Today's Science News
July 27, 2024
This Week In Space podcast: This Week In Space podcast: Episode 121 —An Exploding Star Near You! - On Episode 121 of This Week In Space, Rod and Tariq discuss a star about to go nova with astrophysicist Carlos Badenes.Genes Impact On Psychology and How They Influence Your Behavior - Whether genes are able to compromise between their competing interests can have consequences for development.
'Double' meteor shower will light up the skies next week. Here's how to watch. - As Earth's orbit intersects with those of two comets this month, stargazers will have a chance to view spectacular double meteor showers.
Lego sets up 'space station' at San Diego Comic-Con, offers mission crew patch - Lego is recruiting new members for its "mission crew," issuing rocket builders with an exclusive mission patch at this year's San Diego Comic-Con.
LIVE: NASA is with you from Oshkosh - Welcome to NASA Aeronautics’ live update page with news about NASA events and other festivities taking place throughout the week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024, which we simply call Oshkosh.
Floating LEAVES Could Characterize Venus’s Atmosphere - Venus’s atmosphere has drawn a lot of attention lately.
Has NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance found evidence of ancient life? - A leopard-spotted rock discovered by Perseverance rover on Mars might hold the key to the ongoing search for potential signs of ancient life.
Sun bear: The little carnivores that look so similar to humans they've been mistaken for people wearing costumes - Sun bears often stand upright like humans, and mothers even walk around cradling their babies in their arms.
Future chips could swap silicon for faster and more efficient 2D crystal semiconductor full of useful atomic 'defects' - Next generation of computer chips could ditch silicon for TMD — a 2D material that is embedded with 'defects' which can be harnessed to improve performance.
Earth is wobbling and days are getting longer — and humans are to blame - New studies, which utilized AI to monitor the effects of climate change on Earth's spin, have shown that our days are getting increasingly longer and that our planet will get more wobbly in the future.
Musical Memories Don’t Fade with Age - Eighty-year-olds are able to identify familiar tunes just as well as teenagers can
It’s not just us: Other animals change their social habits in old age - Long-term studies reveal what elderly deer, sheep, and macaques are up to in their later years.
World's largest telescope continues taking shape on Chilean mountain (photos) - The dome enclosing the world's largest visible- and infrared-light telescope is taking shape with the installation of protective siding and supports for the primary mirror.
What's the most dangerous sport in the world? - It's hard to compare sports head-to-head, but some stand out in terms of their risk of causing injury or death.
Otherworldly video captures rare jellyfish with a hitchhiker in its bell - Amazing new footage shows a rare Deepstaria jellyfish with a resident isopod in its bell off the coast of Chile.
Will we ever reach Alpha Centauri, our closest neighboring star system? - Visiting our nearest stellar neighbor will take near-light-speed travel.
Update your Desktop Wallpaper with 25 New Images from Chandra - It’s not always possible to observe the night sky from the surface of the Earth.
SpaceX Resumes Falcon 9 Rocket Launches After FAA Go-Ahead - SpaceX is flying again after the Federal Aviation Administration ruled that the company can resume Falcon 9 rocket launches while the investigation into a failed July 11 mission continues.
SpaceX roars back to orbit barely two weeks after in-flight anomaly - "It was incredible to see how quickly the team was able to identify the cause of the mishap."
New process uses light and enzymes to create greener chemicals - Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) have achieved a significant breakthrough that could lead to better—and greener—agricultural chemicals and everyday products.
Tonga eruption entombed deep-sea life in ash - When Hunga erupted in 2022, ash "decimated" slow-moving species living on the seafloor.
Hottest day record smashed in 24 hours as wildfires rage - The world has broken a record for hottest day set just 24 hours beforehand.
An undersea eruption rocked the Aegean 520,000 years ago - Scientists discovered an unknown volcanic eruption that rocked the seafloor in the Aegean more than 500,000 years ago.
Lifting the veil on Tycho Brahe’s secret alchemy lab - Despite living just before the invention of the telescope, the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe made huge contributions to European astronomy.
