Today's Science News
December 2, 2023
What is Point Nemo, the remote, watery satellite graveyard where the ISS will go to die? - In the furthest, deepest reaches of the ocean, there is a watery graveyard where the world's satellites and space stations go to rest.Even with tight regulations, pesticides are still damaging bee colonies - European researchers are ringing the alarm about human and farming activities damaging bee populations.
Roar of cicadas was so loud, it was picked up by fiber-optic cables - Brood X made itself known in a way that could change how we monitor insect populations.
'Star Wars' has changed the English language. Here's how - A new study explores the powerful influence of "Star Wars" in the modern vocabulary of the English language.
'Impossible' orange auroras spotted in UK after solar storm slams into Earth - Rarely seen orange auroras, which technically shouldn't exist, were recently photographed in the sky above Scotland after an explosive solar storm smashed into Earth.
Current Climate: ExxonMobil’s Low Carbon Unit Is Looking For Respect - This week’s Current Climate, which every Saturday brings you the latest news about the business of sustainability.
See The World’s Largest Iceberg Make A Great Escape From Antarctica - The veteran iceberg had been quietly minding its own business since it first broke off from an Antarctic ice shelf in 1986, but now it's footloose and fancy-free.
Battery swap can make Asia’s motorbike fleet sustainable - Battery swapping could solve a lot of the world’s problems..think smart technology, torchlights, phones, cars, motorbikes.
Climate change: The young activists changing the sceptics' minds - Engaging with climate sceptics can be a challenge - but some people are trying to change their minds.
COP28 host UAE to massively ramp up oil production, BBC learns - The state oil company Adnoc is set to be the world's second biggest producer, analysis shows.
Megamouth Shark And Her Babies Found Dead In The Philippines - A megamouth shark met a tragic end on its journey to give birth.
December 1, 2023
The Cognitive Battles Of Survivor’s Guilt, Explained By A Psychologist - Here’s how to navigate your journey from struggle to strength with three critical insights from psychology.How Misinformation Spreads Through War - Three experts break down how misinformation and propaganda spread through conflict, and how to debunk it yourself.
How to watch 'Doctor Who' anniversary specials: Stream 'Wild Blue Yonder' from anywhere - How to watch "Doctor Who" anniversary special Wild Blue Yonder online on Disney Plus and BBC iPlayer with a VPN.
Kids under 5 with HIV are dying at high rates. Here's why. - Among people on HIV meds, young children are the likeliest to die, often due to late diagnosis or treatment interruptions.
A Psychologist Unravels The Enigma Of ‘Déjà Vu’ - Research shows that déjà vu is more than just an eerie sense of familiarity, and eludes a singular explanation.
Climate change could upend fight against malaria, WHO warns - Malaria cases rose in 2022, in part due to climate change-related extreme weather events.
Quolls fly in to save the species - Cosmos Country reporters trace adventures of Cuddlepie the quoll and 10 endangered animals on the trip of a lifetime to save the species
After Stalling Out for 40 Years, the Largest Iceberg in the World is on the Move - In 1986, a gigantic iceberg separated from the Fichner-Ronne ice shelf in West Antarctica.
NASA's Artemis 3 astronaut moon landing unlikely before 2027, GAO report finds - NASA's endeavor to return humans to the moon during the Artemis 3 mission will likely be delayed because it is jeopardized by "multiple challenges" and an ambitious schedule.
NASA Welcomes Angola as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory - During a ceremony in Washington Nov. 30, Angola became the 33rd country to sign the Artemis Accords.
The Universe in a lab: Testing alternate cosmology using a cloud of atoms - We can't experiment with the Universe, but we can make something that works like it.
This 'forbidden' exoplanet is way too massive for its star - Astronomers have discovered a planet 13 times as massive as Earth orbiting a star nine times less massive than the sun, a disparity in size that shouldn’t exist and challenges planet formation models.
