observations of ocean temperature, salinity, and oxygen beneath Thwai…

These Bizarre Underground Microbes Haven't Evolved For 175 Million Years

A bacterium that dwells deep underground, living off chemical reactions triggered by radioactive decay, has been doing so unchanged for millions of years, new research has found.

First Exploration of Ocean Currents Beneath the “Doomsday Glacier” Triggers Concerns

For the first time, researchers have been able to obtain data from underneath Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier." They find that the supply of warm water to the glacier is larger than previously thought, triggering concerns of faster melti…

Exploration of ocean currents beneath the 'Doomsday Glacier'

For the first time, researchers have been able to obtain data from underneath Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier." They find that the supply of warm water to the glacier is larger than previously thought, triggering concerns of faster melti…

‘Tantalizing’ results of 2 experiments defy physics rulebook

Preliminary results from two experiments suggest something could be wrong with the basic way physicists think the universe works, a prospect that has the field of particle physics both baffled and …

Our ancestors left Africa both with and without modern brains

The genus Homo originated with a brain that still had ape-like features.

Two satellites might collide at 32,000 mph over the Arctic today

There's a 20% chance of a disastrous collision, according to the European Union.

Scientists say 'unimaginable amounts' of water will pour into oceans if ice shelves collapse amid global heating | TheHill

“Ice shelves are important buffers, preventing glaciers on land from flowing freely into the ocean and contributing to sea level rise,” said Ella Gilbert, who co-authored the study.

'Ghost forests' are spreading across US coastal regions Popular Science

Encroaching saltwater is turning forests near the coast into haunting landscapes.

Rising sea levels are creating 'ghost forests' of coastal trees

As sea levels rise along the Atlantic coast, saltwater is intruding inland, killing trees and turning coastal forests into marshes. Should scientists try to slow the process, or work with it?

Calling all stargazers! Everglades National Park rangers are inviting you to look up to the skies this weekend

Everglades National Park will be hosting special events this weekend to celebrate ‘Miami Dark Sky Week’.

Proof of new physics from the muon's magnetic moment? Maybe not, according to a new theoretical calculation

For 15 years, there has been a mismatch in physics. A particle called the muon wasn't behaving the way theory predicted it should. A new theory and new experiment might solve this problem.

Genetic Engineering 2.0: An On-Off Switch for Gene Editing

New, reversible CRISPR method can control gene expression while leaving underlying DNA sequence unchanged. Over the past decade, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system has revolutionized genetic engineering, allowing scientists to make targeted changes to organi…

A sulfosugar from green vegetables promotes the growth of important gut bacteria

A team of scientists has analyzed how microbes in the gut process the plant-based, sulfur-containing sugar sulfoquinovose. Their study discovered that specialized bacteria cooperate in the utilization of the sulfosugar, producing hydrogen sulfide. This gas ha…

New, reversible CRISPR method can control gene expression while leaving underlying DNA sequence unchanged

Over the past decade, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system has revolutionized genetic engineering, allowing scientists to make targeted changes to organisms' DNA. While the system could potentially be useful in treating a variety of diseases, CRISPR-Cas9 editi…

2 recent studies sequence DNA from the earliest Homo sapiens in Eurasia

One study includes DNA from the son of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens parents.

Watch NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity test its blades! (video)

Just one test left before the little chopper tries to fly.

Honey bees rally to their queen via 'game of telephone'

Workers pass pheromone messages through long chains of bees

Can’t sleep? It could be because the moon’s almost full again

Irrespective of geography, bustle and light pollution, the coming of the full moon affects people in the same way, a new study has found.

Huge asteroid three times the size of a London bus will zip between Earth and the moon TOMORROW

Dubbed 2021 GT3, the 62ft (19m) space rock will fly by the Earth on April 10, making its closest approach to the planet at about 22:30 BST.

How we found hints of new particles or forces of nature – and why it could change physics

Seven years ago, a huge magnet was transported over 3,200 miles (5,150km) across land and sea, in the hope of studying a subatomic particle called a muon.

Discovery could lengthen lifespan of electronic devices

Nobel laureate Herbert Kroemer once famously asserted "The interface is the device." The observations by the Sydney researchers could therefore spark a new debate on whether interfaces—which are physical boundaries separating different regions in materials—ar…

Hubble Takes a Spiral Snapshot

The luminous heart of the galaxy M61 dominates this image, framed by its winding spiral arms threaded with dark tendrils of dust.

Once-rare Arctic lightning is now more frequent—and may reshape the region

Recent studies suggest lightning in the far North could double by 2100 and that the increase may already be underway.

NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Crewmates Arrive Safely at Station

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and two Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station Friday, bringing its number of residents to 10 for the coming week.

This is why China and Russia want to build a base on the Moon

The Russian space agency Roscosmos and China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) recently agreed to establish lunar outposts on, and in orbit around, the Moon. This announcement ...

Different neutron energies enhance asteroid deflection

A research collaboration between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) investigates how the neutron energy output from a nuclear device detonation can affect the deflection of an asteroid.

Rocket Report: SpaceX abandons catching fairings, ULA bets on upper stages

"All of the resistance, that is going to be gradually disappearing."

How to Survive a Killer Asteroid

The impact that wiped out the dinosaurs would probably have killed you too—unless you were in the exact right place and had made the exact right plans.

As Etna lights up the sky, mud pools holds clues to what it ...

ENVIRONMENT-ITALY/MUD (CORRECTED, PIX, TV):REFILE-As Etna lights up the sky, mud pools holds clues to what it does next

Space: The Future Arrived Unexpectedly

Most of the new developments in spaceflight tech have come from commercial firms, like SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) rapidly developing more effective rockets and satellite launchers SpaceX inspired European countries, which had al

Ancient Cave Artists May Have Knowingly Deprived Themselves of Oxygen to Paint

Some of the oldest human art in Europe is entirely hidden from sight, tucked away in the narrow crawl spaces of deep, dark, and winding caves.

5,200 Tons of Extraterrestrial Dust Rain Down on Earth Every Single Year

We've known for a while that Earth is under a constant rain of space dust, and that it's copious. Given its microscopic size, however, it's been very hard to obtain an accurate estimate of the quantity.

This Mars image looks unreal, and it sort of is

The image you see above is the surface of Mars. I know that's hard to believe since you normally see Mars in dusty, vaguely orangish hues in photos snapped...

Scientists just spotted nearly 50 totally new galaxies

You live on Earth. Earth is part of a planet-moon system that is part of the larger solar system. The solar system revolves around a single star in the Milky...

