Andrei Mihai ZME Science

New MIT material can soak up solar heat and release it on demand

A team of researchers from MIT created a material that can make use of solar energy in a novel way, absorbing heat and releasing it later, when needed. The researchers led by MIT Prof. Jeffrey Grossman published their results in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. Heat will inevitably dissipate sooner or later, no matter how you try […]

Prehistoric Art - The Trois Frères Cave

In a cave in France, three bisons stand next to each other, modeled from the clay from the walls of the cave. They’ve been standing there alone for 14,000 years, propped against a small boulder in the darkness. The craftsmanship and durability is remarkable, up to the point where you’d almost think they’re modern; one can […]

These tiny homes are the vacation you've always wanted

Complete and absolute relaxation.

144-year old whaling ship found thanks to global warming

Archaeologists working at NOAA made a surprising discovery - they found the remains of a century-and-a-half old whaling ship

Largest man-made Earthquake comes after fracking activity

A new unfortunate world record has been triggered by fracking

The world could go 100% renewable by 2050, Stanford study finds

A new study from Stanford University found that the world could realistically go 100% renewable in a few decades, using only wind, water, and sunlight (WWS). Right now, we’re still a long way to go. Less than 5% of the planet’s energy demands are satisfied with renewables, but things are improving fast. “As of the end of […]

Scientists reveal the first ever digital geologic map of Alaska

Scientists working at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have released the first ever digital geologic map of Alaska.

How fruits and veggies looked like before we domesticated them

Imagine a banana. The familiar yellow, seedless shape pops to mind, but that’s only how domesticated bananas look like. Before we “molded” and modified the plant, it looked completely different – as you can see below. The first bananas we know of were cultivated in Papua New Guinea, stocky and filled with seeds. By […]

What is the Anthropocene: how people are pushing forth a new geological era

It's official - humanity has changed the Earth so much that we've basically created a new geological era, one that scientists call the Anthropocene.

Huge rubbery mass found floating inside man's abdomen [descriptive images]

Of all the odd things you’d expect to find in a human body, this is definitely one of the top spots. A 62-year-old man knew something was wrong; he had been complaining of irregular urination frequency; but he wasn’t expecting this. Described in The New England Journal of Medicine as a “free-floating, smooth, firm, rubbery mass […]

What are sinkholes: how they form and why they're so dangerous

Sinkholes can be dangerous. Here's what you need to know.

State of Emergency declared in California after gas leak

As we mentioned before, the largest gas leak in history is unfolding in California, but oddly enough, few people seem to care enough or understand the magnitude of what's happening.

This is the biggest sapphire in the world

Gemologists working in Colombo, Sri Lanka, have confirmed the finding of the largest sapphire in the world.

The 240-year-old beautiful ancestor of the modern computer

You may find it hard to believe, but what you’re seeing in the picture above is actually a self-operating, programmable machine, capable of writing letters and words with a quill pen, that’s still functioning after a quarter of a millennium. The lovely automatons An automaton (plural: automata or automatons) is a self-operating machine or robot. […]

11 Volcanic Craters to Blow Your Mind

Volcanoes are truly amazing – spewing out lava from the depths of the planet, they are a close reminder that our planet is very much alive and constantly changing. Even after they become dormant or extinct, volcanoes are still incredibly majestic – here we’ll take a look at just some of the most spectacular craters they […]

Science Myths and Misconceptions You Probably Belive Are True

The world (and especially the internet) is riddled with false information and misconceptions - it's time to set this straight. Here, we'll debunk some of the most common misconceptions and also cite the real, scientific information. So, here are things which most people believe, but are actually wrong:

Poachers use scientific papers to target newly discovered species

Scientists are pushing the non-publication of geographical data of new species in order to protect them from poachers.

New SpaceX photos show dusty but apparently undamaged rocket

SpaceX got a much deserved Christmas gift – on December 22nd, became the first group (private or state-owned) to ever launch a rocket and then safely land it on Earth where it can be used again. Now, new pictures reveal not only that the rocket survived, but that it’s in pretty good shape. It all started […]

Hints of Higgs Boson spark floods of science papers

Almost 100 manuscripts have been submitted following last week's tantalizing announcement from CERN.

