Andrei Mihai ZME Science

Humanity is close to eradicating the first disease since smallpox: the dreadful Guinea Worm

It's a horrific disease, but one that may be going to the history books soon.

France becomes the first country to ban foodwaste

A few months after it was proposed, the law was approved in December and it's now official.

This fern changed the world 50 million years ago, and it could help us again

Some 50 million years ago, the world was in dire straits. Atmospheric CO2 levels were at over 1000 ppm, with some putting the level at 3500 ppm. Turtles and palm trees were thriving at the poles and sea levels were much higher than they were now as there was virtually no snow to be seen. […]

GeoPicture of the Week: Snow-Covered Volcanoes Seen From Space

The picture was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), focusing on two snow-covered volcanoes in Russia’s Far East. The volcano in the center of the image is called Bolshaya Ipelka and it measures 40 kilometers (25 miles) at its base. The volcano has been inactive for a long time, but the valleys cut by glaciers along its […]

First robot-run farm to be opened in Japan

Robots really are starting to take over jobs - a company in Japan has just announced they will open the world's first "robot farm".

Archaeologists uncover 4,500-year-old 59-foot boat at a site in Egypt

Archaeologists from the Charles University in Prague have made a stunning discovery in Egypt: they found a stunningly well preserved long boat, buried for four and a half millennia. The discovery was made at Abusir, “the House or Temple of Osiris” and an extensive necropolis with many well documented findings. But Egypt still has a story to […]

Scottish researchers get cancer cells ‘addicted’ to drugs that will kill them

Scottish researchers have found a way to make cancer cells get "addicted" to self-destruction.

German nuclear fusion machine starts running

German scientists have turned on a device called a stellerator, the largest of its kind. The machine could pave the way for nuclear fusion, a clean and safe type of nuclear power.

Scientists witness sub-Antarctic volcano erupting

It's a song of ice and fire - scientists have just witnessed the eruption of the Big Ben volcano in the sub-Antarctic area.

Zika Virus sexually transmitted in the US

The Zika virus that created an international state of emergency just got more scarier: apparently, it can be sexually transmitted. Such a case was reported in the US.

What are tornadoes and how do they form?

Tornadoes are associated with the strongest and most violent storms, reaching winds of up to 300 miles per hour (480 km/h).

Why does the Zika virus cause birth abnormalities?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a state of emergency following the Zika outbreak in South America. The virus was thought to be almost benign and doesn’t cause big problems. Hospitalization is almost never necessary, but Zika provided a nasty surprise. It became obvious that the disease causes birth defects such as microcephaly… but […]

World Health Organization declares global emergency following Zika outbreak

The Zika outbreak in South America is spreading more and more, reaching pandemic levels.

Scientists recreate the Quagga... sort of

South African scientists have recreated the quagga – an exotic animal related to the zebras that went extinct in the 19th century. Or better put, they created an animal that’s genetically similar to the quagga. The quagga is still a mysterious animal. There has been much debate over the status of the quagga in relation to […]

Depression linked with lower back pain, surprising study finds

A new study from the University of Sydney found a surprising link between lower back pain and depression.

Chemists see molecule bond breaking and forming

Using a special type of microscopy, researchers triggered and visualized a chemical reaction at atomic level.

UK researchers given green light to genetically modify embryos

For the first time, the British have received a green light for editing the genes of embryos. They will remove or edit different genes of embryos and see how they develop for seven days, before destroying them.

The moon's phases affect rainfall, says first-of-its-kind study

The moon does more than cause tides and delight lovers - according to a new study, it can also affect how much rainfall falls down on the ground.

3,000 jars of ancient Roman fish sauce discovered in shipwreck

Archaeologists working off the coast of Italy have found a Roman shipwreck containing three thousand fish sauce vessels.

Computer beats human at Go for the first time

In what seemed impossible just a few years ago, a computer has beaten a Go champion.

How old is the Earth and how do we know it?

The age of the Earth is 4.54 billion years - plus or minus 1% (0.05 billion years). But how do we know this?

A Dozen Scientific Facts That Seem Incredible But Are Actually Real (+ bonus)

With all the information floating around on the internet, it's sometimes hard to figure out if something is real or not. These are some of those things - real, but crazy enough to make you go "what?!".

These photos from NASA's Cassini Probe look incredibly awesome

The Cassini shuttle is a flagship sent to Saturn to conduct observations of Saturn and its moons. The mission started 18 years ago, and since then Cassini has sent over some mind-bending pictures. Here are just some of them, courtesy of NASA. Rhea and Titan Here we see Rhea, the second-largest moon of Saturn passing in […]

Rotten Teeth, village football, and no baths: The Hard to Believe Realities of Life in Tudor England

The Tudor period started in 1485 and ended in 1603. Many people idealize Tudor England, but life in those Medieval times was rough — and oftentimes brutal. In fact, in some regards, it seems almost impossible to believe how people lived at the time. Here are just some of these strange facets of the medieval […]

Chinese researchers create autistic monkeys

Researchers in China have genetically engineered autistic monkeys which exhibit almost no social interaction.