Only three years, precisely, until the Great North American Solar Eclipse of 2024 - NBC4 WCMH

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Remember back on Aug. 21, 2017, when a coast-to-coast total solar eclipse was the most widely viewed total solar eclipse in history? The outer atmosphere of the sun — the corona — offered a stunning reveal, when the solar disk was completely…

Only three years, precisely, until the Great North American Solar Eclipse of 2024 - NBC4 WCMH

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Remember back on Aug. 21, 2017, when a coast-to-coast total solar eclipse was the most widely viewed total solar eclipse in history? The outer atmosphere of the sun — the corona — offered a stunning reveal, when the solar disk was completely…

Soyuz MS-18 launch marks 60 years of human spaceflight - NASASpaceFlight.com

The Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, carrying three new members for Expeditions 64 and 65, is currently…

Why ancient cave painters intentionally deprived themselves of oxygen

Artists of yore deliberately chose to paint in caves' darkest, narrowest recesses. Now researchers think they know the reason.

Beast of five teeth: Chilean scientists unearth skunk that walked among dinosaurs

A fossil of a skunk-like mammal that lived during the age of dinosaurs has been discovered in Chilean Patagonia, adding further proof to recent evidence that...

YouTuber records himself trespassing at SpaceX’s Starship facilities

A YouTuber wandered onto SpaceX’s Starship rocket campus in south Texas, where millions of dollars worth of hardware pitched to NASA lay bare with little protection from the curious.

Goodbye, Asteroid Bennu, It's Been Real

OSIRIS-REx is leaving Bennu for good.

A discovery that 'literally changes the textbook'

The network of nerves connecting our eyes to our brains is sophisticated and researchers have now shown that it evolved much earlier than previously thought, thanks to an unexpected source: the gar fish.

Engineering researchers visualize the motion of vortices in superfluid turbulence

Nobel laureate in physics Richard Feynman once described turbulence as "the most important unsolved problem of classical physics."

News . NASA Selects Innovative, Early-Stage Tech Concepts for Continued Study

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system.

Stoned in the Stone Age: Prehistoric humans got high - Israeli scholars

The altered state of mind caused by hypoxia also affected the practice of drawing in the caves.

You can watch a Soyuz rocket launch a US-Russian crew to the International Space Station early Friday

Liftoff is scheduled for 3:42 a.m. EDT (0742 GMT).

Brain organoids could spark a 'Planet of the Apes' scenario, scientists warn

Experts at Kyoto University warn of the ethical implications that arise with transplanting lab-grown human 'mini' brains into animals, saying it could give them humanized traits and even consciousness.

Lawrence Livermore Researchers Testing Out Nuclear Blast Defense Against Earth-Threatening Asteroids

It sounds like a scene from a Hollywood sci-fi thriller, but researchers from Lawrence Livermore National lab have joined with an Air Force team of technologists to test if a nuclear blast could be used to deflect a earth-threatening asteroid.

Giant radio pulses from pulsars are hundreds of times more energetic than previously believed

A global science collaboration using data from NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope on the International Space Station has discovered X-ray surges accompanying radio bursts from the pulsar in the Crab Nebula. The finding shows t…

Modern human brain originated in Africa around 1.7 million years ago

The human brain as we know it today is relatively young. It evolved about 1.7 million years ago when the culture of stone tools in Africa became increasingly complex. A short time later, the new Homo populations spread to Southeast Asia, researchers from the …

Nature's most magnetic objects, ripped apart in starquakes, can unleash powerful flashes of light

Rare gamma ray bursts are helping astronomers decode the mysteries of magnetars

When modern humans met Neanderthals

The four-story labyrinth of galleries in Bulgaria's Bacho Kiro cave has long been a magnet for all sorts of humans. Neanderthals came first, more than 50,000 years ago, and left their characteristic Mousterian stone tools among the stalagmites. Next came mode…

Sols 3083-3084: 'Mont Mercou,' in the Rear View – NASA's Mars Exploration Program

Sol 3081 will be a busy one for Curiosity. The rover is still near the transition between the "Glasgow" member and the sulfate-bearing unit.

We're entombing the Earth in an impenetrable shell of dead satellites

A recent study suggests that there is now nowhere on Earth free from the light pollution produced by overhead debris and satellites. Researchers expect that problem to only get worse as mega-constellations of internet-beaming mini-satellites, like SpaceX’s St…

The Great North American Solar Eclipse of 2024 is just three years away

April 8, 2024: Get ready to look up.

Third of Antarctic ice shelves ‘will collapse amid 4C global heating’

‘Unimaginable amounts’ of water will flow into oceans if that temperature rise occurs and ice buffers vanish, warn UK scientists

The spintronics technology revolution could be just a hopfion away

A decade ago, the discovery of quasiparticles called magnetic skyrmions provided important new clues into how microscopic spin textures will enable spintronics, a new class of electronics that use the orientation of an electron's spin rather than its charge t…

NASA's Curiosity rover is still probing secrets about Mars' past water

NASA just landed a new rover on Mars, but the old one is still climbing a mountain and unearthing the story of how Mars lost its water.

Mars Didn’t Dry Up in One Go – Martian Climate Cycled Between Dry and Wet Periods

The Perseverance rover has just landed on Mars. Meanwhile, its precursor Curiosity continues to explore the base of Mount Sharp (officially Aeolis Mons), a mountain several kilometers high at the center of the Gale crater. Using the telescope on the ChemCam i…

Studies that make brainlike structures or add human cells to animal brains are ethical, for now, panel says

Neural chimera and organoid models can’t think or feel pain like humans, but that could change

Biden Insists the Border Isn't in Crisis. He Also Wants NASA to Stop Exploring Space to Help Deal With It

I spent eight years working on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. I never once saw anything like this. NASA just sent employees an email seeking volunteers to help staff facilities for unaccompanie...

Next-Gen Information Technology: The Spintronics Revolution Could Be Just a Hopfion Away

Pioneering study co-led by Berkeley Lab has significance for next-gen information technologies. A decade ago, the discovery of quasiparticles called magnetic skyrmions provided important new clues into how microscopic spin textures will enable spintronics, a …

Lyrids meteor shower marks return of shooting stars — peaking with a spectacular show on Earth Day

After a months-long meteor drought, the Lyrids are back to illuminate Earth Day.

Sex between humans and Neanderthals was way more common than realized

Two studies published Wednesday in the journal "Nature" provide much-needed insight into how ancient humans interacted nearly 45,000 to 35,000 years ago.

Masquerading, deadly snake discovered and named after shape-shifting Chinese goddess

The new species was once believed to be another, much less deadly snake.

Retired Astronaut Bob Crippen on the 40th Anniversary of STS-1

The Space Shuttle Columbia began a new era of human spaceflight when STS-1 lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 12, 1981, for the inaugural flight of the nation’s Space Shuttle Program.

Using the human hand as a powerless infrared radiation source

A team of researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has found that the human hand can be used as a powerless infrared radiation (IR) source in multiple kinds of applications. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the…

Record-breaking gamma ray is smoking gun for Milky Way cosmic rays – Physics World

The Tibet ASγ experiment has discovered ultrahigh-energy gamma rays spread across the Milky Way

NASA Certifies New Launch Control System for Artemis I

NASA certifies new Launch Control System for Artemis I.