New 3D printing technique offers strong, intricate ceramics

Researchers have developed a new technique that allows them to create ceramics with 3D printing faster and cheaper, incorporating complex shapes.

UK to create large marine sanctuary in the Atlantic

The British government has announced that they will create a marine reserve almost as big as the UK in the waters of Ascension Island in the South Atlantic between Brazil and Africa. It’s good news, but it’s still a far cry from what scientists and conservationists asked for to preserve species and expand fish stocks. The […]

Four elements earn a permanent place in the periodic table

The seventh row of the periodic table is now officially full - we just have to set a name for the newcomers.

This woman can apparently diagnose Parkinson's through smell

Joy Milne's husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's when he was 45, but she felt something was off a few months earlier.

How to make your own spectacular bismuth crystals

It's one of the coolest experiments you can make easily at home

Scientists find first herd of genetically pure bison in Utah

Research has confirmed that Henry Mountains of southern Utah are home to a rare, genetically pure bison herd. This is the only genetically pure bison herd we know of, after all other surviving members of the species were crossbred with cattle. The team that confirmed their genetic heritage included Utah State University scientists. Dr. Johan du Toit, […]

Largest gas leak in history taking place in California

In what is likely the most underrated disaster of the year, a massive natural gas leak is taking place in Aliso Canyon, California, about 25 miles north of Los Angeles. The leak has been spewing about 62 million standard cubic feet of methane per day into the atmosphere after a well was mysteriously damaged on October 23 […]

Emergency declared in Brazil after 2400 babies born with brain damage

Thousands of babies are being born with brain damage due to a mosquito-borne virus.

New sugar polymer can purify water in seconds

Scientists have developed a new polymer that can clean water of tiny impurities and pollutants in a matter of seconds. This could revolutionize the water purification industry, not only saving numerous lives, but saving a lot of money and energy in the process. The team was led by Will Dichtel from Cornell University in the US. […]

NASA's Top 15 ISS Pictures of 2015

NASA just released their famous pictures taken from the International Space Station in 2015. The images were shot by astronauts aboard the ISS and the list was selected by NASA Johnson Space Center’s Earth Observations team. It wasn’t an easy job with many bedazzling photos fighting for the top positions. 1. Lake Chad and a Bodele Dust […]

Rare footage of Giant Squid captured in Japan

Japanese television has released extremely rare footage of a giant squid swimming in the Sea of Japan.

The world's first website is now 25

Some 25 years ago, on December 1990, Tim Berners-Lee, then a scientist at the CERN facility in Switzerland launched what was the world’s first website – the forefather of everything that we today call ‘The Internet’. The first website Hosted by the World Wide Web (you know, the “www”) on Berners-Lee’s NeXT computer, the site was […]

Ski slopes fail to recover even after 40 years

Ski slopes (runs) are an environmental bane, as more and more studies are beginning to show. Even after 40 years of abandonment, the environment still fails to recover on the graded slopes.

Red Deer Cave bones point to unexpected survival of human ancestors

Partial femur bones found in the renowned Red Deer Cave seems to show that other species of humans overlapped with our own species during the ice age.

Wooden alternatives to green up your Christmas Tree

I’ve already written an article about the best ways to green up your Christmas tree, so I really recommend you start from there. But if you want some more creative, out of the box eco-friendly alternatives, this is the place for you! Just in case you’re wondering why I’m against ‘traditional’ artificial trees: they’re made […]

We're in December, but Washington's flowers and trees are blooming

There’s almost no need to say it again – it’s been an exceptionally warm December, and an exceptionally warm year. In fact, it’s been the hottest year on record, with 7 of 11 months so far breaking the record. Things aren’t very different in the capital of the US, where temperatures have exceeded 50 degrees […]

Toxic mud reaches the Atlantic in one of the worst environmental disasters in history

