Scientists have confirmed that last year, for the first time in the lab, they achieved a fusion reaction that self-perpetuates (instead of fizzling out) – bringing us closer to replicating the chemical reaction that powers the Sun. However, they aren’t exactly sure how to recreate the experiment. Nuclear fusion occurs when two atoms combine to
The shell of Jupiter’s famous ice moon may be formed, in part, by pure underwater snow that floats up instead of falling down. A new study, published in the August issue of the journal Astrobiology, finds that Europa’s icy crust might be built partially by “frazil ice,” a fluffy accumulation of ice crystals that also
For many parents, assisting young children with their homework goes hand in hand with making sure kids eat their vegetables and go to bed on time. It’s what you do to help your children get the best start in life. Of all the possible benefits this shared time might provide, however, a boost to those
For the first time, scientists have named a heat wave. They called it Zoe. According to USA Today, the Spanish scientists bestowed the moniker on a heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 degrees Celsius) in Seville between July 24 and July 27. It’s a new effort to alert the public
An intense drought is shrinking rivers across Europe, revealing stones carved centuries ago to give future generations a warning of hard times ahead. The Miami Herald reported that locals said the centuries-old boulders, known as “hunger stones,” reappeared last week as rivers in Europe ran dry due to drought conditions. One such stone is on
Rubble retrieved from an asteroid in near-Earth solar orbit could be the most ‘pristine’ sample of cosmic rock we’ve had our primate paws on yet. According to a new, in-depth analysis of the material delivered to Earth from the asteroid Ryugu, the samples of rocks and dust are among the most uncontaminated Solar System materials
It starts with a single mushroom-shaped cloud the world hoped to never see again. Retaliation prompts tit-for-tat attacks, each intended to end this latest War of All Wars, until a week or so later Earth begins to shiver beneath a pall of soot and dust. Scenarios mapping and calculating the devastation of a nuclear winter
A hybrid magnet in China has just smashed the previous record for the most powerful stable magnetic field, scientists claim. At the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Steady High Magnetic Field Facility (SHMFF), a magnet years in development achieved a steady magnetic field of 45.22 tesla – tens of thousands of times more powerful than your
Migratory insects number in the trillions. They’re a major part of global ecosystems, helping to transport nutrients and pollen across continents – and often traveling thousands of kilometers in the process. It had long been thought migrating insects largely go wherever the wind blows. But there’s mounting evidence they’re actually great navigators and can select
Climate change is a real problem. Human-caused outputs of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are the main driver of an unprecedented rise in global average temperatures at a speed never before seen in the Earth’s geologic record. The problem is so bad that any attempts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions may be too
A new study reveals that people who consider themselves knowledgeable and experienced cat parents may in fact be giving their felines too much affection – or at least not putting it across in the best way. Previous research has helped to establish how cats should be handled to put them at ease, or at least
One of the most beautiful and spectacular regions of the night sky can be found in the constellation of Orion. Between the stars Alnitak, Saif, and Rigel, floats a vast, thick cloud of interstellar dust and gas. This is the Orion Nebula, a nest of material in which baby stars are being born and one
Fossils of a small, prickly dinosaur recently discovered in South America may represent an entire lineage of armored dinosaurs previously unknown to science. The newly discovered species, Jakapil kaniukura, looks like a primitive relative of armored dinosaurs like Ankylosaurus or Stegosaurus, but it came from the Cretaceous, the last era of the dinosaurs, and lived
The star Betelgeuse visibly dimmed in 2019. Now, a new analysis reveals why: Betelgeuse blew out and is still recovering. The red supergiant star, which is about 530 light-years from Earth, is among the brightest in the night sky. The star forms the shoulder of the constellation Orion (The Hunter). It’s also geriatric: Betelgeuse is
The 19th-century American writer Wallace D. Wattles once claimed, “Thinking is the hardest and most exhausting of all labor.” On the surface, that might sound like a contentious comparison, but a new study suggests thinking too hard and too long really can drain your brain, much like exercise can wear out the body. Hard physical
For the first time, we have shown that a soft heel pad was crucial to how sauropod dinosaurs supported their immense weight, according to a new digital reconstruction of their feet. Sauropods, which weighed up to 50 tons and dominated the world’s ecosystems for around 100 million years, appear to have developed soft heel pads
