Methane is an organic molecule that hangs around in Earth’s atmosphere and is mostly produced by living organisms, most notoriously by farting cows. Its detection on Mars, on the other hand, has been a weird mystery for planetary scientists. In recent years, NASA’s Curiosity rover has picked up tiny traces of methane numerous times on
Month: June 2021
The most complex life forms ever developed entirely in Petri dishes can pump blood through tiny beating hearts, gradually growing nerves and muscles in a laboratory. These little collections of mammalian cells form rudimentary mouse embryos, built from scratch out of stem cells – cells that have the potential to develop into any other cell
A very rare mineral that’s previously been found only in extraterrestrial meteorites has been discovered in Earth’s own rocks for the first time, lying in a sedimentary formation not far from the shores of the Dead Sea. Allabogdanite, a phosphide mineral, was unknown to science until just a couple of decades ago, after fragments of
Scorpions and tarantulas are two ancient arachnids that have been walking the Earth for hundreds of millions of years – even before the time of the dinosaurs. And the question of which would win in a fight has been the subject of numerous YouTube videos, online forums and even research papers. Well, with more than
A wooden stick carved into the shape of a snake dating back about 4,400 years has been discovered by a lake in southwest Finland. The stick may have been used for mystical purposes by a shaman. “I have seen many extraordinary things in my work as a wetland archaeologist, but the discovery of this figurine
Way back in 1054 CE, a supernova stellar explosion lit up the skies with enough brightness that it could be seen from from Earth during the daytime, for 23 days straight. Its remnants still exist today as the Crab Nebula, and new research gives us our best idea yet of exactly what happened to cause
After ruling the planet for more than 170 million years, non-avian dinosaurs were suddenly demoted from existence by the impact of a large asteroid that struck the Yucatán peninsula some 66 million years ago. The collision set off a cascade of environmental devastation, with debris in the atmosphere cutting off life-giving sunlight. Earth’s surface temperatures
For the first time, scientists have unambiguously confirmed the collision of a black hole and a neutron star: The fateful moment two extreme objects come together in an event so immensely powerful, its ripples across the cosmos can still be discerned a billion years later. Amazingly enough, this astronomical discovery has now been made not
China has released video and sound clips from its rover exploring the surface of Mars. The files were published by China National Space Agency on Sunday. The sound is of the Zhurong rover leaving its lander before taking its first ride in May, and can be heard in the video below. [CNSA video 2/4] Sound of #Zhurong Mars
The mineral pyrite was historically nicknamed fool’s gold because of its deceptive resemblance to the precious metal. The term was often used during the California gold rush in the 1840s because inexperienced prospectors would claim discoveries of gold, but in reality it would be pyrite, composed of worthless iron disulfide (FeS₂). Ironically, pyrite crystals can
If life exists on Venus, it’s not like any organism that’s ever been encountered on Earth, scientists claim in a new study. In late 2020, the question of Venus’s potential habitability sprang into focus, thanks to the detection of phosphine in the planet’s atmosphere, which some scientists suggested might be evidence of a biosignature, hypothetically
As the world gets warmer, staggering transformations are taking place in some of Earth’s coldest locations – events that might go completely unnoticed by humans, were it not for our eyes in the sky. In a new study, satellite observations reveal one such stunning phenomenon: the sudden disappearance of a gigantic lake in Antarctica, which
Scientists have discovered a unique form of cell messaging occurring in the human brain that’s not been seen before. Excitingly, the discovery hints that our brains might be even more powerful units of computation than we realized. Early last year, researchers from institutes in Germany and Greece reported a mechanism in the brain’s outer cortical cells
A “heat dome” over western Canada and the US Pacific northwest sent temperatures soaring to new highs, triggering heat warnings from Oregon to Canada’s Arctic territories on Sunday. More than 40 new temperature highs were recorded in British Columbia over the weekend, including in the ski resort town of Whistler. And the high pressure ridge
In 1933 a mysterious fossil skull was discovered near Harbin City in the Heilongjiang province of north-eastern China. Despite being nearly perfectly preserved – with square eye sockets, thick brow ridges and large teeth – nobody could work out exactly what it was. The skull is much bigger than that of Homo sapiens and other
The United Nations calculated that extreme weather events resulted in 15,000 deaths and resulted in economic losses of US $170 billion in 2020. Storms, floods, and droughts can be catastrophic for people and the environment, but are these events on the rise? We asked 4 experts in climate science ‘Are extreme weather events becoming more
A tiny, 120 million-year-old fossil, discovered in northeast China, is neither bird nor dinosaur but is perched on its own evolutionary branch, somewhere in between. While the 2-centimeter-long (0.75-inch) skull of this little fella holds similarities to much larger dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex, its thin and delicate body looks more like modern-day crown birds, such as
