How Many Stars Are There in the Milky Way? In the Universe?
Look up at the sky on a clear night, and you’ll see thousands of stars – about 6,000 or so. But that’s only a tiny…
The Conversation News
Imagine Regrowing Lost Limbs – It’s a Step Closer With New Treatment That Helped Frogs Regenerate Amputated Legs
A new treatment helped frogs regenerate their amputated legs – taking science one step closer to helping people regrow their body parts, too. Our bodies…
How mRNA and DNA Vaccines Could Soon Treat Cancer, HIV, Genetic Diseases, and More
The two most successful coronavirus vaccines developed in the U.S. – the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines – are both mRNA vaccines. The idea of using…
Monumental Project Underway To Sequence the Genome of Every Complex Species on Earth
The Earth Biogenome Project is ramping up. It’s a global consortium that aims to sequence the genomes of all complex life on earth (some 1.8…
How Much Candy Do Americans Eat in a Year?
From sweet treats to holiday indulgences, candy plays a big role in American culture, with consumption surging around Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Easter, and Christmas. Sugar,…
How 5G Wireless Service Puts Airplanes at Risk – An Electrical Engineer Explains
New high-speed cellphone services have raised concerns of interference with aircraft operations, particularly as aircraft are landing at airports. The Federal Aviation Administration has assured…
Long COVID: Lasting Effects for the 1 in 10 COVID-19 Patients Who Become Long-Haulers
Even as the unpredictable rise and fall of COVID-19 infections continues at home and around the world, a new and ugly pandemic-related problem is emerging….
CORBEVAX: New Patent-Free COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be a Pandemic Game Changer Globally
The world now has a new COVID-19 vaccine in its arsenal, and at a fraction of the cost per dose. Two years into the COVID-19…
Alpha, Delta and Now Omicron – 6 Critical Questions Answered As COVID-19 Cases Surge Across the Globe
“The Conversation” Editor’s note: The omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has fueled a rapid surge in cases globally. We asked a…
The Big Bang: How Could Something Come From Nothing?
READER QUESTION: My understanding is that nothing comes from nothing. For something to exist, there must be material or a component available, and for them…
Plant-Based Doesn’t Always Mean Healthy – Especially When It Comes to Vegan “Meat”
It hasn’t been that long since the new year started and people are still thinking about their resolutions and goals for 2022. Many opt for…
Myocarditis: COVID-19 Is a Much Bigger Risk to the Heart Than Vaccines
The heart has played a central role in COVID-19 since the beginning. Cardiovascular conditions are among the highest risk factors for hospitalization. A significant number…
2021 – A Year Physicists Asked, “What Lies Beyond the Standard Model?”
If you ask a physicist like me to explain how the world works, my lazy answer might be: “It follows the Standard Model.” The Standard…
Standard Model of Particle Physics: The Absolutely Amazing Theory of Almost Everything
The Standard Model. It is such a dull name for the most accurate scientific theory known to human beings. More than a quarter of the…
Not All Calories Are Equal – A Dietitian Explains How the Kinds of Foods You Eat Matter to Your Body
A calorie is a calorie is a calorie, at least from a thermodynamic standpoint. It’s defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the…
Where Are Memories Stored in the Brain? They May Be in the Connections Between Your Brain Cells
All memory storage devices, from your brain to the RAM in your computer, store information by changing their physical qualities. Over 130 years ago, pioneering…
Asteroids, the Moon and Mars: Spectacular Space Missions To Look Forward to in 2022
Astronomers ended 2021 on a high with the launch on December 25 of the James Webb Space Telescope, a joint mission between the European Space…
Don’t Look Up: Several Asteroids Are Heading Towards Earth – Dealing With Real-Life Threats to Our Planet
Don’t look now – but we are currently experiencing a rash of stories about a forthcoming global catastrophe. But in a change from reports of…