12 game-changing moments in the history of AI - From Alan Turing's seminal paper to the advent of ChatGPT, here are 12 pivotal moments in the history of artificial intelligence.
July 26, 2024
'It gave me goosebumps': Most powerful gamma ray burst ever detected hid a secret, scientists say - Scientists have found a mysterious signal in the brightest gamma ray burst ever detected, and now they know what caused it.NASA astronauts hold their own Summer Olympics in space (video) - NASA astronauts held their own mini-Olympics on the International Space Station to mark the start of the Summer Games here on Earth.
12,500-year-old rock art 'canvas' in the Amazon reveals early Americans' connection with wildlife - Thousands of ochre rock drawings, including images of humans and animals morphing into one another, offer a striking glimpse at early life in the Amazon.
People are overdosing on off-brand weight-loss drugs, FDA warns - Bad math and unclear directions are behind overdoses of up to 20 times the normal amount.
Jupiter’s Incredible Shrinking Spot - Earth’s meteorology could explain what’s behind the great red whorl’s waning.
SpaceX's historic Polaris Dawn astronaut mission delayed until mid-August - SpaceX is now eyeing mid- to late August for the launch of the Polaris Dawn astronaut mission, which will feature the first-ever private spacewalk.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Discovers a Rock That May Contain Alien Microfossils - Mysterious “leopard spots” on a Martian rock could be evidence of extraterrestrial life—or of mere lifeless chemistry.
NASA nears decision on what to do with Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft - Boeing won't start flying operational crew missions with Starliner until a year from now.
A moon of Uranus could have a hidden ocean, James Webb Space Telescope finds - Astronomers have found that Ariel, a moon of Uranus, has some of the most carbon dioxide-rich deposits in the solar system, hinting at a buried water ocean.
The CDC’s Test for Bird Flu Works, but It Has Issues - Flaws in the CDC's H5N1 test highlight the risks of relying on a single test supplier, some experts say
Extreme Heat Kills Hundreds of Thousands Worldwide Each Year - Hundreds of thousands of people die from extreme temperatures every year, more than any other type of weather disaster
Sun blasts out most powerful flare of current solar cycle, sends massive coronal mass ejection into space (video) - A solar flare on July 23 was even bigger than a previous one that triggered May's global aurora storm, but this one was facing away from Earth on the far side of the sun.
Three NASA Interns Expand Classroom Access to NASA Data - This summer, NASA welcomed interns with professional teaching experience to help make the agency’s data more interactive and accessible in the classroom.
'Wonderlab' host Emily Calandrelli will fly to suborbital space with Blue Origin - The Space Gal is headed into orbit, as part of Space for Humanity's Citizen Astronaut Program.
From stars to oceans: the impact of penetrative turbulence on climate science - Turbulence, especially penetrative turbulence, plays a crucial role in weather prediction and climate change studies.
Astronomers find first emission spectra in brightest GRB of all time - Chance that first detected emission line is a noise fluctuation is one in half a billion.
Astronauts find their tastes dulled, and a VR ISS hints at why - The visual environment of the ISS seems to influence people's experience of food.
Barbie movie “may have spurred interest in gynecology,” study finds - The movie apparently sparked some questions.
NASA Returns to Arctic Studying Summer Sea Ice Melt - What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic, and a new NASA mission is helping improve data modeling and increasing our understanding of Earth’s rapidly changing climate.
Novel gene writing technology enables all-RNA-mediated targeted gene integration in human cells - In a Cell study, Chinese researchers developed RNA-based gene-writing tech for precise human gene integration.
Cheesemaking Is a Complex Science – A Food Chemist Explains - Storing cheese wheels to let them age intensifies the flavor.
How Do Animals Change Their Social Habits as They Age? - In patterns that may sound familiar, long-term studies reveal what elderly deer, sheep and macaques are up to in their twilight years
Clues to first mandibles on earth in taco-shaped arthropod - A taco-shaped arthropod which has long eluded classification has finally been identified as one of the first creatures to have mandibles.
Are Sharks Ingesting Bales of Cocaine and Other Pollutants? - Learn what researchers are saying about the dangers of cocaine bales and other pollutants found in the ocean for sharks and other species.