Have you ever wondered just how much water plants need to grow, or indeed why they need it? Plants lose a lot of water when they take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so they need up to 300 grams of water to make each gram of dry plant matter. But it doesn’t have to
If an astronaut were to suddenly become adrift in the void of interstellar space, they would be compelled to propel their body to safety, kicking and waving their limbs toward a sanctuary in the vacuum. Sadly for them, physics isn’t so forgiving, leaving them to float without hope for eternity. If only the Universe was
One day, our Sun will die. Since we happen to be inhabitants of the Sun’s planetary system, the question of when, and how, this will happen, is of intense interest to us. Sure, we’re unlikely to be around to see it… but, you know, it’s our home. We want to know what will eventually become
In the awful wake of an oil spill, it’s typically the smallest of organisms who do most of the cleaning up. Surprisingly, scientists know very little about the tools these tiny clean-up crews have at their disposal. But in a study published last year, researchers uncovered a completely unknown cycle of natural hydrocarbon emissions and
Earth and its Moon are unique in the Solar System. Earth is the only planet with just one moon, and that Moon is pretty influential. In fact, without the Moon, life on Earth may not have emerged, some research suggests. Couple that with a size ratio unlike any other planet-moon system we’ve seen – the
A child’s manner of walking can tell a doctor a lot about their health and development. But the transition from tottering toddler to strutting teen is not as universal as you might think. Depending on where in the world a child grows up, their gait may mature in a slightly different way. By age 7,
While we’re not yet close to replicating the complexity and the intricacy of the human brain with anything artificial, scientists are making progress with certain dedicated devices – like a newly developed programmable resistor. Resistors can be used to make up analog neural networks in artificial intelligence systems, based on a structure designed to mimic
Maya people cremated their rulers and used the ashes to help make rubber balls that were used in ballgames, an archaeologist has claimed. The researcher and his team believe they’ve found evidence of this practice while excavating the Maya city of Toniná, in southern Mexico. Researchers refer to it as the “ballgame” as its rules
Sea sponges, among the oldest creatures in existence, let out what looks like a deep sea “sneeze” to filter out waste, researchers found in a new study. Using time-lapse video, researchers captured the behavior, which could help them better understand how sponges evolved. “Our data suggest that sneezing is an adaptation that sponges evolved to
Earlier today, reports began emerging Google was down. While it has since returned, it once again highlights our dependence on technology service providers and shows how reliant many people are on a single operator for daily functions. There are few things we completely rely upon in our modern lives, but for many people, Google is
Within 24 hours of accessing the first stage of Australia’s newest supercomputing system, researchers have processed a series of radio telescope observations, including a highly detailed image of a supernova remnant. The very high data rates and the enormous data volumes from new-generation radio telescopes such as ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder) need highly
A new discovery about jumping spiders could challenge some pretty hefty human assumptions about the cognitive abilities of arthropods. According to a study that examined the motions of their eyes and bodies while they sleep, it’s possible that these tiny spiders are not just resting, but dreaming – entering a sleep state fascinatingly similar to
One of the most powerful and fascinating forces of nature is born of storms: great cracks of light that part the sky, flicking vast amounts of electricity into the surrounding atmosphere, cracking into the ground whenever it reaches it. Or that’s how we typically think of lightning. But the phenomenon has another manifestation, only relatively
Stingrays are no longer the silent residents of the sea scientists once thought them to be. Caught on camera, two different stingray species have been discovered making weird clicking sounds in a lucky discovery that has delighted marine ecologists – but also left them stumped. “That we only just realized that these commonly encountered stingrays
Ask astronomers about dark matter and one of the things they talk about is that this invisible, mysterious ‘stuff’ permeates the universe. In particular, it exists in halos surrounding most galaxies. The mass of the halo exerts a strong gravitational influence on the galaxy itself, as well as on others in the neighborhood. That’s pretty
In spite of their reputation as living dinosaurs, birds have come a long way since the days of T. rex and friends. Gone is the toothy rostrum, replaced by the more familiar beak. Their skeletons have adapted for flight, as have their forelimbs. Even their pelvis is twisted into a shape that their more ancient