1,400-year-old structure discovered near Sutton Hoo in England may have been a pagan temple or cult house - The site is part of a royal compound that archaeologists think may have been overseen by King Raedwald.
Inside the Satellite Tech Revealing Gaza's Destruction - Amid restrictions on optical satellite images, researchers have developed a radar technique to gauge building damage in Gaza
Government silent as marine heatwave threatens biggest reef - Great Southern Reef scientists say they are “concerned and alarmed” at the Government’s lukewarm response to a request for urgent funding to set up monitoring before a forecast marine heatwave.
The beautifully bizarre animated classic 'Fantastic Planet' turns 50 today - Director René Laloux's sublime animated sci-fi film "Fantastic Planet" blows out 50 birthday candles
Enormous planet discovered around tiny star could break our understanding of solar system formation - The massive planet LHS 3154b orbits a star much smaller than Earth's sun, and its discovery could upend everything we think we know about how solar systems form.
Tinnitus may stem from nerve damage not detectable on hearing tests - People with tinnitus may be wrongly classed as having "normal hearing" because standard tests don't detect the condition's true cause, a new study suggests.
Robots Made from Human Cells Can Move on Their Own and Heal Wounds - Researchers have created “anthrobots” out of human lung cells that are capable of moving independently and even healing damaged tissue
Sample of 'potentially hazardous' asteroid Bennu, which may contain the seeds of life, arrives in UK for analysis - A sample from the asteroid Bennu, collected by the OSIRIS-REx mission, has arrived at London's Natural History Museum for analysis.
Efforts to Slow Climate Change Could Inadvertently Create Humanitarian Crises - In promoting renewable energy, wealthier nations could worsen health, housing and labor problems in the developing nations where materials are sourced
'For All Mankind' season 4 episode 4 review: The shove that shook two worlds - As tensions between East and West intensify, a workplace dispute and a cover-up in Roscosmos have major ramifications on both Earth and Mars.
Erickson to Retire after Over 40 Years of Service - December 1, 2023 It is my pleasure to share information about new hires within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) on this blog, and it is also my bittersweet duty to share information about retirements.
Neptune-sized exoplanet is too big for its host star - Stars this small shouldn't make planets this big.
A New Way to Trigger a Tsunami - How historic records and new data uncovered the colossal underwater avalanche that unleashed a massive wave in 1650.
A mysterious river of gas flowing into the Milky Way has stars inside after all - For the first time since its discovery, scientists have found stars within the Magellanic Stream, a mighty river of hydrogen gas emanating from two small galaxies in the outskirts of the Milky Way.
Rise in English bathing sites rated unfit to swim - Fewer swimming spots are rated "excellent" and more rated "poor" by the environment watchdog.
How to see and track the Tiangong Chinese space station - Since 2021, China's Tiangong space station has orbited Earth, offering amateur astronomers a chance to glimpse it.
NASA Honors Steve Jurczyk, Former Acting Administrator, Space Leader - Former NASA Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk passed away Nov. 23, at the age of 61, following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Hubble Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Servicing Mission 1 - In the pre-dawn hours on Dec. 2, 1993, the space shuttle Endeavour launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a critical mission to repair NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
5 Ways Life on Earth Would Be Different If We Had Two Moons - What would life be like on Earth with two moons instead of one?
Severe outbreak tied to cantaloupe sickens 117 in 34 states; half hospitalized - Back away from your cantaloupe if you don't know the brand, the CDC warns.
Top 10 Snow Animals and How They Survive the Cold - Would you have what it takes to thrive in the cold?
Counteracting Bone and Muscle Loss in Microgravity - In microgravity, without the continuous load of Earth’s gravity, the tissues that make up bones reshape themselves.
Life as we know it may have its roots in an old, cold cosmic cloud - The discovery is another step along the road to showing that the stuff of life originally came to Earth from space.
2000-year-old Roman engineering could solve colossal climate problem - As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome.