SpaceX expands its satellite operation in Redmond

A third of Antarctic ice shelf risks collapse as our planet warms

More than a third of the Antarctic ice shelf risks collapsing into the sea if global temperatures reach 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels as climate change warms the world, a new study from the UK's University of Reading h…

Third of Antarctic ice shelf area at risk of collapse as planet warms

More than a third of the Antarctic's ice shelf area could be at risk of collapsing into the sea if global temperatures reach 4°C above pre-industrial levels, new research has shown.

Dozens of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies detected

Astronomers from the University of Groningen and elsewhere have identified 44 new ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs). The newly found objects most likely belong to the Fornax Cluster. The discovery is reported in a paper published March 31 on the arXiv pre-p…

Earth’s Permanent Oxygen Rise Occurred 100 Million Years Later Than Thought

The permanent rise of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere, which fundamentally changed the subsequent nature of Earth's habitability, occurred much later than thought, according to new research. And the study, from an international team led by the University of …

Teach your kids about NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity with a free webcast today

The webcast is on April 8 at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT).

New ESA director general outlines priorities

The new head of the European Space Agency has outlined his priorities for the next several years, including improving relations with the EU.

Israeli archaeologists crack mystery of cave paintings done in the dark

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SpaceX’s plans to test and fly the first upgraded Starship are quickly taking shape

After SpaceX unexpectedly used a Monday road closure to deliver its first custom-built rocket fuel tank, plans for the next Starship test campaign and launch have begun to solidify. Most importantly, the initial schedule for Starship serial number 15’s (SN15)…

The truth about doublespeak: Is it lying or just being persuasive?

Doublespeak, or the use of euphemisms to sway opinion, lets leaders avoid the reputational costs of lying while still bringing people around to their way of thinking, a new study has found.

A better nasal swab for Covid-19 testing

OPT Industries, a 3-D printing spinout of the MIT Media Lab, is producing nasal swabs to address the shortage in health care as hospitals attempt to ramp up Covid-19 tests.

NASA's Hubble telescope spots rare pair of blazing double quasars

Folks, that's a whopping four quasars.

NASA asteroid-sampling spacecraft looks at 'the mess it made' on Bennu

Osiris-Rex enthusiastically snagged a bit of asteroid Bennu, and on Wednesday it flew in to examine the mark it left behind.

This is what rain is like on other planets

Rain on Earth is something that we've come to know well. It's relatively predictable in size and shape, and while we're noticing more extreme weather and...

Massive collapse of Atlantic cod didn't leave evolutionary scars

Despite overfishing, robust genetic diversity remains intact and provides hope for recovery

When asked to fix something, we don’t even think of removing parts

Across many experiments, participants tried to fix problems by adding stuff.

'Tantalizing' results of 2 experiments defy physics rulebook

Preliminary results from two experiments suggest something could be wrong with the basic way physicists think the universe works, a prospect that has the field of particle physics both baffled and...

Ant responses to social isolation resemble those of humans

Ants react to social isolation in a similar way as do humans and other social mammals. A study by an Israeli-German research team has revealed alterations to the social and hygienic behavior of ants that had been isolated from their group. The research team w…

Probing for life in the icy crusts of ocean worlds

Long before NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, one of its highest-level mission goals was already established: to seek out signs of ancient life on the Martian surface. In fact, the techniques used by one of the science instr…

Spooky 'spiders on Mars' finally explained after two decades

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk offers details on Starship SN11 explosion

SpaceX Starship SN11 met a fiery demise last week, like the three iterations before it. Recently, Elon Musk tweeted details on why the prototype exploded.

NASA's Webb Telescope packs its sunshield for a million mile trip

Engineers working on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have successfully folded and packed its sunshield for its upcoming million-mile (roughly 1.5 million kilometer) journey, which begins later this year.

Ingenuity first Mars flight: NASA teases date, time, and how to watch

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter is scheduled for take-off on Mars no earlier than April 11. Here's what to expect from its maiden voyage and how to watch it.

'Tantalizing' results of 2 experiments shake up physics rulebook

Physicist says preliminary findings from recent research on muon particle could 'take us beyond our current understanding of nature'

Probing for Life in the Icy Crusts of Ocean Worlds

A technique for scanning Mars rocks for microscopic fossils of ancient life is also being developed to hunt for microbes in the deep ice of Enceladus, Titan, and Europa.

Radio telescope reveals thousands of star-forming galaxies in early Universe

The images capture drama billions of years ago in the early Universe -- glinting galaxies, glowing with stars that have exploded into supernovas and blazing jets fired from black holes.Europe's giant LOFAR radio telescope has detected stars being born in tens…

Radio telescope reveals thousands of star-forming galaxies in early Universe

The images capture drama billions of years ago in the early Universe—glinting galaxies, glowing with stars that have exploded into supernovas and blazing jets fired from black holes.

Ancient human migration into Europe revealed via genome analysis

Genetic sequencing dating back 45,000 years shows intermixing with Neanderthals more common than previously thought

NASA's Odyssey Orbiter Marks 20 Historic Years of Mapping Mars – NASA's Mars Exploration Program

For two decades, the longest-lived spacecraft at the Red Planet has helped locate water ice, assess landing sites, and study the planet’s mysterious moons.

News . NASA's Odyssey Orbiter Marks 20 Historic Years of Mapping Mars

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system.

NASA's Odyssey Orbiter Marks 20 Historic Years of Mapping Mars

For two decades, the longest-lived spacecraft at the Red Planet has helped locate water ice, assess landing sites, and study the planet’s mysterious moons.

Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere reach record high

Concentrations are 50% above pre-industrial levels despite dip in emissions during Covid pandemic

NASA, SpaceX target Oct. 23 for Crew-3 astronaut launch

Hubble Telescope finds 2 ‘needles’ in separate galactic haystacks with double-quasar discovery

Researchers wielding the almost all-seeing eye on board NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have detected not one, but two astronomical needles in two galactic haystacks; merging pairs of quasars that may reveal how galaxies form.

Seven Ways the ISS Helps Study Plant Growth

As NASA plans long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, a key factor is figuring out how to feed crews during their weeks, months, and even years in space.

Forget Mars: Let's Terraform Venus Instead! | IE

Comparatively speaking, Venus is a "tear-down and rebuild" with some serious asbestos issues kind of planet! Still, it's a viable alternative. Step inside and discover how so.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Completes Final Tour of Asteroid Bennu

Early this morning, April 7, 2021, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission completed its last flyover of near-Earth asteroid Bennu. OSIRIS-REx, with its pristine and precious asteroid sample cargo, will remain in the vicinity of Bennu until May 10, when it will fire its th…

‘Tantalizing’ results of 2 Fermilab experiments defy rulebook physicists use to understand the universe

Evidence is mounting that a tiny subatomic particle called a muon is disobeying the laws of physics as we thought we knew them, scientists announced on Wednesday.

