Freak Coincidence: The Curious Incident of Swarm and Sprites in the Night-Time
We are all familiar with the bolts of lightning that accompany heavy storms. While these flashes originate in storm clouds and strike downwards, a much…
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Gorgeous New Sun Science Stamps Highlight a Decade of Sun-Watching From Space
To start off the summer, the U.S. Postal Service issued a set of stamps highlighting views of the Sun from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Showcasing…
Scientists Discover a New Genetic Mutation That Distinguishes Modern Humans From Neanderthals
Skoltech scientists and their colleagues from Germany and the United States have analyzed the metabolomes of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques in muscle, kidney, and three…
Massive “Doomsday Glacier” May Be More Stable Than Initially Feared
Study sheds light on the future of the massive Thwaites Glacier. The world’s largest ice sheets may be in less danger of sudden collapse than…
Biologists Raise Alarm: Brain Damage Caused by Even Small Amounts of Plasticizers
The plasticizers contained in many everyday objects can impair important brain functions in humans. Biologists from the University of Bayreuth warn of this danger in…
Cosmic Mystery Deepens: Oddball “See-Through” Galaxy’s Missing Dark Matter
Precise Distance to Galaxy Bolsters Missing Dark Matter Claim What if oceanographers found the “tip” of an iceberg and nothing else? Mysteriously missing was the…
Drive to Destruction: Simulating Burn-Up During Atmospheric Reentry
Simulating the burn-up during atmospheric reentry of one of the bulkiest items aboard a typical satellite using a plasma wind tunnel. This Solar Array Drive…
Engineers Develop a New Water Treatment Technology That Could Also Help Mars Explorers
A catalyst that destroys perchlorate in water could clean Martian soil. A team led by University of California Riverside engineers has developed a catalyst to remove…
NASA, NOAA Scientists: Earth’s Energy Imbalance Has Doubled
Researchers have found that Earth’s energy imbalance approximately doubled during the 14-year period from 2005 to 2019. Earth’s climate is determined by a delicate balance…
Weird Spider Hair Discovery May Inspire Powerful – Yet Reversible – Adhesives
Engineers impressed by the functional great diversity of hairs on spider legs. Just how do spiders walk straight up — and even upside-down across —…
Solving a Long-Standing Biological Mystery: How Cells Measure Themselves
Ever since scientists discovered cells under the microscope more than 350 years ago, they have noted that each type of cell has a characteristic size….
New Species of Giant Rhino – the Largest Land Mammal That Ever Lived – Offers Clues to a Long-Running Mystery
The giant rhino, Paraceratherium, is considered the largest land mammal that ever lived and was mainly found in Asia, especially China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan. How…
An Acceleration of Coastal Overtopping Around the World – By Up to 50x
By combining satellite data and digital models, the researchers have shown that coastal overtopping, and consequently the risk of flooding, is set to further accelerate…
Dark Matter “Counterweight” Is Slowing the Spin of the Milky Way’s Galactic Bar
The spin of the Milky Way’s galactic bar, which is made up of billions of clustered stars, has slowed by about a quarter since its…
COVID-19 Creates Conditions for Emergence of Invasive “Superfungus” in Brazil
Fully occupied intensive care units (ICUs). Physically and mentally exhausted health workers. Chaotically overcrowded hospitals. These and similar problems posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in…
Experts Predict Wind Energy Costs to Drop Significantly in the Future
Technology and commercial advancements are expected to continue to drive down the cost of wind energy, according to a survey led by Lawrence Berkeley National…
Scientists See the Invisible: How Butterflies Make Transparent Wings
Many animals have evolved camouflage tactics for self-defense, but some butterflies and moths have taken it even further: They’ve developed transparent wings, making them almost…
Coelacanths – Enormous Fish That Live Deep in the Ocean – May Live Nearly a Century
Coelacanths may live five times longer than researchers expected. Once thought to be extinct, lobe-finned coelacanths are enormous fish that live deep in the ocean….