Hubble's 'heir' is coming together

NASA is very close to reaching a milestone in the construction of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Hubble's successor that will be launched in 2018.

Oil seeps create thriving micro-ecosystem

Natural hydrocarbon seeps are providing the nutrients for vast microbial communities to thrive in the Gulf of Mexico.

Japan's North coast is riddled with ancient carved stones - tsunami warnings

“High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants,” the rock slab says. “Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any homes below this point.” Stones with messages like this one are surprisingly common on Japan’s coast; they tell a long forgotten story, a story of danger, tragedy and tsunamis. They […]

Half of the cobalt in our batteries is mined by children

According to a report published by Amnesty International, half of the world's Cobalt, an important element used in lithium batteries, is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by child miners. Most handheld electronics today (like smartphones or tablets) incorporate lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) based on lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), which offers high energy density.

China will allocate $4.6 bln to shut 4,300 coal mines

The Chinese government seems determined to phase out coal from their economy.

There are probably hundreds of bugs living in your house

Our houses are teeming with tiny insects, but have no fear - not only are they harmless, they might help us.

10,000 Year Old Hunter-Gatherer Massacre Uncovered

War may have emerged even before humans settled down.

The photo that no one gets right at first

Look at this photo. What do you see? A bunch of camels, right? Well, that's right... but look closer - where are the camels?

Man comes back to life after freezing for one night

A medical miracle was conducted at Lehigh Valley Health Network in the UK as a man was brought back to life after being almost frozen solid.

A lost city has been discovered in Honduras - maybe even a new civilization

Archaeologists have reported the stunning discovery of a new (old) city discovered in Honduras.

Classical fairy tales date well before the Roman Empire

According to an English-Portuguese duo, the origin of some of the most beloved stories may go back much further than we thought.

Graphene elastomer is more sensitive than human skin

Researchers have developed a new graphene-based elastomer that can revolutionize prosthetic skin.

Oceans are running out of fish - much faster than we thought

The global fish stocks are depleting at alarming rates, much faster than reported by the UN, a study found.

The poisonous mushroom that glows in the dark

Mushrooms are pretty awesome in themselves, but some are just off-the-charts awesome. Take Omphalotus olearius for example, also called the jack-o’-lantern mushroom. Sure, it may be poisonous – but not only does it glow in the dark, you can make glow-in-the-dark paint with it. Appearance The most important thing about the Jack-o’-lantern mush is how to avoid […]

Astronomers may have discovered an invisible black hole in the Milky Way

Japanese astronomers may have discovered an intermediate black hole close to the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. This finding could help explain how supermassive black holes form at the center of galaxies. Most galaxies we know of have a supermassive black hole (SMBH) at their center. The name is pretty self explanatory – […]

Harvard has an amazing color library - and it's open to the public

The Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at Harvard Art Museums is one of the most colorful places in the world. It houses over 2,500 pigment samples placed in tincture bottles behind tall glass cabinets, reminding of old medicine bottles. We owe it all to Edward Forbes.

"Cave of Forgotten Dreams" may be earliest painting of volcano eruption

Volcanic eruptions have fascinated and frightened people for millennia, and many have tried to describe them in different ways. Whether it was through paintings, text or documentaries, we’ve all seen volcanoes described in one way or another. But for people 30,000 years ago, that was a much more difficult challenge. Now, researchers believe they have […]

All of China's buses might be electric by 2025

China just announced the deployment of the world's largest electric buses - in the city of Shenzen.

A frozen tardigrad was brought back to life - and then gave birth

30 years, frozen solid - now back to life.

NASA: Nuclear power instead of coal saved 1.8 million lives between 1971-2009

According to a study conducted by NASA in 2013, using nuclear energy instead of coal saved almost 2 million lives since 1979 - by allowing us to not use coal.

The world's largest canyon may lie under Antarctic Ice

British researchers have just made a stunning discovery - the biggest canyon may not be in the US or China but under Antarctic ice.

Did North Korea actually test a bomb? Science actually has the answer

North Korea recently announced that it tested a massive H-bomb, one that's "capable of wiping out the entire United States".

London has reached its yearly NO2 pollution limit in just 8 days, and it's being sued

The city of London is sued for polluting too much – about 40 times more than it should under EU (European Union) regulation. At 7AM local time last Friday, London officially breached the pollution limits set by the European Union for the entirety of 2016. It’s the fifth year in a row London has grossly surpassed […]

Despite plummeting oil price, renewables attract record investments

The slump in oil prices coincides with the highest investment in renewables ever: $329.3 billion just in 2015.

New Ebola case reported hours after West Africa was declared Ebola-free

In an unfortunate turn of events, a new Ebola fatality has been reported just hours after West Africa was declared Ebola-free.

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