A month ago, millions of gallons of toxic mining waste burst into the environment following a dam break in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Since then, the sludge has left behind a 500 mile (800 km) trail of polluted rivers and banks, ultimately reaching the Atlantic Ocean and marking Brazil’s worst environmental disaster in […]

New Zealand opens marine reserve for oil exploration and seismic testing

In a world class display of hypocrisy, after opening up the world’s largest marine sanctuary and vowing to reduce fossil fuel subsidies, the New Zealand government has opened up a marine reserve of the world’s rarest dolphin for oil exploration – most significantly, seismic surveys. The Maui dolphin is the world’s rarest, with under 60 […]

Australian government spends $1 billion to keep Hep C drug cheap

The Australian government wants to eliminate hepatitis C within one generation - a 'miracle drug' with a price tag of $100,000 will be provided at a cost of only $37.70

Costa Rica just ran 99% on renewable energy in 2015

Almost all of Costa Rica’s energy came from renewable sources in 2015, making it one of the few countries to achieve virtual independence from fossil fuels. The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) announced that the country achieved “99 percent renewable electricity generation” this year, running 100% renewable in 285 days so far. The bulk of the […]

Dogs like sharing with friends, new study finds

Sharing and other voluntary acts of kindness are what we regard as part of our humanity – but this type of behavior exists in other creatures as well. Now, scientists working in Austria have shown for the first time that dogs exhibit prosocial behavior, if they know the other dogs. Different types of personality have […]

Canadian company starts selling bottled air in China

It's finally happening - they're selling air, and the Chinese are buying it.

November 2015 was by far the hottest on record

2015 is set to be the hottest year on record as November smashed previous records, being 1.75 degrees Fahrenheit (0.97 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average. As if that wasn’t enough, 7 of the first 11 months of the year broke the record, according to reports by both NOAA and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. […]

Landslide fatalities continue at Burma jade mines

The annus horribilis continued at the jade mines in Myanmar, as another major landslide was announced, with at least one fatality and ten people missing.

There is no 'Nazi Train', Polish geophysicists find

This summer in Poland, two treasure hunters discovered what they believe was a WWII Nazi train filled with treasure, in a buried tunnel. Poland’s Deputy Culture Minister Piotr Zuchowski said authorities were led to the spot and that he was 99% convinced that the treasure had been located. But according to scientists Krakow’s AGH University of Science […]

This glacier produces half a million ice quakes a year

Somewhere in the Arctic, in the interior of the Greenland ice sheets, there lies a glacier like no other. This glacier quakes once every minute, more frequently than ever observed. Geologists now believe that studying these ice quakes could help them better understand how ice melts and reacts to rising temperatures and better model ice flow. […]

Brain scans help researchers develop better condoms

It’s no secret that when it comes to condoms, the pleasure factor plays a big role – some people simply don’t want to use condoms because it diminishes their pleasure. With that in mind, researchers from Australia are now working to create condoms that feel just like bare skin… or even better! This year, over […]

Three astronauts docked the Space Station

For the first time in history, the UK has a representative on the International Space Station. This morning, British astronaut Tim Peake made his first visit to the station, alongside two seasoned: Russia’s Yuri Malenchenko and NASA’s Tim Kopra. It was a flawless launch, as you can see below. Malechenko had to take manual control after the automated […]

Scientists develop "hydricity" - new type of hybrid renewable energy

If we want to transition to a carbon free economy, renewable energy has to be pivotal – but no matter how you look at the problem, the bottom line is always the same: efficiency. Solar only generates energy when the sun is up, the same goes for wind… there’s a big reliability issue. With this […]

How the world will look like according to DARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a United States agency responsible for developing new technologies, mostly with military applications. They work with advanced prosthetics, holograms, robots, drones, and more robots. They’re at the cutting edge of technology, and I’d bet quite a few pints that they have groundbreaking classified projects. Now, in a new […]

Reactions to the Paris Climate Deal

A crucial date, or another point in a long line of failures? History will certainly judge the Paris Climate Agreement, but until then, reactions to it have generally been positive. It’s a monumental achievement, if only for being unanimously supported. I found remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry to be highly relevant: “For […]

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