Mysterious ‘mustached’ burial mounds in Kazakhstan date to the Middle Ages
Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered 10 kurgans, or burial mounds, dating to the Middle Ages, and some have “mustaches.”
TECH DEIYO
Science and Technolgy blog
Taylor Swift’s political endorsement: How powerful would it be? New study has a surprising answer
In a recent study published in American Politics Research, scholars examined whether Taylor Swift, one of the world’s most popular musicians, could influence young people’s views on a public policy issue. The study found that when Swift’s name was associated…
Bird flu reaches cows in California, the country’s largest milk producer
Enlarge / A cow grazes in a field at a dairy farm on April 26, 2024, in Petaluma, California. (credit: Getty | Justin Sullivan) The outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in US dairy cows has now spread to three herds…
50,000 ‘knots’ scattered throughout our DNA control gene activity
The mapping of 50,000 mysterious “knots” in the human genome may someday lead to the development of new cancer drugs, researchers say.
Horse domestication didn’t happen the way we think it did
New analyses of bones, teeth, genetics and artifacts suggest it’s time to revise a long-standing hypothesis for how humans domesticated horses.
Metal bats have pluses for young players, but in the end it comes down to skill
Enlarge / Washington State University scientists conducted batting cage tests of wood and metal bats with young players. (credit: YouTube/Baseball Bat Bros.) There’s long been a debate in baseball circles about the respective benefits and drawbacks of using wood bats…
TV viewers get screwed again as Disney channels are blacked out on DirecTV
Enlarge (credit: Disney) Disney-owned channels have been blacked out on DirecTV for the past two days because of a contract dispute, with both companies claiming publicly that they aren’t willing to budge much from their negotiating positions. Until it’s resolved,…
Ancient Egyptian head cones: Mysterious headgear that could be related to sensuality and fertility rituals
Archaeologists remain uncertain about the purpose of these head cones, but it appears that ancient Egyptians associated them with “sensuality, sexuality and related notions.”
Intel Core Ultra 200V promises Arm-beating battery life without compatibility issues
Enlarge (credit: Intel) Intel has formally announced its first batch of next-generation Core Ultra processors, codenamed “Lunar Lake.” The CPUs will be available in PCs beginning on September 24. Formally dubbed “Intel Core Ultra (Series 2),” these CPUs follow up…
Rust in Linux lead retires rather than deal with more “nontechnical nonsense”
Enlarge / Rust never sleeps. But Rust, the programming language, can be held at bay if enough kernel programmers aren’t interested in seeing it implemented. (credit: Getty Images) The Linux kernel is not a place to work if you’re not…
Oprah’s upcoming AI television special sparks outrage among tech critics
Enlarge / An ABC handout promotional image for “AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special.” (credit: ABC) On Thursday, ABC announced an upcoming TV special titled, “AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special.” The…
Childhood emotional abuse and neglect linked to frequent disturbed dreams in young adults
A recent study published in the journal Dreaming has shed new light on how emotional abuse and neglect during childhood can lead to frequent disturbed dreaming in young adults. The study found that individuals who experienced higher levels of emotional…
Cops’ favorite face image search engine fined $33M for privacy violation
Enlarge (credit: EyeEm Mobile GmbH | iStock / Getty Images Plus) A controversial facial recognition tech company behind a vast face image search engine widely used by cops has been fined approximately $33 million in the Netherlands for serious data…
Sony is shutting down Concord, refunding players after just two weeks
Enlarge / This team-based FPS combat scene was apparently too familiar to attract all that many players to Concord. (credit: Sony) Sony’s team-based online shooter Concord has been removed from sale and will be taken offline on Friday, September 6,…
Natural piezoelectric effect may build gold deposits
Enlarge / A lot of gold deposits are found embedded in quartz crystals. (credit: Pierre Longnus) One of the reasons gold is so valuable is because it is highly unreactive—if you make something out of gold, it keeps its lustrous…
Hyundai updates Ioniq 5 with bigger battery, Tesla-style port
Enlarge / The lifted, rugged, off-road version-of-normal trend has come to the Ioniq 5 with the new XLT. (credit: Hyundai) The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is one of our favorite electric vehicles. It offers excellent efficiency and really rapid charging, all…
YubiKeys are vulnerable to cloning attacks thanks to newly discovered side channel
Enlarge (credit: Yubico) The YubiKey 5, the most widely used hardware token for two-factor authentication based on the FIDO standard, contains a cryptographic flaw that makes the finger-size device vulnerable to cloning when an attacker gains brief physical access to…
Silver is being buried beneath the sea, and it’s all because of climate change, study finds
For the first time, researchers have linked the amount of silver being buried in marine sediments to human-made climate change.