Neanderthal ancestry identifies oldest modern human genome

The fossil skull of a woman in Czechia has provided the oldest modern human genome yet reconstructed, representing a population that formed before the ancestors of present-day Europeans and Asians split apart.

The NIH Somatic Cell Genome Editing program

This Perspective discusses how the Somatic Cell Genome Editing Consortium aims to accelerate the implementation of safe and effective genome-editing therapies in the clinic.

Oldest DNA from a Homo sapiens reveals surprisingly recent Neanderthal ancestry

Ancient human lineages interbred commonly in Europe, as well as the Middle East.

Adding is favoured over subtracting in problem solving

People tend to solve problems by adding features.

'Tantalizing' results of 2 experiments defy physics rulebook

Preliminary results from two experiments suggest something could be wrong with the basic way physicists think the universe works, a prospect that has the...

The Muon’s Magnetic Moment Fits Just Fine: Strength of the Sub-Atomic Particle’s Magnetic Field Aligns

A new estimate of the strength of the sub-atomic particle's magnetic field aligns with the standard model of particle physics. A new estimation of the strength of the magnetic field around the muon — a sub-atomic particle similar to, but heavier than, an elec…

First transiting exoplanet's 'chemical fingerprint' reveals its distant birthplace

Astronomers have found evidence that the first exoplanet that was identified transiting its star could have migrated to a close orbit with its star from its original birthplace further away.

New estimate of muon's magnetic field strength aligns with standard model of particle physics

A new estimation of the strength of the magnetic field around the muon—a sub-atomic particle similar to, but heavier than, an electron—closes the gap between theory and experimental measurements, bringing it in line with the standard model that has guided par…

“Death Star” Dueling Quasars Looming in the Sky: Hubble Spots Double Quasars in Merging Galaxies

Seeing Dual Quasars Is Like Finding a Needle in a Haystack Inhabitants of our Milky Way galaxy living several billion years from now will have a markedly different-looking sky overhead. Two brilliant objects, each as bright as the full Moon or brighter, will …

NASA's Webb Telescope Packs Its Sunshield for a Million Mile Trip

Engineers working on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have successfully folded and packed its sunshield for its upcoming million-mile (roughly 1.5 million kilometer) journey, which begins later this year.

Dinosaur-Killer Asteroid Gave Rise to Today's Tropical Rainforests | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com

Using plant fossils, researchers trace the origins of today's rainforests back to the asteroid that wiped out most life on the planet 66 million years ago. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com

ESA, CNSA heads discuss future space plans

The heads of the European Space Agency and China National Space Administration held a video call April 1 to outline respective plans for the coming years.

NASA Conducts 2nd RS-25 Engine Hot Fire Test for World’s Most Powerful Rocket

NASA conducted a second RS-25 single engine hot fire test on April 6, 2021, as part of a new series to support the development and production of engines for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions to the Moon. The full-duration hot fi…

In a comprehensive new test, the EmDrive fails to generate any thrust

The EmDrive is a hypothetical rocket that proponents claim can generate thrust with no exhaust. This would violate all known physics. In 2016, a team at NASA's Eagleworks lab claimed to measure thrust from an EmDrive device, the news of which caused quite a s…

SpaceX identifies cause of Starship SN11 prototype's crash

A plumbing problem was apparently to blame.

Selene III commander's report: When all hope drains away from the crew on the 'moon' — Day 8

Confined to the inside of the HI-SEAS habitat, the Selene III crew is starting to succumb to despair and the "dark side" when they're repeatedly not able to go on a moonwalk.

The Origin Of The 'Spiders From Mars' Might Have Finally Been Confirmed

The Spiders from Mars! This phrase describes both David Bowie’s backing band in the 1970s as well as a peculiar feature on Mars that has nothing like it on

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission flies by asteroid Bennu one final time

A NASA spacecraft is conducting a final flyby of the asteroid Bennu on Wednesday, capturing images of the asteroid's surface from just 2.3 miles away. OSIRIS-REx's images should reveal the aftermath of its sample collection event in October.

In Russia, the legend of cosmonaut Gagarin lives on

Sixty years after he became the first person in space, there are few figures more universally admired in Russia today than Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

Complete chromosome 8 sequence reveals novel genes and disease risks

The full assembly of human chromosome 8 is reported this week in Nature. While on the outside this chromosome looks typical, being neither short nor long or distinctive, its DNA content and arrangement are of interest in primate and human evolution, in sever…

NASA's New Mars Rover Just Took One of The Sweetest Extraterrestrial Selfies Ever

Perseverance hasn't even been on Mars for two months, and already the latest in red planet rovers is picking up some of Curiosity's excellent habits.

NASA gets first weather report from the Jerezo Crater Mars using a system strapped to Perseverance

NASA shared the first weather report from Jezero Crater on Mars. A system attached to Perseverance's mast showed it went from -4F to -14 degrees on Feb. 19 at around 10:25pm ET.

Size of Raindrops Help Identify Potentially Habitable Planets Outside Our Solar System

Raindrops Also Keep Fallin’ on Exoplanets One day, humankind may step foot on another habitable planet. That planet may look very different from Earth, but one thing will feel familiar — the rain. In a recent paper published in JGR Planets, Harvard researcher…

Is this the oldest map in Europe? Stone slab with markings made 4000 years ago shows part of France

Scientists analyzed a Bronze Age stone slab in France that is deemed Europe's oldest map. Etchings made 4,000 years ago land area and rivers located in West Brittany.

NASA's first weather report from Jezero Crater on Mars

The weather often plays a role in our daily plans. You might put on a light jacket when the forecast calls for a cool breeze or delay your travel plans because of an impending storm. NASA engineers use weather data to inform their plans, too, which is why the…

NASA Mars Perseverance rover snaps charming 'face' selfie

Smile for the camera, Percy.

Structural biology opens new perspectives for treating psychiatric disorders

Glycine is the smallest amino acid—one of the building blocks of proteins. It acts also as a neurotransmitter in the brain, enabling neurons to communicate with each other and modulating neuronal activity. Many researchers have focused on increasing glycine l…

Dark Energy Survey physicists open new window into dark energy

The universe is expanding at an ever-increasing rate, and while no one is sure why, researchers with the Dark Energy Survey (DES) at least had a strategy for figuring it out: They would combine measurements of the distribution of matter, galaxies and galaxy c…

We Finally Have The First-Ever Evidence of Cosmic Superaccelerators in Our Galaxy

A cosmic gamma ray detected zipping across the Milky Way has broken the record for the most energetic we've found yet, clocking in at a whopping 957 trillion electronvolts (teraelectronvolts, or TeV).

Alien raindrops surprisingly like rain on Earth

Raindrops on other planets and moons are close to the size of raindrops on Earth despite having different chemical compositions and falling through vastly different atmospheres, a new study finds.

