Science and Technolgy blog
As fires spread with alarming speed through the Pacific Palisades region of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, a local TV news crew recorded a mountain lion trailed by two young cubs running through a neighborhood north of the fire. The…
Astronauts face unique challenges during space missions, and their sleep patterns are no exception. A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard College, Harvard Medical School, and NASA Ames Research Center sheds new light on how spaceflight reshapes astronauts’ sleep…
US President Donald Trump swore his oath of office on Monday, ascending yet again to the head of the federal government. As widely expected, he signed a swath of executive orders on his first day, many aimed at upending existing…
Thanks to climate change, thawing permafrost in the Canadian Arctic has revealed the buried remnant of a glacier that’s 770,000 years old.
The world’s fastest supercomputer ‘El Capitan’ can reach a peak performance of 2.746 exaFLOPS, making it the planet’s third exascale computer.
A large study of adults with ADHD found that 60% of these individuals reported some type of sleep disorder. Specifically, 36% reported having problems falling asleep (delayed sleep onset), 31% reported insomnia, and 29% reported restless legs syndrome/periodic limb movement…
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Frodo Baggins travels through the Dead Marshes on his way to fulfill his quest: to destroy a very powerful ring. As Frodo plods along, sidestepping eerie flames that burn on the…
Say you’re an archaeologist, and you’re studying an ancient skeleton, pair of pants or piece of poop. You want to know just how old that object is, so you can see where it fits into history. But how can you…
Newly described scorpion can spray and inject its venom — the first South American species known to do this.
How’s your knowledge of Earth’s geology? Flat, round or global?
New research published in Affective Science sheds light on how preferences for digital communication over face-to-face interaction are connected to social anxiety in adolescents. Using a novel neurophysiological marker called delta-beta coupling, the study shows that teenagers who rely heavily…
A stunning composite image, made up of three years’ worth of satellite photos, shows the ancient lava of Libya’s Haruj volcanic field interspersed with patches of golden sand.
On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order to withdrawal the US from the World Health Organization, a process that requires a one-year notice period as set out in a 1948 Joint Resolution of Congress. Trump…
A report from Mark Gurman in Bloomberg makes the very reasonable suggestion that automatic email categorization in Apple Mail, already present since iOS 18 arrived on the iPhone, is coming to Macs and iPads in a few months. The feature…
For decades, we have been imaging the surface of Mars with ever-finer resolution, cataloging a huge range of features on its surface, studying their composition, and, in a few cases, dispatching rovers to make on-the-ground readings. But a catalog of…
I have one standard rack appliance in my home: a Unifi Dream Machine Pro. It is mounted horizontally in a coat closet, putting it close to my home’s fiber input and also incidentally keeping our jackets gently warm. I can…
Fast and complex multi-finger movements generated by the hand exoskeleton. Credit: Shinichi Furuya Fast and complex multi-finger movements generated by the hand exoskeleton. Credit: Shinichi Furuya When it comes to fine-tuned motor skills like playing the piano, practice, they say,…
Veterinarians in the Washington, DC region have been put on alert for any unusual illnesses in their non-human patients amid today’s presidential inauguration—a nod to the significance of potential zoonotic bioterror threats. In a recent letter to Virginia veterinarians, the…
Astronomers have been confounded by recent evidence that the universe expanded at different rates throughout its life. New findings risk turning the tension into a crisis, scientists say.
Our bodies rely on their lymphatic system to drain excessive fluids and remove waste from tissues, feeding those back into the blood stream. It’s a complex yet efficient cleaning mechanism that works in every organ except the brain. “When cells…
A large new study has shed light on the wider health impacts of taking Ozempic-style drugs.
There are many megaliths around the world, some of which rival Stonehenge for their size and age.
