A four-year-old girl stunned paleontologists after she found a perfectly-preserved dinosaur footprint that dates back 220 million years. Lily Wilder made the discovery on January 23 while walking along a beach in South Wales with her father and dog. The family was on their way to the supermarket when Wilder saw the footprint imprinted on
Month: January 2021
An international team of scientists in South China accidentally discovered the oldest terrestrial fossil ever found, about three times more ancient than the oldest known dinosaur. Investigations are still ongoing and observations will need to be independently verified, but the international team argues the long thread-like fingers of this ancient organism look a lot like
Biologists are accustomed to hearing stories of microbes manipulating their host – a fungus that turns ants into suicidal zombies, a protozoan that makes rats seek out cat urine – but there are few examples of hosts turning the tables on their microbes. My colleagues and I just published a paper that demonstrated that the
Every now and again, we get a little glimpse of just how far human ingenuity has gone. Quite literally: The above image was taken by a spacecraft travelling through the Solar System while it was at a distance of 251 million kilometres (156 million miles) from Earth – more than the distance between Earth and
The Atacama Desert has a fearsome reputation. The world’s driest non-polar desert, located along the Pacific coast of northern Chile, constitutes a hyperarid, Mars-like environment – one so extreme that when it rains in this parched place, it can bring death instead of life. Yet life, even in the Atacama Desert, finds a way. The
Modern-day aircraft already make use of jet streams to save time and fuel, but a new study shows that by being a bit smarter about how they ride these winds, transatlantic flights could be using up to 16 percent less fuel – and pumping out much less CO2 as a result. The key is flexibility,
All over the world the rate of ice melt is accelerating with climate change, on land and in water, in the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Since 1994, satellite imagery has revealed over 28 trillion tonnes of ice have melted in Greenland and Antarctica, as well as the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Together, the
Earth’s second moon will make a close approach to the planet next week before drifting off into space, never to be seen again. “What second moon,” you ask? Astronomers call it 2020 SO – a small object that dropped into Earth’s orbit about halfway between our planet and the moon in September 2020. Temporary satellites
Overfishing has wiped out over 70 percent of some shark and ray populations in the last half-century, leaving a “gaping, growing hole” in ocean life, according to a new study. Researchers found alarming declines in species ranging from hammerhead sharks to manta rays. Among the worst affected is the oceanic whitetip, a powerful shark often
Evidence of water in the shadows of craters or locked up in glassy beads like microscopic snow-globes has recently revealed the Moon‘s surface is far less desiccated than we ever imagined. Just where this veneer of ice water came from is a mystery astronomers are currently trying to solve. One surprising possibility emerging is an
Ever since the discovery of a chemical called phosphine on Venus was announced in September last year, the scientific community has been in a tizzy. Scientists have published papers back and forth, trying to debunk or bolster the claim. With two new papers landing this week, some are claiming the nails are being hammered into
Patricia Yang has seen a lot of poop. In her time studying the dynamics of bodily fluids, the award-winning scientist has witnessed her share of cows dumping watery pies, rodents dropping little pellets, and elephants passing big balls of dung. None of that would ultimately prepare her for what she was about to see. It
Diamonds can handle a little pressure. Actually, revise that – diamonds can handle a lot of pressure. In a series of new experiments, scientists have found that diamonds retain their crystal structure at pressures five times higher than that of Earth’s core. This contradicts predictions that diamond should transform into an even more stable structure
One of the most enduring and tragic mysteries of recent Russian history may finally have a solution, with scientists saying they have a plausible explanation for what could have ultimately led to the deaths of nine mountaineers during a fateful expedition in 1959. This infamous event – called the Dyatlov Pass incident – has launched
We are utterly delighted to welcome the shrivelled skin sacks known as naked mole rats into the elite ranks of animals with confirmed vocal dialects. Their chirps differ based on where they’re from – just like we talk with different accents. “This is an astonishing feat for a rodent and is in stark contrast to
We may not know what dark matter is, but scientists now have a better idea of what to look for. Based on quantum gravity, physicists have worked out new, much more stringent upper and lower mass limits of dark matter particles. And they have found that the mass range is way tighter than previously thought.