With ‘Digital Twins,’ The Doctor Will See You Now - By creating digital twins of patients, Amanda Randles wants to bring unprecedented precision to medical forecasts.
Searching for New Bacterial Therapeutics Amongst Microbial Neighbors - A member of the lung microbiota releases a peptide that hinders the respiratory pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Tagging Seals With Sensors Helps Scientists Track Ocean Currents - Seals are great swimmers, which makes them a great candidate for collecting ocean data.
New aerospace and building materials could repair themselves thanks to fungi and bacteria - Researchers are using biological matter to create unique new materials that can adapt to their environment and repair themselves.
How “intelligent” liquid metals could decarbonise industries - The global chemical industry has been grappling with a big problem: manufacturing releases carbon dioxide.
Small Model Organisms as Versatile Research Tools - Flies, worms, and fish with rapid development and characterized genetics help scientists uncover fundamental and universal biological processes, and shape cutting-edge research across disciplines.
Raman spectroscopy offers new insights into ionic liquid acidity - Researchers at the University of Liège have for the first time determined the acidity of ionic liquids using Raman spectroscopy, thanks to Hammett acidity functions.
Building blocks for the future: Rhodium-catalyzed [2+2+1] cycloaddition achieves high enantioselectivity - Cycloaddition reactions are an efficient strategy for constructing cyclic compounds that are important building blocks for other chemicals.
New understanding of fly behavior has potential application in robotics, public safety - Scientists have identified an automatic behavior in flies that helps them assess wind conditions -- its presence and direction -- before deploying a strategy to follow a scent to its source.
Lampreys possess a 'jaw-dropping' evolutionary origin - Lampreys are one of only two living jawless vertebrates Jaws are formed by a key stem cell population called the neural crest New research reveals the gene regulatory changes that may explain morphological differences between jawed and jawless vertebrates.
Researchers develop state-of-the-art device to make artificial intelligence more energy efficient - Engineering researchers have demonstrated a state-of-the-art hardware device that could reduce energy consumption for artificial intelligent (AI) computing applications by a factor of at least 1,000.
Rocket Report: ABL loses its second booster; Falcon 9 cleared for return to flight - "The team is investigating root cause."
Hubble Images a Classic Spiral - This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image treats viewers to a wonderfully detailed snapshot of the spiral galaxy NGC 3430 that lies 100 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo Minor.
Honeybees Defend Their Hive by Slapping Invading Ants - Japanese honeybees use their wings to slap back ants trying to invade their hive
Scottish bog gets world heritage status - After an almost 40-year campaign, a little-known UK landscape has been awarded world heritage status.
How to See Stars, Satellites, and More in the Daytime Sky - It’s possible to see celestial objects during the day, but it’s not always easy
Variation in the permafrost active layer over the Tibetan Plateau since 1980 - The Tibetan Plateau's permafrost is thin, warm, and sensitive to global warming, affecting water and heat exchange.
Taylor Swift, the Beatles, Beck and Bach Can Thank Ancient Temples for Modern Music - The basic notes, rests and harmonies of Western music arose as humans heard how sounds traveled through the first large temples, built more than 2,000 years ago
Reviving Tidal Weirs and Preserving an Ancient Fishing Practice - A group on the islands of Penghu is restoring ancient fishing weirs, hoping to preserve the sustainable fishing practice and attract ecotourism.
Unlocking secrets of stomatal regulation: Phosphoactivation of SLAC1 in plant guard cells - Chinese researchers at IGDB/CAS uncover mechanism of SLAC1 anion channel activation, aiding plant adaptation to environmental changes.
Environmentally, Offshore Wind Is … Fine - Addressing the climate crisis—hitting net-zero global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050—calls for big solutions.
Scientists unravel transition of survival strategies in grape family - Scientists studied the grape family's survival strategies, highlighting the transition from "move" to "evolve" strategies.
Ice 0: Researchers discover a new mechanism for ice formation - Ice is far more complicated than most of us realize, with over 20 different varieties known to science, forming under various combinations of pressure and temperature.