California Nutritionist: Twins Experiment Shows Vegan Diets Are Healthier. Science Disagrees - A California nutritionist who routinely extols supplements, fad diets, and alternatives to medicine is prominently covered by corporate media for claiming food diaries using twins shows that vegan diets are healthier.Yet it is so full of confounders that even IARC epidemiologists would have to ask awkward questions about his conclusion using that m
SpaceX launches Irish, South Korean satellites and lands its 250th rocket (video) - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the first of five South Korean spy satellites on Dec. 1 before coming down for the company's 250th successful booster recovery.
This Molecule Is a Nanoscale Bulldozer - Researchers discovered that a heart-shaped molecule will jump in straight lines when given an electric jolt
The Oldest Deep-Sea Fish Discovered in Fossil Traces - Ancient fish followed prey into the crushing pressures of the deep ocean
Zapping Plastic Waste Can Produce Clean Fuel - Can waste plastic can be converted into hydrogen gas and a type of graphene—at a profit?
Scientists Sequence DNA from a 3,000-Year-Old Brick - A chunk of a Mesopotamian palace revealed genes from dozens of ancient plants
Readers Respond to the July/August 2023 Issue - Letters to the editors for the July/August 2023 issue of Scientific American
Understanding Consciousness Is Key to Unlocking Secrets of the Universe - The quest to understand our physical universe may depend on investigating our own mind
How Forest Mythology Leads to Preservation--And Plunder - The powerful symbolism of forests, an AI that struggles to optimize the life of a “post-body” person, and more books out now
Long COVID Rates Appear to Be Decreasing - Here’s why Long COVID may be declining and what we know about the trend so far
Stephen Hawking's Time Travel Party – Did it Happen? How Would We Know? - If you want to attend Stephen Hawking's time travel party, you better figure out how time travel works for a journey back to 2009.
These Male Stick Insects Aren't 'Errors' After All - Some female stick insects can reproduce without males—but they have a secret
Mars Can Wait. Questions Surround Settlements on Other Worlds - Establishing a permanent Mars settlement in the foreseeable future makes little sense.
Autoimmunity Has Reached Epidemic Levels. We Need Urgent Action to Address It - Environment and lifestyle changes have increased the prevalence of autoimmune diseases.
One of the largest magnetic storms in history quantified: Aurorae covered much of the night sky from the Tropics to the Polar Regions - An international multidisciplinary team consisting of solar physicists, geophysicists, and historians from nine countries analysed observations of an extreme solar-terrestrial storm reported in historical records from February 1872.
Meteorites likely source of nitrogen for early Earth - Micrometeorites originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer Solar System may be responsible for transporting nitrogen to the near-Earth region in the early days of our solar system.
New Microwave Weapons Could Defend against Swarms of Combat Drones - The Pentagon is readying high-powered microwave weapons that are capable of invisible strikes against swarming combat drones
Hubble Views a Double Cluster of Glowing Galaxies - This Hubble image features a massive cluster of brightly glowing galaxies, first identified as Abell 3192.
5 of the Greatest Natural History Hoaxes of All Time - These historical forgeries show what makes misinformation so successful
Stuffy Noses Are Miserable. These Nasal Congestion Treatments Actually Work - Snotty, stuffy noses are the hallmark of cold and flu season, but some medications and at-home remedies may offer relief
Looking for the lithium jackpot in South Australia - Much of the world is hunting for lithium – a crucial part of the energy transition.
A Psychologist Calls Out The Failings Of ‘Snowplow Parenting’ - Clearing obstacles or clouding autonomy?
December’s Night Sky Notes: A Flame in the Sky – the Orion Nebula - It’s that time of year again: winter!
How to Find the Darkest Night Sky for Stargazing - Where can you find the best sites for stargazing—and why is a dark sky important?
A novel approach for dimensional engineering of covalent organic frameworks derived carbons - Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a special class of materials composed of interconnected organic building blocks held together by strong chemical bonds.