In modern times, a great deal of research has focused on the way that artificial light sources mess up our sleep and health, due to the unnatural effects of illumination after the Sun goes down. But just how unnatural is night-time light anyway? After all, humans have always been exposed to variable levels of light
The evolution of the opposable thumb is often placed hand-in-hand with the rise of stone tools. Without the ability to grasp or manipulate objects with power and precision, some scientists think our early human ancestors may never have driven our species to such great success. It’s an interesting hypothesis, but opposable thumbs and tools might
For the very first time, the European Union is generating more energy from renewables than from fossil fuels. A newly published report confirms that in 2020, wind, solar, hydropower and biomass shouldered 38 percent of the EU’s electricity demands, while fossil fuels trailed at 37 percent. These two broad categories of power are now neck
You never know what you’re going to get when you crack open a geode-like rock called an agate, but a new specimen is even more surprising than usual: It looks just like Cookie Monster. The agate, found in Soledade, a precious stone hotspot in southern Brazil, is a dead ringer for the blue, googly-eyed Sesame
The oceans are not as equal as you might think. Scientists estimate that the Atlantic Ocean is actually growing wider by several centimetres every year. At the same time, the Pacific is shrinking. This glacially slow shifting of oceans is due to the ongoing movement of Earth’s tectonic plates, as the plates underneath the Americas
The Sun has a lot of rhythm and goes through different cycles of activity. The most well-known cycle might be the Schwabe cycle, which has an 11-year cadence. But what about cycles with much longer time scales? How can scientists understand them? As it turns out, the Sun has left some hidden clues in tree
People in Europe were tweeting about a “dry cough” more than usual as early as January 2020, newly analysed data reveal. While social media has played a key role in disseminating health information during the relentless COVID-19 pandemic, the new findings show it has the potential to be useful in other ways, too. Authorities could
Ever wonder what Jupiter would look like naked, without its thick coat of turbulent clouds? An exoplanet 575 light-years away might be the answer to the question you didn’t ask. The exoplanet is a gas giant called WASP-62b, and, according to an analysis of starlight that passed through its atmosphere, the exoplanet is completely starkers.
Captive elephants are not as healthy as their native counterparts. Under the care of zookeepers, these large terrestrial mammals have shorter life spans and far lower birth rates. Obesity from under-excising or over-eating is often thought to be the cause, and yet new research suggests Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in captivity are just as active
The Shís’gi Noow or “sapling fort” was built by the Tlingit people in Alaska at the start of the 19th century: one last physical barrier to advancing Russian forces. Now, thanks to modern-day radar and imaging techniques, it’s been rediscovered. After the pivotal battle there in 1804, which marked the start of six decades of
When black holes swallow down massive amounts of matter from the space around them, they’re not exactly subtle about it. They belch out tremendous flares of X-rays, generated by the material heating to intense temperatures as it’s sucked towards the black hole, so bright we can detect them from Earth. This is normal black hole
No one has yet managed to travel through time – at least to our knowledge – but the question of whether or not such a feat would be theoretically possible continues to fascinate scientists. As movies such as The Terminator, Donnie Darko, Back to the Future and many others show, moving around in time creates a
It was said that all he touched turned to gold. But destiny eventually caught up with the legendary King Midas, and a long-lost chronicle of his ancient downfall appears to have literally surfaced in Turkey. In 2019, archaeologists were investigating an ancient mound site in central Turkey called Türkmen-Karahöyük. The greater region, the Konya Plain,
How far back can the story of humans and dogs be told? When and where did this ancient relationship begin? New DNA evidence suggests our connection with canines can be traced much further into prehistory than has ever been conclusively shown. According to scientists, analyses of ancient dog DNA suggests dogs were domesticated from Eurasian
Back at the dawn of the Universe, astronomers have found a stacks on of cosmic proportions. At least 21 galaxies, forming stars at a tremendous rate, are merging together in the early stages of the formation of a galaxy cluster. And it’s all happening 13 billion light-years away – just 770 million years after the
There are supermassive black holes. There are ultramassive black holes. How large can these strange objects grow? Well, there could be something even bigger than ultramassive: stupendously large black holes, according to the latest research. Such hypothetical black holes – larger than 100 billion times the mass of the Sun – have been explored in a
