X-rays from nuclear blasts could defend Earth from asteroids
The X-ray pulses could deflect asteroids up to 4 kilometers wide, a new study suggests.
TECH DEIYO
Science and Technolgy blog
‘Martian dog’ and dozens of other mysterious blobs found hiding under Mars’ north pole in new ‘gravity map’
A new map that details gravitational anomalies on Mars has revealed 20 mysteriously dense blobs, including a dog-shaped mass, buried below the planet’s north pole. And researchers have no clear idea where they came from.
Study reveals how both bright and dark personality traits predict criminality
A new study published in Scientific Reports has revealed that a combination of “bright” and “dark” personality traits may help predict criminal behavior, including both first-time offenses and recidivism. Researchers found that higher levels of emotional instability (neuroticism), risk-taking (openness),…
US to ban Chinese connected car software and hardware, citing security risks
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) The US government is readying its latest measure to defend local automotive manufacturing. In May, US President Joe Biden levied new 100 percent tariffs targeted at specific Chinese automakers. Now, the US Commerce Department is set…
Can our stockpiles of Tamiflu protect against a bird flu pandemic?
Enlarge / A box and a tablet of Roche Pharmaceuticals’ Tamiflu pills for influenza. (credit: Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Since reports emerged earlier this year that dairy cows across the country had been infected with H5N1 bird flu, the…
Lost Biblical tree resurrected from 1,000-year-old mystery seed found in the Judean Desert
Scientists have grown an ancient seed from a cave in the Judean Desert into a tree — and it could belong to a locally-extinct species with medicinal properties mentioned several times in the Bible.
Can magic mushrooms mend the mind? Researchers map psilocybin’s mysterious brain effects — but key questions remain
Many studies have suggested that psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, might be useful in treating a variety of mental health conditions. But we don’t really know what’s going on at the level of “functional brain networks” – the…
A Chinese rocket narrowly missed a landing on Sunday—the video is amazing
Enlarge / The Nebula-1 rocket just before attempting to land on Sunday. (credit: Deep Blue Aerospace) A Chinese space startup conducted what it called a “high-altitude” test flight of its Nebula-1 rocket on Sunday, launching the vehicle to an altitude…
By studying the eyes, a researcher explores how the brain sorts information
Freek van Ede seeks to understand how the brain selects information to plan for the future. He’s finding clues in the tiny movements people make with their eyes.
A biogeochemist is tracking the movements of toxic mercury pollution
Exposing the hidden movements of mercury through the environment can help reduce human exposure.
A materials scientist seeks to extract lithium from untapped sources
Lithium is an essential ingredient for batteries in electric vehicles but getting enough will become a problem.
This engineer’s light-based computers take inspiration from the brain
Physicist and engineer Bhavin Shastri is working to create the first photonic computer modeled after the human brain.
Why this physicist is bringing thermodynamics to the quantum age
Like a steampunk fantasy-world, which pairs high-tech with an old-timey setting, Nicole Yunger Halpern melds old and new science.
A cell biologist is investigating the balance of brain flexibility, stability
Andrea Gomez, a Berkeley molecular and cell biologist, applies her wide-ranging curiosity to brains’ mysteries ranging from synapses to psychedelics.
This biophysicist’s work could one day let doctors control immune cells
The Stanford biophysicist thinks that understanding the mechanics of cell movement could allow scientists to manipulate immune cells.
This researcher studies how misinformation seeps into science and politics
The world is awash in information. Communications researcher Yotam Ophir digs into news articles and survey results to show how beliefs form and spread.
HIV and illicit drugs are a bad mix. This scientist found an unexpected reason why
The neuroscientist considers themself an outsider, which allows them to embrace people who have been marginalized, including people who have HIV.
10 early-career scientists tackling some of the biggest problems of today
For the ninth year, Science News honors researchers in its SN 10: Scientists to Watch list.
9,000-year-old rock art of people swimming in what’s now the arid Sahara
This series of paintings, found inside a cave in the Sahara, shows a pair of swimmers.
New research identifies a hormonal imbalance linked to PTSD
A recent study published in Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology provides insight into the biological mechanisms that may underlie post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers found that individuals diagnosed with PTSD showed reduced levels of the hormone oxytocin and elevated levels of vasopressin, a…
Tandem OLED is OLED’s latest weapon in holding off MicroLED, QDEL
Enlarge / Like a Tandem bicycle, Tandem OLED doubles certain components for exciting momentum. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) Tandem OLED has been around for years, but Apple made the technology feel new and shiny when it announced that…
Analyze This: Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is shrinking
Centuries ago, astronomers observed a dark oval — nicknamed the Permanent Spot — on Jupiter. It was located at the same latitude, or distance from Jupiter’s equator, where the giant windstorm known as the Great Red Spot swirls today. Researchers…
Scientists Say: THC
THC (noun, “T-H-C”) THC is a chemical found in the plant cannabis, or marijuana. THC is short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. It is the compound mainly responsible for cannabis’s psychoactive effects. That is, effects that change how a person thinks, feels or…
2,700-year-old shields and helmet from ancient kingdom unearthed at castle in Turkey
The martial artifacts found at the temple complex were likely offerings that an ancient kingdom made to their chief god.
James Webb Telescope goes ‘extreme’ and spots baby stars at the edge of the Milky Way (image)
The James Webb Space Telescope has taken things to the extreme, studying the outer edge of our own galaxy, the Milky Way and producing a stunning new image.
Scientists reveal serotonin’s role in reward anticipation and value encoding
A recent study published in The Journal of Neuroscience sheds new light on how serotonin, a neurotransmitter often linked to mood regulation, influences reward anticipation and value encoding in the brain. Researchers found that serotonin is released not only when…
Why can’t you suffocate by holding your breath?