Researchers decode aqueous amino acid's potential for direct air capture of CO₂ - Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have made a significant stride toward understanding a viable process for direct air capture, or DAC, of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Unveiling The Secrets Of Planktivorous Sharks - Embarking on a 27-year journey into the depths of Cocos Island's waters, researchers have unveiled the secrets of planktivorous elasmobranchs.
Pulling an all-nighter? Avoid making important decisions the next day - All-nighters seem to be a right of passage for students trying to make an important deadline.
Giant Coconut-Gnawing Rat Captured Alive On Camera For First Time - Captivating images of giant rats from the Solomon Islands have given researchers a valuable glimpse into the secret world of a critically endangered animal.
Shedding light on the synthesis of sugars before the origin of life - Pentoses are essential carbohydrates in the metabolism of modern lifeforms, but their availability during early Earth is unclear since these molecules are unstable.
Making menstrual pads from succulents could improve access to sanitary products - A method for producing a highly absorbent material from sisal (Agave sisalana)—a drought-tolerant succulent plant—is described in a study published in Communications Engineering.
I create machine learning. It’s revolutionising data analysis - I only started thinking about a career in science at the end of high school.
Engineered RNA Export From Living Cells - A nondestructive approach for packaging, exporting, and delivering RNA provides a glimpse into the dynamic lives of cells.
How Flour Type Affects Sourdough Starters - By studying various sourdough starters and sequencing their microbial menageries, researchers generated useful information for people wanting to experiment in their kitchens and classrooms.
Pancreatic Organoids Take the Stage - p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.8px Helvetica; color: #000000}Meritxell Huch tackled her pipedream of growing three-dimensional pancreatic tissue in a dish.
Why Does Everything Taste Like Chicken? - With an appetite for answers, scientists get to the meat of why some unusual foods taste like our favorite fowl.
Fighting Cancer: Lessons from the Naked Mole-rat - Mice live longer, healthier lives thanks to a gene from their glabrous subterranean cousins.
To Boldly Go Where No Squid Has Gone Before - Jamie Foster’s space-faring squid and its symbiotic bacteria illuminate host-microbe communication.
Rodents Offer New Insights Into the Diversity of Addiction - Molecular studies may point to underlying genetics and therapeutic targets.
Sleep Rhythms Prompt Long-term Memories - A bridge between neurons triggers longer, deeper sleep and memory formation in fly larvae.
Save the Sample - Researchers must plan for the future of their lab materials long before they decide to move on.
Mean, Green, Antibody-producing Machines - A plant-based monoclonal antibody goes head-to-head with its commercial counterpart to target tumors in mice.
The Christmas Mix-up - In a rush to wrap up an experiment before the holidays, a slip of the hand almost ruined the festive mood for Cleo Parisi.
Measuring Mammoth Mutations - Comparing mammoth and elephant genomes revealed genetic mutations that may have helped mammoths survive in the Arctic.
Should We Send Humans to Europa? - Universe Today recently examined the potential for sending humans to the planet Venus despite its extremely harsh surface conditions.
Europe is Working on a Multi-Purpose Habitat for the Moon - With NASA gearing up to send humans back to the Moon in the next few years with the Artemis missions with the goal of establishing a permanent outpost at the lunar south pole, nations are making efforts to contribute to Artemis and a permanent presence on our nearest celestial neighbor.
A Solar Eclipse, as Seen by a Spacecraft Orbiting 22,000 Miles Away - No humans were able to witness the Moon transiting across the face of the Sun, but satellite imagery shows what it looked like.
Climate change: Saving Uganda's mountain gorillas - Rising temperatures are putting the health of endangered mountain gorillas at risk.
Hubble is Offline Because of a Problem with one of its Gyros - The rich flow of scientific data—and stunning images—that comes from the Hubble Space Telescope is being interrupted by gyro problems.