Many of us hang on to keepsakes from loved ones who have died, and new research suggests that this habit is deeply human – and thousands of years old. The newly published study on this subject focuses on ‘deliberately deposited objects’ or ‘problematic stuff’ – items dug up by archaeologists that wouldn’t normally be there
Camels have an incredible ability to survive weeks without taking even a sip of water. Now, we have a better idea of the secret ingredient that helps their bodies achieve this. We already know that to save every drop of liquid, camels have a host of biological tricks – including large and intricate noses that
An exceptionally rare and critically endangered fungus, known as the tea-tree fingers, is rapidly losing its grip on the Australian mainland. Just off the coast, however, its finger-like tendrils are still clinging to life. On French Island, several kilometers from the Mornington Peninsula in the country’s southeast, scientists and volunteers have now discovered the largest
In 2018, scientists made a discovery that could change our understanding of the dusty, dry red ball that is Mars. Radar signals bounced from just below the planet’s surface revealed a shining patch, consistent with nothing so much as an underground pool of liquid water. Subsequent searches turned up even more shiny patches, suggesting a
For most of us, hair naturally loses pigment as we get older. We often think that stress may also play a role, but until now, that hasn’t actually been demonstrated in humans; a new study brings some evidence to the table. Gray and white hair is typically caused by the pigment cells in our hair
When hives of the African lowland honeybee (Apis mellifera scutella) collapse, they do so because of an invisible inner threat: the growing, immortal clone army of a rival bee subspecies. That army is possible because the female workers of the rival subspecies – the South African Cape honeybee (Apis mellifera capensis) – can create perfect copies of themselves, with one
A draft report from the world’s peak body on climate change, leaked to a global news agency, has sparked concern – but the dire warnings the report details shouldn’t come as a surprise, experts say. The draft report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP), a global news
A ghostly “hand” reaching through the cosmos has just given us new insight into the violent deaths of massive stars. The spectacular structure is the ejecta from a core-collapse supernova, and, by taking images of it over a 14-year span, astronomers have been able to observe as it blasts into space at around 4,000 kilometers
Dinosaur species large and small made the Arctic their year-round home and probably developed wintering strategies like hibernation or growing insulating feathers, according to a new study. The paper, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, is the result of more than a decade’s worth of painstaking fossil excavations, and puts to rest the notion
Life currently has a sample size of just one. Without an alien or two to expand the boundaries of biology, Earth’s evolutionary history sets the limits on whether we can expect other planets to spawn complex critters like, well, us. Given many life forms owe a great debt to the oxygen in our atmosphere, it’s
More than 120,000 years ago in the Levant, Homo sapiens lived side-by-side with a type of ancient human we didn’t know about – until now. That’s according to new fossil evidence of this human uncovered by archaeologists – fragments of ancient skull and jaw bones, and teeth, which seem to fit both Neanderthal and Homo
More than half of all buildings in the United States are situated in hazardous hotspots, prone to wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, according to new research. Areas vulnerable to such natural disasters make up only one-third of the US mainland, and yet most modern development to date has occurred in these very spots. In
Consider the statements below. What do they describe? A trip on psychedelics? A dream? I felt I could reach through the screen to get to another place. Lasers became entire fans of light sweeping around, and then it felt as if the screen began to expand. I saw old stone buildings … like a castle
The risk of death from an encounter with a shark may be grossly exaggerated in popular culture, but that’s likely small consolation to a man who lived and died 3,000 years ago. His remains now represent the oldest known shark victim ever found. According to an analysis of his bones, the man had a particularly
When you’re as tiny as a European robin, crossing the continent for the winter is no small feat. We now know its secret to keeping on track over vast distances – an innate ability to harness the weirdness that sits at the heart of quantum physics. Long hypothesized as means by which animals might sense
If there were alien civilizations in other star systems, would they be able to detect our presence here on Earth? This is a question that could lead us to new ways to search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, but not one that is necessarily easy to answer. Nevertheless, a team of astronomers has identified 2,034
Venomous spiders prey upon snakes many times their size, a new study finds – and often emerge victorious against snakes as venomous as they are. The study researchers found 319 records of spiders killing and feasting upon snakes, 297 of which were naturally occurring events in the wild. (The remaining 22 were staged in captivity.)