The human body has a number of mechanisms that prevent you from holding your breath until you suffocate.
Disputed tags on election misinformation can backfire among Trump supporters
A recent study published in the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review explored the effectiveness of Twitter’s “disputed” tags in combating misinformation about election fraud during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The researchers found that these tags, which were designed to…
Oxytocin sensitivity influences women’s responses to infant cuteness
A new study published in Hormones and Behavior has shed light on how women respond to baby faces. The research suggests that infants with more pronounced “baby schema” features—such as chubby cheeks—are perceived as cuter and tend to elicit stronger…
Blood sugar fluctuations after eating play an important role in anxiety and depression
The proverbial “sugar high” that follows the ingestion of a sweet treat is a familiar example of the potentially positive effects of food on mood. On the flip side, feeling “hangry” – the phenomenon where hunger manifests in the form…
Long COVID fatigue tied to brain connectivity patterns, study finds
A new study published in Psychiatry Research explores the relationship between fatigue in Long COVID and specific patterns of brain connectivity. Researchers observed that fatigue, one of the most common and debilitating symptoms in Long COVID patients, is associated with…
When you call a restaurant, you might be chatting with an AI host
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Juj Winn) A pleasant female voice greets me over the phone. “Hi, I’m an assistant named Jasmine for Bodega,” the voice says. “How can I help?” “Do you have patio seating,” I ask. Jasmine sounds…
Did Roman gladiators really fight to the death?
Being a Roman gladiator was a bloody business, but did all gladiators really fight to the death?
Space photo of the week: Entangled galaxies form cosmic smiley face in new James Webb telescope image
A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows Arp 107, home to two merging galaxies, with two bright cores and a “bridge” of dust and gas forming a cosmic smiley face.
How do we really think about infinity? New research offers insights
A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition suggests that people do not perceive the infinity symbol (∞) as representing an endless and boundless concept. Instead, individuals often misconstrue it as a concrete number…
Belief in alien visits to Earth is spiralling out of control
The idea that aliens may have visited the Earth is becoming increasingly popular. Around a fifth of UK citizens believe Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials, and an estimated 7% believe that they have seen a UFO. The figures are…
Exercise clothing satisfaction influences body confidence and exercise motivation in plus-size women
A new study finds that women who wear plus-size exercise clothing experience a contingent relationship between their apparel and physical activity motivation, with dissatisfaction leading to avoidance of exercise. This research was published in Sex Roles. Previous research has shown…
High-pitched female voices encourage male risk-taking, but only if men think it boosts their attractiveness
Two experiments in China examined the effects of female voice pitch on male risk-taking behavior. One experiment indicated that high-pitched female voices made men more likely to take risks. The second experiment showed this effect occurred only when men believed…
South African rock art of mystery creature ‘strangely flexed like a banana’ might be tusked reptile that predated dinosaurs
Cave art created by the San, the indigenous hunter-gatherers of South Africa’s Karoo region, may have been inspired by fossils of long-extinct reptiles.
Vaporizing plastics recycles them into nothing but gas
Enlarge (credit: Derek Berwin) Our planet is choking on plastics. Some of the worst offenders, which can take decades to degrade in landfills, are polypropylene—which is used for things such as food packaging and bumpers—and polyethylene, found in plastic bags,…
Antechinus: The tiny marsupials where males have sex until they die — then females eat their corpses
All species in the antechinus genus have the same frenzied mating system, where males have sex until they die from organ failure, then the females gobble up their corpses.
Obesity reduces testosterone and sperm count by disrupting brain circuits
A recent study published in The Journal of Neuroscience sheds light on how obesity can disrupt reproductive health in males by altering brain circuitry. The research used mice fed a high-fat diet to mimic human obesity and found that it…
European leadership change means new adversaries for Big Tech
Enlarge If the past five years of EU tech rules could take human form, they would embody Thierry Breton. The bombastic commissioner, with his swoop of white hair, became the public face of Brussels’ irritation with American tech giants, touring…
New psychology study reveals we overestimate the consequences of declining social invitations
New research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers some reassuring insights for anyone who has ever hesitated to decline an invitation to a social event. The study found that people tend to overestimate the negative consequences…
3 remarkable spiders: A vegetarian, a vampire and a predator that uses ‘pincer, fork and key’
In this extract from “The Lives of Spiders: A Natural History of the World’s Spiders,” author Ximena Nelson examines three species of spider with unusual diets — plants, blood and pillbugs.
When was steel invented?
No one knows for sure when steel was invented, but some of the earliest examples crop up in the first millennium B.C. in Central and South Asia.
Science news this week: Spiders on Mars and an ancient Egyptian sword
Sept. 21, 2024: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
NASA has a fine plan for deorbiting the ISS—unless Russia gets in the way
Enlarge / This photo of the International Space Station was captured by a crew member on a Soyuz spacecraft. (credit: NASA/Roscosmos) A little more than two years ago, Dmitry Rogozin, the bellicose former head of Russia’s space agency, nearly brought…
How breaking up Google could lower your online shopping bill
Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson) As the US Department of Justice aims to break up Google’s alleged ad tech monopoly, experts say that remedies sought in the antitrust trial could potentially benefit not just advertisers and publishers but also everyone targeted…
Human cases of raccoon parasite may be your best excuse to buy a flamethrower
Enlarge / Young raccoon looking out from a tree. (credit: Getty | Camerique) If you were looking for a reason to keep a flamethrower around the house, you may have just found one. This week, the Los Angeles County health…