Shocking: Dolphins use their dimples to feel electricity - Bottlenose dolphins can sense electricity underwater with the help of their dimples, and their detection skills are on par with platypus.
Billionaire Palmer Luckey Unveils A New Jet-Powered Drone — And It Looks Bonkers - The fast autonomous drone, called Roadrunner, is designed by Luckey’s Anduril Industries to intercept and blow up enemy aircraft.
November 30, 2023
Spider Pulsars are Tearing Apart Stars in the Omega Cluster - Spider pulsars are nasty neighbours.50 States of Science: The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is the states gem for the curious. - NUTSHELL: The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is a real gem for anyone curious about the natural world and our place in it.
Fermi has Found More than 300 Gamma-Ray Pulsars - In June 2008, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope began surveying the cosmos to study some of the most energetic phenomena in the Universe.
NASA’s Educational CubeSats: Small Satellites, Big Impact - Despite their small size, the satellites launching through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) missions have a big impact, creating access to space for
Vera Rubin Will Generate a Mind-Boggling Amount of Data - When the Vera C. Rubin Observatory comes online in 2025, it will be one of the most powerful tools available to astronomers, capturing huge portions of the sky every night with its 8.4-meter mirror and 3.2-gigapixel camera.
'Cannibal' Solar Eruption Headed to Earth May Trigger Auroras - A strong geomagnetic storm is expected to hit Earth after several outbursts from the sun merged into one large blob of plasma
NASA Delivers Inclusion Message to Annual Bayou Classic Participants - NASA was on full display during the 50th Annual Bayou Classic Fan Fest activity in New Orleans on Nov. 25, hosting an informational booth and interacting with
Nesting Penguins Take More Than 10,000 Mini Naps Every Day - Chinstrap Penguins take more than 10,000 seconds-long naps during the day to remain vigilant while incubating their eggs
The amazing science seeking a cure for HIV - Advances in cancer treatment, gene editing and mRNA technology are helping researchers in their pursuit of an HIV cure.
Sensors And Drones Deployed To Fight Disease In Peruvian Amazon - Climate factors can play a role in the spread of tropical diseases — now a Peruvian researcher is developing tools to better understand those relationships.
Millions of lead pipes would finally be ripped out under proposed EPA rule - The rule could generate up to $34.8 billion in health benefits each year.
Black patients face delays in Alzheimer’s diagnosis - Black patients underwent medical imaging for cognitive impairment years later than white and Hispanic patients and were less frequently tested with MRI, according to research being presented this week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The New Asteroid Moon Discovered by Lucy Just Got its Own Name - When NASA’s Lucy mission flew past asteroid Dinkinesh on November 1, 2023, it made the surprising discovery the asteroid had a tiny moon.
How the War in Gaza Has Devastated Hospitals - The Israel-Hamas war has disrupted hospitals’ access to electricity, fuel and medicine.
‘Star Of Bethlehem’ Shines, Year’s Best ‘Shooting Stars’ And Betelgeuse Eclipsed: December’s Night Sky - From the year's best meteor shower to a rare eclipse of bright red supergiant star, there's plenty to get excited about in the night sky in December 2023.
NASA Conducts Annual Moon to Mars Architecture Concept Review - NASA hosted its second annual Architecture Concept Review in mid-November, bringing together leaders from across the agency to discuss progress on and updates
Newly discovered exoplanet should be too big to exist - The observation of an exoplanet has shaken up previous wisdom on planet formation because it is far too big for its host star.
5 Famous Paint Colors First Made From Mummies, Insects, and Ancient Rocks - Where does pigment come from?
Chinstrap Penguins Sleep Over 10,000 Times a Day—for Just Four Seconds at a Time - The amazing microsleep strategy may be an adaptation to group living and lurking predators in a harsh Antarctic environment
Scientists build tiny biological robots from human cells - Scientists have created tiny moving biological robots from human tracheal cells that can encourage the growth of neurons across artificial 'wounds' in the lab.