While grumbling skies and spectacular displays of air-splitting light can be a thrilling experience to witness, thunderstorms can also do an awful lot of damage. From igniting massive wildfires to causing flash flooding, damaging hail, and even tornadoes ,this wild weather can destroy homes and businesses and take lives. Thunderstorms that roil across the Southern
Over a quarter of a billion years ago, at the close of the Permian, life’s resilience was put to the ultimate test. Nine out of every ten marine species perished – along with nearly three quarters of species on land – in what’s now referred to as The Great Dying. The smoking gun is an
The Australian government on Tuesday expressed shock at a draft decision to list the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger”. But the recommendation has been looming for some time. The recommendation, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), acknowledges Australia’s commitment to implementing
Venus may be a toxic hell-planet, but new evidence suggests it might have more in common than Earth than we realized. Scientists have just found evidence that Venus’ crust could have tectonic blocks that rub together, not dissimilar to broken blocks of pack ice. It’s not entirely like Earth’s plate tectonics, but the discovery does
Over 3.5 million dead and counting. Long-term health problems, livelihoods destroyed and a long way yet to go. This is the age of COVID-19. Was it simply a natural disaster, part of living in a fast-paced, globalized world? Or can we identify preventable mistakes? The key is the term “natural disaster“: it’s a misnomer. Disasters
In normal times, it’s easy to assume that desert plants will weather tough periods. These hardy organisms evolved to survive bouts of prolonged heat and dryness, after all. They can take it. These are not normal times, though. A new study analyzing over 30 years’ worth of satellite imagery captured over southern California reveals that
When New Horizons approached Pluto in 2015, it gave us something wondrous: the clearest view we’d ever seen of the distant, tiny dwarf planet. In crisp images, fascinating terrain was revealed – including a broad swath of red sweeping around Pluto’s equator: a non-icy landscape on an otherwise remarkably icy body. Analysis suggested that the
Since the Juno spacecraft has been in orbit around Jupiter for nearly five years – since 4 July 2016 – you may have forgotten about that time back in 2013 Juno flew past Earth. The spacecraft needed a little extra boost to reach Jupiter, so it used Earth for a gravity assist. Image editor Kevin
It’s imperative that human societies factor a strategic ‘managed retreat’ into the ways they respond and adapt to climate change, researchers say, and figuring out how is a conversation that needs to be happening now. Managed retreat is the coordinated movement of people and buildings away from risks, which, in the context of climate change,
Tens of thousands of years ago, humans lived in and explored caves in very different ways to how we do it today. They may not have owned modern flashlights, but it doesn’t mean they dwelled in complete darkness. To try and learn more about ancient cave-dwelling life – from the painting of rock art to
Hold up your hands in front of your face. For most people, they will be mirrored copies of each other: You can hold them palm-to-palm and they will match up, but you cannot superimpose them. Molecules also exhibit this handedness, or chirality. They come structured in two mirrored, non-superimposable forms. And it’s a fascinating quirk
They say death and taxes are the only sure things in life, but is the former really so absolute and inescapable? After all, with considerable gains in human life expectancy, and scientists discovering new ways to reverse aging and potentially extend human lifespans, one could be forgiven for thinking that the legendary elixir of immortality
In the last 260 million years, dinosaurs came and went, Pangea split into the continents and islands we see today, and humans have quickly and irreversibly changed the world we live in. But through all of that, it seems Earth has been keeping time. A new study of ancient geological events suggests that our planet
The Hubble Space Telescope is currently offline. On Sunday 13 June, the telescope’s payload computer went offline, and engineers here on Earth are currently performing operations to get it up and running again. The payload computer, as you might expect, is vital to Hubble’s continued science operations. It’s the ‘brains’ of the instrument, coordinating and
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