Humans Were Apex Predators for Two Million Years – Our Stone Age Ancestors Mostly Ate Meat

Researchers at Tel Aviv University were able to reconstruct the nutrition of stone age humans. In a paper published in the Yearbook of the American Physical Anthropology Association, Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Prof. Ran Barkai of the Jacob M. Alkov Department of Ar…

Four Indian astronomers with foreign scientists trace rare supernova explosion

India News: NEW DELHI: A team of four Indian astronomers, along with international collaborators, has tracked a rare supernova explosion and traced it to one of t.

NASA's InSight lander on Mars felt two relatively large quakes shake the Red Planet

NASA's InSight lander on Mars felt two relatively large quakes shake the Red Planet last month. Why it matters: InSight uses these shakes on Mars — caused by...

NASA Mars helicopter survives cold Martian night in first step of historic endeavor

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has cleared its initial hurdle before the first-ever attempt at powered and controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet.

RS-25 Rocket Engines Return to Launch NASA's Artemis Moon Missions

The rocket engine with one of the most storied histories in spaceflight, the RS-25, is returning to space for a second act – this time to send humans on the Artemis missions to explore the Moon.

Graphene-like boron is stabilized by hydrogen, paving the way for practical applications – Physics World

Analogue to graphane could be used in batteries and quantum computers

#MainCharacter: pandemic brings TikTok self-parody to the fore

Why are young people imagining themselves as the protagonist in fictionalised versions of their lives?

Genetic Link between Brain and Face Shape Discovered | Genetics - Sci

In a genome-wide association study involving 19,644 individuals of European ancestry, an international team of researchers identified 472 genomic regions, or loci, that influence brain shape, of which 76 are also linked to face shape.

Stone-age humans mostly ate meat, then ran out of big animals

When you're all out of McMammoth, you need to start improvising.

Why redheads feel less pain, according to scientists

The fire-haired are less likely to feel the burn: study says

POINTER: Seeing Through Walls to Help Locate Firefighters

A unique positioning technology is being developed to pinpoint firefighters inside buildings where other positioning technologies fail.

Sorry, the EmDrive doesn’t work

When Roger Shawyer's EmDrive was first proposed in 2001, it seemed too good to be true. The proposed electromagnetic drive ("Em" for short) needed no fuel, and therefore was so lightweight that it promised to let travelers zip across the cosmos at unprecede…

Investigating the interplay of topology and non-Hermitian physics with nonlinear effects

An international team of researchers has investigated the interplay of topology and non-Hermitian physics with nonlinear effects. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes contructing an optical waveguide lattice using a biased phot…

The HUMMER EV is more lunar rover than military machine

The team behind the GMC HUMMER EV drew inspiration from the Apollo Program while developing the new electric trucks on an accelerated timeline.

Hubble Spots Double Quasars in Merging Galaxies

'Impossible' EmDrive Actually Is Impossible, Comprehensive Test Shows

The hypothetical EmDrive rocket engine threatened to upend what we knew about physics... if it worked. After the latest round of testing, we can say with a high degree of certainty that it doesn't.

Time to regulate AI that interprets human emotions

The pandemic is being used as a pretext to push unproven artificial-intelligence tools into workplaces and schools.

Climate explained: rising carbon emissions (probably) won't make the Earth uninhabitable

The Earth should be safe (and habitable) for a few billions of years, but we still need to worry about the impact now of just a few degrees of global warming.

China's Mars Probe Just Sent Haunting Photos of The Red Planet

China's Mars probe, Tianwen-1, has been hanging around Mars in a parking orbit for nearly two whole months now, preparing for its rover landing in May.

NASA asteroid-sampling spacecraft will go look at 'the mess it made'

Osiris-Rex enthusiastically snagged a bit of asteroid Bennu and on Wednesday NASA wants to examine the mark it left behind.

Astronauts on the space station just flew SpaceX's Crew Dragon to a new port - a first for the spaceship

The International Space Station is getting crowded — SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship had to move to make room for yet another Dragon capsule.

Dino-Killing Asteroid May Have Formed Earth’s Rainforests

A team of scientists in Panama says that the Chicxulub impactor that wiped out the dinosaurs also gave rise to modern, flowering rainforests. The post Dino...

Size of raindrops can help identify potentially habitable planets outside our solar system

One day, humankind may step foot on another habitable planet. That planet may look very different from Earth, but one thing will feel familiar—the rain.

Model reveals surprising disconnect between physical characteristics and genetic ancestry in certain populations

A new study by Stanford University biologists finds an explanation for the idea that physical characteristics such as skin pigmentation are "only skin deep." Using genetic modeling, the team has found that when two populations with distinct traits combine ove…

SpaceX identifies cause of Starship SN11 prototype's crash

A plumbing problem was apparently to blame.

A sun reflector for Earth? Scientists explore the potential risks and benefits

Nine of the hottest years in human history have occurred in the last decade. Without a major shift in this climate trajectory, the future of life on Earth is in question. Should humans, whose fossil-fueled society is driving climate change, use technology to …

New Photo of the Veil Nebula Shows Incredible Detail

Stunning.

NASA researchers discover first X-rays from Uranus

Astronomers at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have detected X-rays from the planet Uranus for the first time. Researchers used observations of the ice giant taken in 2002 and 2017 to detect…

Scientists Finally Explain Mysterious "Spiders" Spotted on Mars

A lab that recreates Martian conditions let them conjure up the "spiders" at home.

NASA's Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own

Making it through the frigid Martian temperatures after being deployed by NASA’s Perseverance rover is a major milestone for the small rotorcraft.

Burnt Chunk of SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Found on a Farmer’s Field in Washington

The failed deorbiting of a SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage late last month produced a spectacular light show over the Pacific Northwest, but the incident resulted in a large part of the rocket crashing onto a farmer’s field.

Spanish astrophysicists discover new region of Milky Way

Researchers detected the Cepheus spur, a bridge of massive blue stars, while creating the most accurate map of the galaxy to date

What a Glacial River Reveals About the Greenland Ice Sheet

With data from a 2016 expedition, scientists supported by NASA are shedding more light into the complex processes under the Greenland Ice Sheet that control how fast its glaciers slide toward the ocean and contribute to sea level rise.

Fauci hits back at rightwing criticism and says attacks on him 'bizarre'

Scientist forced to defend himself from attacks by Trump allies and says ‘I can’t be bothered with getting distracted’

NASA Is Going To Crash A Probe Right Smack Dab Into An Asteroid For A Really Good Reason

Normally, NASA likes its probes to make contact with other objects in space in a very controlled manner. You want to land a rover on Mars, not drop a rover on Mars, for example. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is different. This time, NASA is goin…

Humans were apex predators for two million years

Researchers at Tel Aviv University were able to reconstruct the nutrition of stone age humans.

How to split your working hours in Google Calendar

Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. The workday evolved in 2020, and tools are ...

What if 70% of the universe isn't dark energy after all?

The findings of a new paper suggest dark energy might not account for nearly 70% of the ever-accelerating, expanding universe.