A study of adolescents found that individuals with low levels of emotional clarity who also exhibited higher levels of the inflammatory markers interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein were more likely to experience severe symptoms of depression five months later. The paper…
From the flamboyant blossoms and birds of rainforests to the living rainbows of coral reefs, Earth’s surface is teeming with life. But some of its most diverse and fascinating biomes are thriving in the darkness below. We used to think…
When ya gotta go, ya gotta go, and if it sometimes seems like the urge to pee seems more pressing when others nearby are letting loose—well, there’s now a bit of science to back that up. It turns out that…
The first study of copycat urination in an animal documents how one chimpanzee peeing prompts others to follow suit. Now researchers are exploring why.
USGS researchers have unveiled the first map of prospective locations for hydrogen gas in the contiguous United States — and there’s a lot more than they previously thought.
A little penguin colony in Australia struggles during years with high penguin divorce rates, but the divorcees could have more offspring in the long run if they find better mates, a new study finds.
People often go to the bathroom in groups, and according to new research chimpanzees do the same, possibly to strengthen group social bonds.
Elon Musk has objected to a lack of reciprocity in the US-China tech relationship, a rare criticism from the billionaire on issues sensitive to Beijing after US president-elect Donald Trump prepared to offer a reprieve to TikTok on a ban…
With just hours left in office, President Joe Biden has issued a preemptive pardon for Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert. For nearly four decades, Fauci directed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He advised seven presidents,…
TikTok disappeared for a portion of the weekend, following a Supreme Court decision that upheld a 2024 federal law requiring the app to cease operations in the US unless it was sold by its Chinese owner, ByteDance. TikTok is gradually…
The Sydney funnel-web spider has extremely dangerous venom, but according to a new study this spider is actually three different species — one of which, the “Newcastle big boy,” is much larger.
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently published a study in PLOS ONE examining the effects of short video usage on elementary school students’ academic performance in China. The study found a negative relationship between short video usage and…
Some 6,500 light-years from Earth lurks a zombie star. It’s cloaked in long tendrils of hot sulfur. Skywatchers saw this star go supernova nearly 900 years ago. No one knows just how that explosion formed the tendrils now surrounding the…
Regolith (noun, “RAY-go-lith”) Regolith is the layer of loose rocks and dust on the surface of moons, asteroids and rocky planets — including Earth. This blanket of fine material comes from forces that break down or transform rock. On Earth,…
We think the Peloton Bike is nothing short of excellent, with a genuinely game-changing app that’s well-suited for those who struggle with workout motivation
A lavish 9,000-year-old grave in central Germany revealed the burial of a powerful female shaman.
The saying “weak in the knees” may be figurative for many, but can it really happen to people?
Black holes that have been obscured by clouds of dust still emit infrared light, enabling astronomers to spot them for the very first time.
In a study published in Psychological Science, researchers uncovered differences in personality traits and life satisfaction between lifelong singles and those who have been in romantic relationships. Lifelong singles reported lower levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, and life satisfaction compared to…
A helmet up for auction in London is a well-preserved example of the “Corinthian” helmets used by many hoplite warriors.
How does creeping stress ignite a cataclysmic earthquake? A new study has answers.
An analysis of data from the National Survey of Children’s Health has found that physically inactive children exhibit higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to their physically active peers. This trend was especially pronounced in children with autism and…
Twenty years ago, the Huygens probe achieved humanity’s first landing on a moon in the outer solar system when it touched down on Titan.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive head trauma. Here’s how it affects the brain and who is most at risk.
A recent study published in the Journal of Public Economics provides evidence that Fox News Channel has had a profound influence on American political preferences and election outcomes from 2000 to 2020. The research demonstrates that increased Fox News viewership…
An object eight times the mass of Jupiter may have swooped around the sun, coming superclose to Mars’ present-day orbit before shoving four of the solar system’s planets onto a different course.
A study examining the effects of virtual reality cognitive training on Chinese adolescents with mild to moderate depression found that participants’ cognitive performance improved after treatment, and depressive symptoms decreased as well. The research was published in Psychiatry Research. Individuals…
Archaeologists and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people are shedding new light on a series of enigmatic earth rings located in southeastern Australia.