Genomic study sheds light on how carnivorous Asian pitcher plants acquired signature insect trap - Scientists sequenced the genome of the East Asian pitcher plant, Nepenthes gracilis, a species of carnivorous plant related to Venus flytraps, as well as sundews, beets and spinach.
Discover Antarctica up close - For many Antarctic travellers, the experience morphs into a series of memory snapshots – a certain iceberg; a penguin diving; a whale surfacing – no matter how many photographs they captured.
A Psychologist Explains How To Master The ‘Hero’s Journey Method’ - New research suggests that finding meaning in life comes down to how well you can tell your own story.
Bottlenose Dolphins Can Use Dimples Where Whiskers Used To Be To Locate Food - The dolphins use holes in their face left by whiskers that fell out when they were babies to to detect electric fields, which they can thus use to find food.
Hippos Once Lived in Europe, Where They Survived a Brutal Ice Age - A new study that analyzed a fossilized hippo skull determined that the animal lived in Europe some 500,000 years ago, when Earth's climate was changing drastically.
Poor countries win fight for climate cash at COP28 - COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber pulled off an unexpected victory securing long-awaited climate disaster help.
AI may spare breast cancer patients unnecessary treatments - A new AI (Artificial Intelligence) tool may make it possible to spare breast cancer patients unnecessary chemotherapy treatments by using a more precise method of predicting their outcomes, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.
Mesosaur: The Oldest Known Semi-Aquatic Reptile - The mesosaur helps researchers better understand reptile evolution and continental drift theory.
What is COP28 in Dubai and why is it important? - The latest climate change summit follows a year of weather extremes and broken temperature records.
A Century Later, New Math Smooths Out General Relativity - Mathematicians prove a theorem that illuminates the geometry of universes with tiny amounts of mass.
A New mRNA Malaria Vaccine - By targeting resident memory T cells in the liver, a novel mRNA malaria vaccine prevented infection, even in those with prior exposure.
7 of the Cutest Snakes That May Slither Their Way Into Your Heart - From the Arabian Sand Boa to the Garter Snake, these snakes' googly eyes, color, or size could win you over.
Discovery of planet too big for its sun throws off solar system formation models - The discovery of a planet that is far too massive for its sun is calling into question what was previously understood about the formation of planets and their solar systems.
Rocky planets can form in extreme environments - Astronomers have provided the first observation of water and other molecules in the highly irradiated inner, rocky-planet-forming regions of a disk in one of the most extreme environments in our galaxy.
Lonely Volcanoes of the South Sandwich Islands - Some of the loneliest volcanoes on Earth lie where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Southern Ocean.
New asteroid named after fossilised ‘baby’ - A newly discovered asteroid satellite has been christened by the International Astronomical Union just a month after its discovery.
Various Reasons, Little Regret For Online Affairs, New Study Finds - Study reports on why people pursue affairs on Ashley Madison's site, and what their feelings are afterwards if they were successful.
DAILY DOSE: CAR-T future cast in doubt; Elon Musk to advertisers – “F*** yourself.” - CAR-T TECHNOLOGY IN SERIOUS DOUBT.
Hearing Colors, Seeing Sounds: A Psychologist Explains ‘Synesthesia’ - Research shows that the unique sensory experience of “synesthesia” can be acquired through training, and leads to a variety of mental benefits.
AI Makeover Transforms Mona Lisa From Enigmatic To ‘Basic’ - At Miami Art Week 2023, artist and former Google employee Gretchen Andrew explores the chasm between what women are and what algorithms suggest they should be.
FDA warns chemical company not to mix brake cleaner into hand sanitizer - It's not the first time the regulatory agency chided the chemical company for this.
Briony Marshall’s Sculptures Connect People With Science - Sculptor Briony Marshall uses her science background to create art that connects people with DNA, environmental science and other topics.