Musk says methane leak doomed latest Starship test flight – Spaceflight Now

Our oldest secret: We have been super-predators for 2 million years

***

Spooky 'spiders on Mars' finally explained after two decades

The pandemic forced us to stop hugging, shaking hands. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to slow down on hugging, shaking hands and kissing people and that's not exactly a bad thing.

NASA's InSight lander detects two medium marsquakes on the Red Planet

NASA selects 9 scientists to join 2022 Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter mission

First James Webb Space Telescope General Observer Scientific Programs Selected

The General Observer scientific observations for the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s first year of operation have been selected. Proposals from ESA member states comprise 33% of the total number of selected proposals and correspond to 30% of the ava…

NASA Perseverance Mars rover investigates 'odd' rock, zaps it with a laser

Scientists speculate the rock could be a meteorite or a far-flung chunk of Mars.

Scientists show you can collect DNA from the air | Engadget

Scientists have shown that you can collect DNA from the air, opening new ways to study airborne diseases and investigate crimes.

NASA rover drops Ingenuity helicopter off on Mars as its historic flight nears

The tiny chopper has all four feet on Martian ground and is on its own now.

Starship SN15 prepares to rollout as Raptor testing ups a gear - NASASpaceFlight.com

Just days after Starship SN11 conducted a fog-cloaked test flight that ended in an explosive…

Elon Musk highlights Austin’s need for more housing after cryptic tweet

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently highlighted the need for more residential projects in the greater Austin, Texas area. Musk’s comments came after he posted a cryptic tweet that seemed to hint at some notable projects in the Texas capital.  The Tesla CEO initially…

Perseverance rover's zoomable camera checks out on Red Planet – Spaceflight Now

Lightning Fast – Starlink Download Speeds Touch 200 Mbps Yet Again

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s (SpaceX) satellite-based internet service Starlink continues to deliver blisteringly fast download speeds to its users. Starlink is currently in its beta rollout stage, with users across the United States signed up for t…

Humans revealed to have been apex predators for two million years - study

The study conducted at Tel Aviv University shows that our ancient ancestors ate mostly meat.

For 2 million years, humans ate meat and little else — study

Tel Aviv University researchers says Stone Age humans were apex predators, only moved to more plant-based diet 85,000 years ago

The Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Birthed Today's Rainforests

Plant fossils from Columbia reveal the forests of the Cretaceous period were sparser and less humid than their modern-day counterparts.

Narwhal tusks tell a troubling tale

An analysis of the 10-foot-long teeth shows that as the Arctic warms, narwhal diets are changing, and their bodies are accumulating more mercury.

Distant Stars Spiraling Towards a Collision Help Unravel the Mysterious Forces That Bind Sub-Atomic Particles

Space scientists have found a new way to probe the internal structure of neutron stars, giving clues about the makeup of matter at an atomic level. Space scientists at the University of Bath in the UK have found a new way to probe the internal structure of ne…

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Spies Movement of Shadows Near the Moon’s South Pole

https://youtu.be/LEQFKgkTXjw At the Moon's North and South Poles, the Sun is never more than 1.5° above or below the horizon. The resulting pattern of daylight and shadows is unlike anywhere else on the Moon — or the Earth. After zooming in on a small lunar h…

NASA to launch spaceship to 'punch' asteroid, stop future impacts

The DART Mission's spacecraft's launch window is set for July 2021, and will arrive at the asteroid in September 2022.

Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs helped shape rain forests - study

“A global catastrophe involving a mass extinction produces a different world.”

Mysterious 'Marsquakes' detected by Nasa's Insight lander in sign of volcanic activity

Nasa's InSight lander, bottom right, recorded two 'Marsquakes' on the Red Planet using its onboard seismometer, left, in an area known for its volcanic activity where landslides, top right, have been seen.

NASA recorded two 'sizeable quakes' on Mars

Mars isn't dead.

An Exploding Star 65 Light-Years Away From Earth May Have Triggered a Mass Extinction

Life was trying, but it wasn't working out. As the Late Devonian period dragged on, more and more living things died out, culminating in one of the greatest mass extinction events our planet has ever witnessed, approximately 359 million years ago.

Scientists discover X-rays coming from Uranus

The finding could give scientists a better understanding of the icy giant

String theorist Michio Kaku: 'Reaching out to aliens is a terrible idea'

The physicist on Newton finding inspiration amid the great plague, how the multiverse can unite religions, and why a ‘theory of everything’ is within our grasp

A New State of Light: Physicists Observe New Phase in Bose-Einstein Condensate of Light Particles

A single "super photon" made up of many thousands of individual light particles: About ten years ago, researchers at the University of Bonn produced such an extreme aggregate state for the first time and presented a completely new light source. The state is c…

Asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs probably helped create our rainforests

Plant fossils in what is now Colombia reveal the radical changes in the environment after the impact 66 million years ago, researchers say.

Women find bad smells more disgusting in the second half of their monthly cycle, study suggests

The appearance of germs become more disgusting to women as their immune system becomes suppressed, a study by Jagiellonian University Medical School in Krakow, Poland, has suggested.

This Hubble image is so incredible you’ll swear it’s fake

Science-fiction flicks have really skewed our perception of what various features of the universe look like. It’s become so easy to make fake planets, galaxies, and other celestial sights that it’s easy to forget how incredible our own totally real universe a…

Meteor that killed dinosaurs ended up creating the Amazon rain forest, says study

Dinosaur and fossil aficionados are intimately familiar with the meteorite strike that drove Tyrannosaurus rex and all nonavian dinosaurs to extinction around 66 million years ago. But it is often overlooked that the impact also wiped out entire ecosystems. A…

Crystals Reveal Early Humans in the Kalahari 105,000 Years Ago Were As Innovative as Their Coastal Neighbors

Archaeological evidence in a rock shelter at the edge of the Kalahari Desert, South Africa, is challenging the idea that the origins of our species were linked to coastal environments. "Our findings from this rock shelter show that overly simplified models fo…

New Dinosaur Discovered in Patagonia, Dubbed 'One Who Causes Fear' - IGN

A new dinosaur species has been discovered in Argentina and its name, Llukalkan aliocranianus, translates to "the one who causes fear."

Sols 3078-3080: A Sandy Stop Near 'Mont Mercou' – NASA's Mars Exploration Program

Curiosity is continuing to make her way around "Mont Mercou" to capture as many angles as possible of the 7-meter tall sedimentary outcrop.

Dinosaur-killing asteroid strike gave rise to Amazon rainforest

The asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs gave birth to tropical rainforests, a study suggests.

Blue Origin Continues to Make Launch Complex Progress for the Eventual Debut of New Glenn - NASASpaceFlight.com

The debut of Blue Origin’s orbital launch vehicle, New Glenn, has been delayed until no…

Mauna Loa Activity Update, April 2

HAWAI'I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK - Mauna Loa is not erupting. A tiltmeter near the volcano summit measured a small change in tilt at the same time as this week's flank swarm.