Possible ‘mega’ fort found in Wales hints at tension between Romans and Celtics
The fort would have contained multiple buildings and was built sometime between the first and third centuries.
Moral character is shaped by self-view, reputation, and shared perceptions
Researchers have identified that perceptions of moral character are highly idiosyncratic and largely shaped by individual biases. This research was published in the Journal of Personality. Understanding what it means to possess strong moral character has intrigued psychologists for years.…
Starlink vows to defy Brazilian order that ISPs block Musk’s X platform
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | SOPA Images) Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband service said it would defy an order to block Musk’s X platform in Brazil after the country’s top court required Internet providers to block the site. SpaceX’s Starlink division,…
Sunspots surge to 23-year high as solar maximum continues to intensify far beyond initial expectations
The average number of visible dark patches on the sun’s surface in August was higher than any other month since September 2001. The final count was also more than twice as high as experts initially predicted it would be, demonstrating…
Kamikaze termites blow themselves up with ‘explosive’ backpacks — and scientists just figured out how
Kamikaze termites in French Guiana carry highly volatile toxic “rucksacks” that are ready to be deployed in an instant, when the termite needs to defend its colony.
Addiction study reveals distinct cognitive mechanisms behind different behaviors
A recent study published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions challenges the idea of a universal neurocognitive profile that could predict all types of addictive behaviors. The research found that while reward-related neurocognitive processes play a role in various non-substance-related…
Despite new clues, this ancient fish has stumped scientists for centuries
The 50-million-year-old Pegasus volans isn’t closely related to seamoths or oarfish, like some researchers have suggested. But what is it?
Bugs, performance issues hinder Huawei’s AI chips
Enlarge (credit: Barcroft Media | Getty Images) China’s efforts to match US computing power in artificial intelligence are being hampered by bug-ridden software, with customers of leading AI chipmaker Huawei complaining about performance issues and the difficulty of switching from…
Adolescents with smaller amygdala region of the brain have higher risk of developing ADHD
A study conducted in Hungary found that adolescents with a smaller volume in the amygdala region of the brain have a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They also tend to experience more severe symptoms of this disorder. The research…
A new book tackles AI hype – and how to spot it
In AI Snake Oil, two computer scientists set us straight on the power and limits of AI and offer advice for moving forward.
Aviron Strong Series Rower review
The Aviron Strong Series Rower makes rowing fun, but can this beast of a machine keep us coming back for more?
Prototype quantum processor boasts record 99.9% qubit fidelity
IQM’s quantum processor achieved 99.9% fidelity in recent tests, the company says. Here’s what that actually means.
CBD amplifies THC’s impact instead of mitigating it, new cannabis research reveals
A recent study published in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics challenges conventional wisdom about the interaction between cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), revealing that it may be not only incorrect but actually the opposite of what is commonly believed. Contrary to…
Did builders of Egypt’s first pyramid use a water-powered elevator?
