Science and Technolgy blog
Misinformation travels far and fast online, and according to new research published in Science, outrage is the fuel behind its spread. By examining millions of social media interactions, researchers found that misinformation sources consistently provoke more outrage than credible news,…
People who appreciate good astrophotography will no doubt be familiar with the work of Don Pettit, a veteran NASA astronaut who is closing in on having lived 500 days of his life in space. Pettit is now in the midst…
Amazon is gearing up to relaunch its Alexa voice-powered digital assistant as an artificial intelligence “agent” that can complete practical tasks, as the tech group races to resolve the challenges that have dogged the system’s AI overhaul. The $2.4 trillion…
United by Fire lays out key insights from the two largest blazes in Colorado history, the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires of 2020.
With an abundance of features and a very reasonable price, the Swift SW200 DL Compound Monocular Microscope is a brilliant all-rounder.
Recent research has found that Hispanic older adults who frequently attended religious services tended to experience a slower rate of cognitive decline. Interestingly, Hispanic older adults with higher levels of cognitive functioning were more likely to attend religious services with…
A new study implies that in the past, moons in our solar system may have had rings just like planets do — deepening the mystery of why no ringed moons exist today.
On any given day, SpaceX is probably launching a Falcon 9 rocket, rolling one out to the launch pad, or bringing one back into port. With three active Falcon 9 launch pads and an increasing cadence at the Starbase facility…
Amid doubts over a common decongestant, evidence suggests the placebo effect can still help people suffering from a cold.
Researchers identified genes that could explain why some assisted reproductive technologies, like IVF, carry a higher risk of growth and metabolic issues in offspring.
A recent study published in Health Affairs Scholar highlights a significant relationship between political ideologies at the state level and health outcomes across the United States. Analyzing data from 2012 to 2024, researchers found that states with more conservative political…
If you’re having trouble sleeping at night, have you tried to induce total existential dread by contemplating the end of the entire Universe? If not, here’s a rundown of five ideas exploring how “all there is” might become “nothing at…
Tobacco products are attracting fewer U.S. teen and tween users than at any other time in the last 25 years. The latest numbers come from the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, or NYTS. It collected data from January to May…
The cores of galaxies may not be made of what we thought, new research suggests — they could hold one giant, invisible star made of mysterious “fuzzy” matter.
A new way of measuring structures deep inside Earth has highlighted numerous previously unknown blobs within our planet’s mantle. These anomalies are surprisingly similar to sunken chunks of Earth’s crust but appear in seemingly impossible places.
Recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that large language models, such as ChatGPT-4, demonstrate an unexpected capacity to solve tasks typically used to evaluate the human ability known as “theory of mind.”…
A 2023 satellite image captured a pair of peculiar phenomena painting parallel swirls in the sea and sky around Norway’s Bear Island, which is surrounded by extremely radioactive waters left behind by a doomed Soviet submarine.
Blue Origin announced on Monday evening that it plans to make a second attempt to launch the New Glenn rocket at 1 am ET (06:00 UTC) on Tuesday. In the company’s short update, it confirmed earlier reporting by Ars that…
The onion supplier behind a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders this past fall had numerous health and sanitation violations, including employees with unwashed hands, dirty equipment, and puddles of Listeria bacteria. That’s according to a Food…
Men are more prone than women to exhibit sunk cost bias—the tendency to persist with an investment despite its disadvantages—when exposed to romantic cues, according to new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research. Surprisingly this effect is not…
Mastodon announced Monday that it’s shifting its structure over the next six months to become wholly owned by a European nonprofit organization—”affirming the intent that Mastodon should not be owned or controlled by a single individual.” This takes control of…
Astrocytes — named for their star-like shape — are a type of brain cell as abundant as neurons in the central nervous system, but little is known about their role in brain health and disease. Many neurological diseases are caused…
Scientists have demonstrated that an ancient human skull excavated from a tomb at Ephesos was not that of Arsinoë IV, half-sister to Cleopatra VII. Rather, it’s the skull of a young male between the ages of 11 and 14 from…
The New York law requiring Internet providers to offer cheap plans to people with low incomes will take effect on Wednesday this week following a multi-year court battle in which the state defeated broadband industry lobby groups. A US appeals…
When we first tested Super Cruise in 2018, the partially automated driver’s assist impressed us enough that we wanted to see it rolled out across as much of General Motors’ lineup as possible. Seven years later, our attitude toward such driver…
Neverwinter Nights came out in 2002 and received an enhanced edition in 2018. In 2024, that should really be it, but there’s something special about Bioware’s second dip into the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The energy from the game’s community is…
A new method for imaging tattoos reveals intricate designs on Chancay mummies from Peru.