Giant pieces of planet Theia are buried in Earth's mantle, study says

Chunks of dense rock hundreds of miles tall lurk in Earth's mantle. They may have come from an ancient planet named Theia that once hit Earth.

Space And 3-D Printing: A Marriage Made In Orbit

Space exploration and orbital operations remain an exciting investment sector because, if history and reputation are any guides at all, space progr...

NASA asteroid-sampling spacecraft will go look at 'the mess it made'

Osiris-Rex enthusiastically snagged a bit of asteroid Bennu and NASA wants to examine the mark it left behind.

Gravitas: Scientists detect X-rays from Uranus

Scott Kelly's Body Endured Another Surprise in Space

Astronaut's heart didn't have to work as hard in zero gravity and so it shrank 27%, scientists say

NASA researchers discover first X-rays from Uranus

Astronomers at NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have detected X-rays from the planet Uranus for the first time.

The 'One Who Causes Fear': Fierce New Dinosaur Predator Unearthed in Patagonia

A dig in Argentina has unearthed a previously undiscovered species of dinosaur, and the tyrannosaur-like predator has been given a name to suit what we know about it so far: Llukalkan aliocranianus, or 'one who causes fear'.

Veil Nebula reveals exquisite new details in revisited Hubble telescope view

NASA and ESA's space telescope snapped a gorgeous supernova remnant, and it's even more beautiful after a new round of image processing.

For the first time, scientists find X-rays coming from Uranus

Uranus, about four times the diameter of Earth, is the seventh planet from the sun and has two sets of rings around its equator.

What's Up: April 2021 Skywatching Tips from NASA

How the chicxulub impactor gave rise to modern rainforests

The asteroid that took out the dinosaurs left the planet in darkness. What did rainforests in South America look like before the impact, and how did they change as a result?

Dinosaur-killing asteroid strike gave rise to Amazon rainforest

The asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs gave birth to tropical rainforests, a study suggests.

ProteinGAN: A generative adversarial network that generates functional protein sequences

Proteins are large, highly complex and naturally occurring molecules can be found in all living organisms. These unique substances, which consist of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds to form long chains, can have a variety of functions and properti…

Mysterious rumblings from inside of Mars detected by NASA lander

The space agency's scientists believe the seismic events are caused by a sudden release of energy from the planet's interior.

Hubble Revisits the Veil Nebula

This image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope revisits the Veil Nebula, which was featured in a previous Hubble image release.

NASA's Juno spacecraft detects strange new auroras on Jupiter

Moon: Astrophotographer snaps incredible photo of our lunar satellite

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy, known as cosmic_background on Instagram, has altered the image of the lunar surface to highlight things the human eye cannot see.

Hey Mars, what's shakin'?

NASA's Mars InSight lander just detected two more relatively large quakes on the Red Planet, and they came from the direction of a very interesting region that is known to be tectonically active. This highlights one of the bigger questions we have about Mars:…

NASA and ESA release spectacular updated Hubble image of Veil Nebula (PHOTO)

Using new techniques, scientists have released a breathtaking updated image of the Veil Nebula, the beautiful remains of a supernova which took place 10,000 years ago.

NASA's Curiosity Sends Over New Selfie And 3D Image Of Incredible Martian Cliff

Over March, NASA’s Curiosity has approached and studied a peculiar rock formation. Nicknamed Mount Mercou, after a French mountain, the outcrop is estimate

These weird lumps of 'inflatons' could be the very first structures in the universe

Surprising Evidence for PeVatrons, the Milky Way’s Most Powerful Particle Accelerators

The Tibet ASγ experiment, a China-Japan joint research project on cosmic-ray observation, has discovered ultra-high-energy diffuse gamma rays from the Milky Way galaxy. The highest energy detected is estimated to be unprecedentedly high, nearly 1 Peta electro…

Chance finds dating back 9,000 years tell new story of 'Dream Island'

Chance finds of prehistoric stone tools and fragments of pottery, picked up from a rabbit hole by the wardens of Skokholm Island, have surprised experts and hint at new chapters in the prehistory of this famous island.

China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft captures stunning crescent Mars photos

NASA measures direct evidence humans are causing climate change

NASA has finally closed a gap in the litany of evidence connecting humans to climate change.

Evidence of Antarctic glacier's tipping point confirmed for first time

Researchers have confirmed for the first time that Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica could cross tipping points, leading to a rapid and irreversible retreat which would have significant consequences for global sea level.

China's Tianwen 1 mission targets mid-May landing on Mars – Spaceflight Now

Sunlight Inactivates Coronavirus 8 Times Faster Than Predicted. We Need to Know Why

A team of scientists is calling for greater research into how sunlight inactivates SARS-CoV-2 after realizing there's a glaring discrepancy between the most recent theory and experimental results.

Europa Clipper – NASA’s Mission to Search for Life on Jupiter’s Moon Europa – Just Hit a Significant Milestone

Jupiter’s moon Europa may have the potential to harbor life. The spacecraft will use multiple flybys of the moon to investigate the habitability of this ocean world. Europa Clipper, NASA’s upcoming flagship mission to the outer solar system, has passed a sign…

OSIRIS-REx to make final close approach to asteroid before heading back to Earth

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will make one final close approach to the asteroid it collected samples from next week before heading back to Earth.

Sweden axes Bill Gates-funded Harvard experiment aiming to DIM THE SUN to fight climate change amid outcry from activists

Sweden’s space agency has called off a geoengineering experiment to determine whether blotting out the sun with aerosols could reverse global warming. Funded by Bill Gates, the project stoked fierce opposition from eco groups.

105000-Year-Old Kalahari Crystals Challenge Cultural Evolution Story

New research at a rockshelter on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa challenges the assumption that modern human origins and complex behaviors were limited to coastal environments.

Solar storm that appeared like 'a great fire' in 1582 could hit Earth AGAIN, experts warn

Eye-witness accounts of a 'great fire' that appeared in 1582 have been uncovered. Experts say it was a once-in-a-century occurrence, which suggest our modern-day planet could be hit this century.

New Dinosaur Whose Name Means 'One Who Causes Fear' Discovered In Argentina

Llukalkan aliocranianus appears to have been a top predator in its time, with hearing capabilities potentially exceeding those of similar dinosaurs.

Hubble's Renewed Image of The Veil Nebula Will Take Your Breath Away

Stars die in fire and fury.

New forest growth may have sparked the mass extinction 360 million years ago

The Devonian Mass Extinction that wiped out 70% of life on Earth may have been sparked by new forest growth. Experts say nutrient-rich soil fueled plankton blooms that choked the oceans.

Highly Contagious Coronavirus Variant Spread Across the Globe – Undetected for Months – Before Its Discovery

A highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant was unknowingly spreading for months in the United States by October 2020, according to a new study from researchers with The University of Texas at Austin COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. Scientists first discovered it in …

The secret to a rat’s sense of touch? It’s all in how the whiskers bend

Scientists develop first mechanical simulation of whisker/follicle interactions.