Waterpower may have given a big lift to the builders of Egypt’s first pyramid. It was built for King Djoser, the first ruler of Egypt’s Third Dynasty. That was nearly 4,700 years ago. The structure’s stone platforms get smaller as…
Could this be the key to happiness? New research suggests so
A recent study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion sheds light on a key aspect of happiness: the role of passion and self-regulation in psychological well-being. The findings suggest that the happiest individuals are those who not only immerse…
The good and bad about the 2025 Volvo EX90, the company’s new electric SUV
Enlarge / After launching some smaller and cheaper electric vehicles, it was time for Volvo to push the boat out with a flagship SUV, the EX90. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin) Volvo provided flights from Washington to Orange County and accommodation so…
Earth from space: Warped ‘double rainbow’ glory appears next to rare cloud swirls over Mexican island
A 2012 satellite photo captured an unusual “double rainbow” glory appearing next to an unconnected chain of rare vortices in the clouds above Mexico’s Guadalupe Island.
Scientists piece together clues in a shark ‘murder mystery’
A missing porbeagle shark was likely killed by a great white. It’s the first known case of adult porbeagles being hunted by a predator, scientists say.
A really big shark got gobbled up by another, massive shark in 1st known case of its kind
A pregnant porbeagle shark is believed to have been eaten by a great white, with the larger predator swallowing its tracking device off the coast of Bermuda, scientists report.
Mothers shoulder the “mental load” of housework – and it’s impacting their well-being
When you think about housework, you likely think of actions: scrubbing the dishes, running errands, chopping vegetables for dinner. And it’s not news to say that mothers often shoulder the burden for most of those activities. But there’s an invisible…
Adolescents addicted to short-form videos tend to have more sleep problems and social anxiety
A study in China found that adolescents with more severe addiction to short-form videos tend to have worse sleep quality and higher levels of social anxiety. The paper was published in BMC Psychology. Short-form videos are brief, engaging videos that…
Earthquakes can trigger quartz into forming giant gold nuggets, study finds
Geologists have known for decades that gold forms in quartz with the help of earthquakes, but now they have worked out exactly how the setting and seismic waves combine to form large nuggets.
Electromagnetic fields could boost focus and learning, new research suggests
A recent study published in the journal Brain Research reveals intriguing evidence that exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) patterned after neural activity might enhance a mental state known as “flow” in individuals playing a computer game. The findings open up…
The New Glenn rocket’s second stage set to roll to the launch pad on Monday
Enlarge / Image of the New Glenn second stage on its mobile test stand. (credit: Blue Origin) Blue Origin plans to enter the final phase of its launch preparations for the New Glenn rocket on Monday by rolling the vehicle’s…
Summer-like heat is scorching the Southern Hemisphere — in winter
Warmer winters are fast becoming a global phenomenon and can affect everything from the food we grow to the spread of diseases.
Saturn at opposition: How to see the ringed planet at its biggest and brightest this week
Saturn will enter opposition on Sept. 7 and 8, orbiting on the opposite side of Earth as the sun. Here’s everything you need to know to spot Saturn at its peak size and brightness this week.
Long-term unemployment leads to disengagement and apathy, rather than efforts to regain control
New research published in the Journal of Personality reveals that prolonged unemployment is strongly correlated with loss of personal control and subsequent disengagement both psychologically and socially. The need for control is a fundamental aspect of human motivation, and when…
Here’s why some shooting stars have long-lasting afterglows
A shooting star is normally a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it event. That space rock, or meteor, leaves a fiery trail of light as it zips through the atmosphere. Then it’s gone. But sometimes, a lasting afterglow remains for minutes. For more than a…
World’s biggest battery coming to Maine — and it could store 130 million times more energy than your laptop
The battery storage system will be able to store 8,500 megawatt-hours of energy — which is 130 million times the capacity of the best laptops today.
Early galaxies weren’t mystifyingly massive after all, James Webb Space Telescope finds
‘The bottom line is, there is no crisis in terms of the standard model of cosmology.
Contact with nature has this heartening effect on our psychological disposition, scientists find
A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology suggests that spending time in nature can increase how much we see others as fully human. This effect is largely due to a sense of self-transcendence—a feeling of connection to…
Are people more honest when they’re drunk?
Drinking can change the brain in a way that makes people more likely to speak their mind, but the effects aren’t always straightforward.