New study reveals contribution of mesoscale convective systems to floods in East Asia - East Asia's floods are primarily caused by Mesoscale Convective Systems, with a recent study examining their impact.
Mass breeding of desert locusts unlocks new food source - Researchers have developed a way of breading locusts as a source of protein for animals and people.
A new method for sustainable synthesis of acetylene from carbon dioxide - Acetylene, vital in industry, is traditionally produced from fossil fuels, but a new high-efficiency, sustainable electrolysis method offers promise.
Is This How You Get Hot Jupiters? - When we think of Jupiter-type planets, we usually picture massive cloud-covered worlds orbiting far from their stars.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket deemed safe to fly again by FAA - After a safety investigation, the US FAA has cleared SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket for flight, allowing it to return to the skies.
What happens to our bodies after death? - After death, the human body undergoes a series of natural processes as it begins to decompose.
July 25, 2024
Shining light on similar crystals reveals photoreactions can differ - A rose by any other name is a rose, but what of a crystal?Now Uranus’ Moon Ariel Might Have an Ocean too - Venus is known for being really quite inhospitable with high surface temperatures and Mars is known for its rusty red horizons.
Capturing carbon with energy-efficient sodium carbonate−nanocarbon hybrid material - Industrial CO2 emissions are a major concern, but a new Na2CO3−carbon hybrid material shows promise for capture.
Rocket delivered to launch site for first human flight to the Moon since 1972 - We're standing by for news on NASA's decision on what to do about Orion's heat shield.
A Snaky Use for CRISPR - Indiana Jones would love to hear about this new application for the gene-editing technology.
Why is JWST Having So Much Trouble with the TRAPPIST-1 System? - When the James Webb Space Telescope was launched it came with a fanfare expecting amazing things, much like the Hubble Space Telescope.
Planetary Habitability Depends on its Star’s Magnetic Field - The extrasolar planet census recently passed a major milestone, with 5500 confirmed candidates in 4,243 solar systems.
A Solution to the “Final Parsec Problem?” - Supermassive Black Holes are Nature’s confounding behemoths.
Kanyini launch delay a ‘double-edged sword’ following Falcon 9 incident - South Australian satellite Kanyini’s highly anticipated launch has been delayed following an incident during the SpaceX Starlink Group 9-3 mission last month.
NASA’s Orion Spacecraft Gets Lift on Earth - Crane operator Rebekah Tolatovicz, a shift mechanical technician lead for Artic Slope Regional Corporation at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, operates
NASA Selects Marshall Logistics Support Services II Contractor - NASA has awarded the MSFC Logistics Support Services II (MLSS II) contract to Akima Global Logistics, LLC to provide logistics support services at the
The discovery of a tRNA modification enzyme that also acts on nucleosides - The synthesis of archaeosine in tRNA was elucidated, uncovering ArcS's unique substrate utilization, impacting RNA modifications.
US solar production soars by 25 percent in just one year - 2024 is seeing the inevitable outcome of the building boom in solar farms.
New drug shows promise in clearing HIV from brain - An experimental drug originally developed to treat cancer may help clear HIV from infected cells in the brain, according to a new study.
Scientists unlock more secrets of Rembrandt’s pigments in The Night Watch - Use of arsenic sulfides for yellow, orange/red hues adds to artist's known pigment palette.
What 4 of the Oldest Grave Sites Tell Us About Ancient Civilizations - Graves can tell us a lot about how people used to live.
No, NASA hasn’t found life on Mars yet, but the latest discovery is intriguing - "These spots are a big surprise."
Stretchable electronics might make their way onto the market thanks to roll-to-roll process - Electronics have evolved, leading to demand for stretchable technology.
From Intern to Astronaut - On Sept. 2, 2022, NASA astronauts Anil Menon (left), Deniz Burnham (center), and Marcos Berrios (right) posed for a photograph in front of NASA’s Artemis I
NASA’s Fermi Finds New Feature in Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst Yet Seen - In October 2022, astronomers were stunned by what was quickly dubbed the BOAT — the brightest-of-all-time gamma-ray burst (GRB).