The carcass of an enormous finback whale (Balaenoptera physalus) was discovered near the Italian port of Sorrento earlier this week, the Italian Coast Guard said in a Facebook post. Officials discovered the carcass on Sunday (Jan. 17), before towing it to the nearby port at Naples. The whale measured about 65 feet (20 meters) long and
SpaceX on Sunday launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying a record number of satellites on board, the private space company said. The rocket successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:00 am (1500 GMT), 24 hours after its initial take-off had been scrubbed due to bad weather. Andy Tran, a SpaceX production supervisor, said in
If you saw the first episode of David Attenborough‘s new BBC series Perfect Planet, you will have seen the astounding bloodsucking behaviour of the vampire finches. These small birds exist only on two remote islands in the Galapagos and have evolved to drink the blood of much larger seabirds. You will also have seen the
While most of us are now more fastidious about keeping our homes and workplaces clean, on board the International Space Station, cleanliness is imperative. Of high importance is anti-bacterial measures, since bacteria tend to build up in the constantly-recycled air inside the ISS. Every Saturday in space is “cleaning day” where surfaces are wiped down,
While surveying the Hawaiian island of Kauai in search of invasive plants in 2017, botanist Kelsey Brock spotted something unusual: a few nonnative species of figs seemed to be settling in. As people traverse the planet for trade or travel, they bring a slew of species with them, many of which establish a foothold in
Who has an even bigger grin than ten years ago? This goofy-looking crater on Mars. These two images were taken by the HiRISE camera (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and show how Mars’ surface is changing over time – in this case, due to thermal erosion. The first of
One was kickstarted by a school kid and her placard; another took flight after a hashtag went viral. Years later, these powerful social movements – demanding action on climate and racial justice – are in full swing, with millions of people raising their voices, fists, and hand-painted posters in support. While subsets of communities have
Deep within, on a cellular scale, your body is in a constant state of activity to keep you alive. Among those processes is the turnover of cells, replacing the cells that die with fresh new ones so that you don’t crumble to bits like a zombie. A new calculation reveals just how intensive that process
A robot inspired by the shape and delicate underwater movements of a jellyfish, allowing it to safely explore endangered coral reefs, was unveiled by British scientists on Wednesday. According to research by teams at the universities of Southampton and Edinburgh and published in the journal Science Robotics, the small robot mimics “nature’s most efficient swimmer
A white dwarf isn’t your typical kind of star. While main sequence stars such as our Sun fuse nuclear material in their cores to keep themselves from collapsing under their own weight, white dwarfs use an effect known as quantum degeneracy. The quantum nature of electrons means that no two electrons can have the same quantum state.
The amount of carbon dioxide that we can still emit while limiting global warming to a given target is called the “remaining carbon budget,” and it has become a powerful tool to inform climate policy goals and track progress towards net-zero emissions targets. This carbon budget is like a fixed financial budget: There is a
Like pappy used to say: if you see it writhe and hiss, give it a miss. Humans have passed on similar nuggets of wisdom since time immemorial, giving us a healthy (and sometimes less than healthy) respect for backing away from snakes. Yet the fact snake bites hurt is usually an accident of nature – virtually
Conservationists have started using satellite imagery to count elephants from space, a technique that British experts hope will help protect threatened populations in Africa. Researchers at the University of Oxford and the University of Bath said the use of algorithms, machine learning, and satellite technology could replace current techniques used to count elephants – a
The formation of crystals is one of the most commonplace processes you can probably think of. Every time you freeze water into ice cubes, for instance, you’re creating crystalline structures. There’s even a fun experiment you can do to grow salt crystals – with nothing more than table salt and water. But on the atomic
Graphene continues to dazzle us with its strength and its versatility – exciting new applications are being discovered for it all the time, and now scientists have found a way of manipulating the wonder material so that it can better filter impurities out of water. The two-dimensional material comprised of carbon atoms has been studied
Sharing a car with someone is one of the riskiest things you can do without cohabitating, as far as coronavirus transmission goes. While taking a car may feel like a slightly safer alternative compared to public transportation, it’s still a small, enclosed space. Even if all passengers are wearing masks, some small particles can escape from