Nintendo may be getting ready to make its Switch 2 console official. According to “industry whispers” collected by Eurogamer, as well as reporting from The Verge’s Tom Warren, the Switch 2 could be formally announced sometime this week. Eurogamer suggests…
A new study indicates that men with hypersexual disorder may have higher levels of maladaptive personality traits, such as negative affect, detachment, psychoticism, antagonism, and disinhibition, compared to healthy men. The paper was published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.…
After an app update rollout that can best be described as disastrous, Sonos is seeking a new CEO. The company announced today that Patrick Spence, who had been CEO for eight years, is stepping down. In its announcement, Sonos said…
After decades of study, scientists sound genuinely optimistic about the possibility of detecting primordial black holes, which might explain dark matter.
NOAA has declared that a La Niña is underway. This cool weather event is likely to be shorter and weaker than usual, but will still affect global weather and climate.
On Monday, the US government announced a new round of regulations on global AI chip exports, dividing the world into roughly three tiers of access. The rules create quotas for about 120 countries and allow unrestricted access for 18 close…
On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to decide whether to block lawsuits that Honolulu filed to seek billions in damages from oil and gas companies over allegedly deceptive marketing campaigns that hid the effects of climate change. Now those lawsuits…
Could generative AI chatbots make a meaningful contribution to mental health care? A study published in npj Mental Health Research suggests they could. Researchers conducted interviews with individuals who used chatbots such as ChatGPT for mental health support and found…
Baby Boomers may drive a drastic increase in dementia cases in coming decades, but there are steps people can take to reduce their risk.
Engineers have all the technology they need to make flying cars, but there are still some barriers to getting these sci-fi mainstays off the ground.
A joint Japanese-European mission to Mercury just made its sixth flyby of the planet, revealing stunning close-ups of the permanently shadowed craters at Mercury’s north pole.
Glioblastoma often kills within months. A new targeted radiation therapy may help patients live longer.
A woman buried with archery equipment in 10th-century Hungary is unusual but may not necessarily have been a warrior.
A series of studies published in the Journal of Personality & Social Psychology suggests that individuals who exhibit high self-control are perceived as more powerful and are more likely to be conferred power than those with low self-control. How self-control…
The well-preserved skull belongs to a never-before-seen species of sauropodomorph that potentially grew up to 33 feet long.
A number of new discoveries have been made near the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Egypt.
A NASA satellite has spotted frozen “kidney beans” on Mars’ sand dunes trapped in place until springtime. Photographing them can help us determine if there was ever enough water on Mars to sustain life.
An ecologist shares his passion for parasites. From their vital roles in nature, to strange super powers and extraordinarily complex life cycles, parasites are natural wonders worthy of protection.
The Spiking Neural Processor T1 is an AI chip that’s modeled on the way the brain detects patterns and could extend the battery life in smart devices.
A new study published in PLOS Digital Health highlights how smartphone navigation data could serve as a tool to identify individuals at risk of developing dementia. Researchers found that older adults with subjective cognitive decline—a condition linked to an increased…
Buzz! Your smart watch alerts you of a new social media post from a friend. She just shared a video of her dog jumping in mud. You comment: You probably don’t think at all about how that video got…
Aphantasia (noun, “Ay-fan-TAYZ-yah”) Aphantasia is a condition where people do not visualize, or “see,” images in their minds. Instead, they think using words, numbers or ideas. Aphantasia is not a disability. It’s just a different way of processing information and…
This anthropomorphic clay tablet was likely used in an ancient ritual by the Jōmon culture in Japan.