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Scientists Find Intriguing Mars Rock - The six-wheeled geologist found a fascinating rock that has some indications it may have hosted microbial life billions of years ago, but further research is needed.
Ars Live recap: Pondering the complexities of time travel in the movies - "All works of fiction in my mind have their own rules and their own internal physics."
Space Telescope Begins To Reveal the Secrets of Exoplanet Atmospheres - The James Webb Space Telescope is slowly gathering evidence that a nearby exoplanet has an Earth-like atmosphere and liquid water.
An effective strategy to inhibit grain coarsening: Construction of multi-element co-segregated grain boundary complexion - To date, ceramic scientists have devised various strategies to impede grain coarsening.
JWST Images Freezing Giant Exoplanet 12 Light-Years Away - The Jupiter-like world Epsilon Indi Ab is one of the coldest—and closest—exoplanets that astronomers have ever seen
Is Technology in the Olympics a Form of Doping or a Reality of Modern Sport? - Technological doping refers to the use of equipment—from swimsuits to super shoes—that provides an unfair athletic advantage.
Our Carbon Dioxide Emissions Have a Mesmerizing Side - Our CO2 emissions are warming the planet and making life uncomfortable and even unbearable in some regions.
Pete Beck vs. Chris Kemp: The rocket rivalry you’ve got to see to believe - “I’m someone who wants to actually succeed from a business perspective."
Basic Income Gives Money without Strings. Here’s How People Spend It - Pilot programs across the U.S., including new research funded by OpenAI, offer a glimpse of how a universal basic income could improve lives
If Trump Were to Pull the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement Again, It Will Be Much Harder to Rejoin - Technicalities and hesitations softened the effect of Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement during his presidency, but a second attempt at a departure could be more serious
Surface oxygen functionality controls selective transport of metal ions through graphene oxide membranes - Developing efficient, selective, and scalable separations for critical materials, including lithium and magnesium, is essential to meeting the increasing demands for clean energy technologies and alleviating challenges with domestic supply chains.
Chemical analyses find hidden elements from renaissance astronomer Tycho Brahe's alchemy laboratory - Danish Tycho Brahe was most famous for his contributions to astronomy.
Nitrogen emissions have a net cooling effect: But researchers warn against a climate solution - An international team of researchers has found that nitrogen emissions from fertilizers and fossil fuels have a net cooling effect on the climate.
New Zealand's flightless birds are retreating to moa refuges - Researchers have found New Zealand's endangered flightless birds are seeking refuge in the locations where six species of moa last lived before going extinct.
Warming has more impact than cooling on Greenland's 'firn' - A new study finds disproportionate effects of temperature shifts on an icy glacier layer.
A recipe for zero-emissions fuel: Soda cans, seawater, and caffeine - Engineers discovered that when the aluminum in soda cans is purified and mixed with seawater, the solution produces hydrogen -- which can power an engine or fuel cell without generating carbon emissions.
New study shows at-home colon cancer screening test reduces risk of colorectal cancer death, as effective as screening colonoscopy - A noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test that can be done at home could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer death by 33%, according to a new study.
How evolution tamed a deadly virus and why we should still worry - Over the last century, a once-deadly mosquito-borne virus has evolved so that it no longer sickens humans.
Spin qubits go trampolining - Researchers have developed somersaulting spin qubits for universal quantum logic.
Some T. rex might have been even bigger than we thought - Dinosaurs are well known and loved for the immense size these ancient creatures used to reach.
History's Oldest Roads Shaped Civilizations Since 4000 B.C. - From the Silk Road to the Old Great North Road in Australia, explore how these ancient roads spread wealth and information across continents.
Findings reveal the unique characteristics of short-chain branched polymers - A research team affiliated with UNIST has made a significant breakthrough in understanding the properties of short-chain branched (SCB) polymers.
Komodo Dragons’ Nightmare Iron-Tipped Teeth Are a Reptilian First - Reptile teeth have long been considered simple and cheap because the animals replace them regularly.