Scientists Finally Know How an Ancient Reptile Lived With Such an Absurdly Long Neck

Make a crocodile out of taffy. Take its head and tug on it until its neck extends a good few meters from its body. If you squint, this could be what one odd-looking Triassic reptile called Tanystropheus looked like. More or less.

Pristine interstellar comet came from a system containing giant planets

An interstellar comet that crossed into our solar system nearly two years ago is revealing more of its secrets.

Lego's NASA Space Shuttle Discovery set with Hubble is a space geek's dream (review)

Study shows promise of forecasting meteotsunamis

On the afternoon of April 13, 2018, a large wave of water surged across Lake Michigan and flooded the shores of the picturesque beach town of Ludington, Michigan, damaging homes and boat docks, and flooding intake pipes. Thanks to a local citizen's photos and…

NASA just released the first direct evidence that humans are causing climate change

It was clear humans were warming the planet for some time -- now we have official confirmation.

How the meteor that killed dinosaurs created modern forests

A cataclysmic asteroid strike 66 million years ago off the Yucatán Peninsula changed tropical forests in distinct ways revealed in extensive new fossil...

LEGO designer reveals hidden details in new Space Shuttle Discovery set

No one at LEGO told Milan Madge to begin creating a detailed model of the space shuttle. It was years before the toy company decided to produce the new NASA Space Shuttle Discovery set that Madge bandied about the idea for a toy brick winged orbiter.

Innovative Humans Thrived in Water-Rich Kalahari 105,000 Years Ago | Archaeology, Paleoanthropology - Sci

An international team of archaeologists has found evidence of complex symbolic and technological behaviors at Ga-Mohana Hill in the Northern Cape, South Africa dating back to 105,000 years ago -- the same age when those behaviors occurred on the coast.

Melting Ice Sheets 14,600 Years Ago Caused Seas to Rise 10 Times Faster Than Today

Ice sheet melting at the end of the last ice age may have caused sea levels to rise at 10 times the current rate, a study published Thursday by a team led by scientists from Britain's Durham University said.

How the Chicxulub impactor gave rise to modern rainforests

Tropical rainforests today are biodiversity hotspots and play an important role in the world's climate systems. A new study published today in Science sheds light on the origins of modern rainforests and may help scientists understand how rainforests will res…

2D materials combine, becoming polarized and giving rise to photovoltaic effect

For the first time, researchers have discovered a way to obtain polarity and photovoltaic behavior from certain nonphotovoltaic, atomically flat (2D) materials. The key lies in the special way in which the materials are arranged. The resulting effect is diffe…

Study: US pesticide use falls but harms pollinators more

American farmers are using smaller amounts of better targeted pesticides, but these are harming pollinators, aquatic insects and some plants far more than decades ago, a new study finds.

Physicists observe new phase in Bose-Einstein condensate of light particles

About 10 years ago, researchers at the University of Bonn produced an extreme aggregate photon state, a single "super-photon" made up of many thousands of individual light particles, and presented a completely new light source. The state is called an optical …

The Ingenuity helicopter carried a piece of Wright brothers history to Mars

The Ingenuity Mars helicopter is carrying a piece of history. A postage stamp-size piece of muslin fabric that covered one of the wings from the Wright brothers' Flyer is attached to a cable beneath the helicopter's solar panel.

100,000-Year-Old Artifacts Found in Africa's Kalahari Desert

Extinction at the end-Cretaceous and the origin of modern Neotropical rainforests

The origin of modern rainforests can be traced to the aftermath of the bolide impact at the end of the Cretaceous. Carvalho et al. used fossilized pollen and leaves to characterize the changes that took place in northern South American forests at this time (s…

Observation of a non-Hermitian phase transition in an optical quantum gas

Our textbook understanding of quantum systems tends to come from modeling these systems isolated from the environment. However, an emerging focus is understanding how many-body quantum systems behave when interacting with their surroundings and how they subse…

For The First Time, Scientists Have Detected X-Rays Coming Out of Uranus

Every planet in the Solar System has its idiosyncrasies, but Uranus is, truly, one of a kind.

Ingenuity Mars helicopter prepares for the first flight on another planet

The Ingenuity Mars helicopter will attempt the first powered flight on Mars no earlier than April 8, according to NASA.

Sensors Collect Crucial Mars Landing Data with Arrival of Perseverance

Sensors Collect Crucial Data on Mars Landings with Arrival of Perseverance

NASA OSIRIS-REx's final asteroid observation run

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is on the brink of discovering the extent of the mess it made on asteroid Bennu's surface during last fall's sample collection event. On Apr. 7, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will get one last close encounter with Bennu as it performs a …

NASA's InSight detects two sizable quakes on Mars

NASA's InSight lander has detected two strong, clear quakes originating in a location of Mars called Cerberus Fossae—the same place where two strong quakes were seen earlier in the mission. The new quakes have magnitudes of 3.3 and 3.1; the previous quakes we…

Distant, spiralling stars give clues to the forces that bind sub-atomic particles

Space scientists at the University of Bath in the UK have found a new way to probe the internal structure of neutron stars, giving nuclear physicists a novel tool for studying the structures that make up matter at an atomic level.

NASA OSIRIS-REx's Final Asteroid Observation Run

On Apr. 7, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will get one last close encounter with Bennu as it performs a final flyover to capture images of the asteroid’s surface.

NASA's InSight Detects Two Sizable Quakes on Mars

The magnitude 3.3 and 3.1 temblors originated in a region called Cerberus Fossae, further supporting the idea that this location is seismically active.

High-Frequency Traders Eye Satellites for Ultimate Speed Boost

Satellite networks could represent the next technological leap forward for a business where every millisecond counts

105,000 years ago in the Kalahari Desert, people invented complex culture

A recently published study suggests coastal people didn't have a monopoly on innovation.

Controversial test flight aimed at cooling the planet cancelled

US and European scientists have called off a controversial balloon test flight that was to take place in Sweden's far north in June, part of a disputed solar geoengineering experiment to artificially cool the planet.

Particles unearthed in Antarctica were produced when a meteorite EXPLODED in mid-air

The particles of vaporised space rock resulted from the atmospheric entry of an asteroid at least 330ft in size exploding near the surface at high velocity.

MLB left with a backlog of unused bobbleheads, merchandise

Major League Baseball's opening day has arrived for 2021, despite the challenges of the pandemic. The league played its games last year without any fans --so what do teams do with all that unused giveaway merchandise? Kris Van Cleave traveled to a warehouse i…

Exclusive: Chemical cocktail found in face masks

Exclusive: Chemical cocktail found in face masks

How your gas stove sparked a battle over climate change

Natural gas has long been considered a less harmful fossil fuel, but methane leaks from natural gas contribute more to climate change than previously thought. As some cities try to ban new gas hookups to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, gas companies are…