Is there a “fourth phase of water”? From time to time you might see people talking up the health benefits of so-called hexagonal water, or structured water, or exclusion-zone (EZ) water. A few weeks ago Kourtney Kardashian’s Poosh website was spruiking a US$2,500 “structured water filter”. Last weekend even Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald got in
Atomic clocks, combined with precise astronomical measurements, have revealed that the length of a day is suddenly getting longer, and scientists don’t know why. This has critical impacts not just on our timekeeping, but also things like GPS and other technologies that govern our modern life. Over the past few decades, Earth’s rotation around its
Mysterious large pieces of wreckage were discovered across Southeast Asia over the weekend, and evidence is growing that they came from a Chinese rocket booster that fell to Earth uncontrolled. The booster of China’s 25-ton Long March 5B rocket pushed a new segment of the country’s space station into orbit in late July. Then, instead
Stop what you’re doing. The latest official image release from the James Webb Space Telescope is in, and it’s a stunning circus of fireworks lighting up the darkness of space. The subject is the Cartwheel Galaxy, a well-known object about 500 million light-years away, and a huge oddity: unlike most other galaxies, which tend to
Warmer waters are flowing towards the East Antarctic ice sheet, according to our alarming new research which reveals a potential new driver of global sea-level rise. The research, published today in Nature Climate Change, shows changing water circulation in the Southern Ocean may be compromising the stability of the East Antarctic ice sheet. The ice
Archaeologists recently stumbled upon a set of mysterious ‘ghost footprints’ in the salt flats of a Utah desert. These unusual ancient tracks get their eerie name not because they are from an ethereal realm, but due to their earthly composition: They become visible only after it rains and the footprints fill with moisture and become
Ever wondered why kissing feels better than holding hands? The tongue is a pretty incredible piece of kit, though notoriously difficult to study, due to its position inside the mouth. Obviously, it gives us access to the wonderful world of taste, but more than that, it has greater sensitivity to touch than the fingertip. Without
A third set of human remains were found in Nevada’s Lake Mead on 25 July as water levels have receded to historic lows during a drought fueled by climate change. The remains were spotted by a witness at Swim Beach on Lake Mead during the afternoon of 25 July, the National Park Service announced. Investigators
When mechanical engineering graduate student Faye Yap saw a dead spider curled up in the hallway, it got her thinking about whether it could be used as a robotics component. Turning dead spiders into mechanical grippers may be some people’s idea of a nightmare scenario, but it could have tangible benefits. Spider legs can grip
A team of physicists has used a pair of vibrating rods to measure the gravitational constant to incredibly fine precision. While the new technique has relatively high uncertainty, they hope that future improvements will provide a new pathway to nailing down this elusive constant. The gravitational constant, denoted as G, is the fundamental building block
A digital twin is a copy of a person, product, or process that is created using data. This might sound like science fiction, but some have claimed that you will likely have a digital double within the next decade. As a copy of a person, a digital twin would – ideally – make the same
Archaeologists in hard hats and face masks carefully remove earth from around enormous bones at the site of Mexico City’s new airport, where construction work has uncovered a huge trove of mammoth skeletons. The remains of dozens of the extinct giants and other prehistoric creatures have been found in Zumpango on the northern edge of
Microgravity is pretty rough on us ground-dwellers – with bodies no longer constantly acting against gravity, muscle mass and bone density withers away. Even with two hours of exercise daily, it can take months for astronauts to recover their muscle density after a six-month stint on the International Space Station. Bone density can take years
Trees that grow quickly die younger, risking a release of carbon dioxide that challenges forecasts that forests will continue to be a “sink” for planet-warming emissions, scientists said Tuesday. Tree cover absorbs a significant proportion of carbon dioxide emitted by burning fossil fuels and plays a crucial role in projections for our ability to wrestle
In a comprehensive search of a patch of the Southern sky, not even a hint of alien technology has been detected at low radio frequencies. Across at least 10 million stars that populate the Vela region – the deepest and widest survey for extraterrestrial intelligence yet – the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Australia found
Living at higher altitudes in the US may shape your psychology in strange ways, a new study reveals, showing a distinct link between living in elevated, mountainous regions and certain personality traits. Not only that, but the kinds of traits mountain-dwellers demonstrate are quite specific, researchers say, rooted in the pioneer history of the Old
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