From Sleek Swimsuits to Specialized Running Shoes, These Five Innovations Transformed the Olympics - Technology has advanced sports including fencing and pole vaulting
Underground CO₂ storage: Researchers measure carbon mineralization at unprecedented small scale - As we look to the sky above and ponder one of the biggest questions of our time—how to combat the carbon emissions that are driving climate change—a potential answer just may lie beneath our feet, in Earth's deep subsurface.
A Recipe for Hydrogel Noodles to Improve Tissue Engineering - A new way of making aligned hydrogels better mimics materials in the body.
Liquid metals offer potential for greener chemical processes, researchers say - University of Sydney researchers are proposing a new way to curb industrial emissions, by tapping into the "atomic intelligence" of liquid metals to deliver greener and more sustainable chemical reactions.
Zymo Research Launches the Omics Discovery Grant to Advance RNA-Seq Research - This new initiative aims to empower scientists around the world with cuttingedge RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technologies to explore the transcriptome of ANY organism.
Long COVID Is Serious and Complex but Becoming Less Likely - Researchers are still working to understand the complicated and debilitating condition dubbed long COVID
How Diet and Lifestyle Can Help Manage Graves’ Disease - Graves’ disease is a complex autoimmune disorder that can lead to hyperthyroidism and other symptoms.
Stud offers insights for the future design of highly efficient multi-element electrocatalysts - Professor Zhe Weng and Chunpeng Yang from Tianjin University published a paper titled "Unveiling multi-element synergy in polymetallic oxides for efficient nitrate reduction to ammonia" in the journal Science China Materials.
'Self-healing' glass: Study shows gamma radiation induces defects that are healed at room temperature - Self-healing glass may sound like a science fiction concept, but new research from the University of Central Florida demonstrates it's much closer to reality.
When Dogs Smell Your Stress, They Act Sad - Dogs can smell when people are stressed, and it seems to make them feel downhearted
New Math Breakthrough Reveals the Fifth ‘Busiest Beaver’ - The busy beaver function is unpredictable.
Can hydroponics help ease Africa’s food shortages? - Hydroponics can help Sub-Saharan Africa overcome its food crisis, enabling sustainable food production.
A chemist explains the chemistry behind decaf coffee - Three methods strive to retain the bean's flavor while removing its caffeine.
How to Sweat Like an Olympian - This summer, don’t be embarrassed by those pit stains or your drenched workout clothes.
The Legacy of Lynchings Still Hurts the Economic Prospects of Black Americans - Despite progress, the long shadow of racial violence continues to undermine economic opportunities for African Americans today
Should You Be Nice to AI Chatbots Such as ChatGPT? - The benefits of being polite to AI may include prompting better chatbot replies—and nurturing our humanity
Photocatalyst research uncovers better way to produce green hydrogen - Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a material that shows a remarkable ability to convert sunlight and water into clean energy.
World’s first atomic-scale quantum sensor - For the first time, physicists have developed a quantum sensor capable of detecting magnetic fields at the scale of atoms.
First 'Cocaine Sharks' Discovered off Brazil - Cocaine has been detected in sharks for the first time, but scientists aren’t sure of the impact
For Seals, Big Hearts Mean Big Dives - An enlarged aorta enables seals to dive for longer durations.
Investigating arc erosion performance of Ag-Ta₂AlC, a new electrical contact material - Relays are extensively utilized in accelerators, satellites, rockets, and various advanced technology sectors.
How can you stay safe from cyberattacks? - Cybersecurity failures and cybercrime continually make the news.
UK getting more hot and more wet days – Met Office - The increase in the number of 'very hot days' of 30C or more has also been dramatic.
July 24, 2024
Astronauts Can Now Watch 4K Streaming Video on the Station - We take high definition streaming for granted in many parts of the world.“Not a bluff”—NASA’s budget would shut down long-lived Chandra telescope - Chandra almost didn't make it to orbit on a dramatic launch of space shuttle Columbia 25 years ago.
Diamond Shruumz candies suspected of causing second death, FDA reports - Hospitalizations also still rising, with tally at 38.