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Saudi Arabia accused of derailing Paris talks

With only three days left from the Paris Climate Summit, the time for populist talks has passed, and we're expecting concrete solutions.

Stonehenge might have been built in Wales, new evidence suggest

Despite it being studied for many decades, there are still many things we don’t understand about the Stonehenge. Scientists have now identified the original quarries where the bluestones were mined:  225 km away in Wales, and 500 years before the Stonehenge was built! This could indicate that perhaps a proto-version of the Neolithic monument could […]

Google wants to develop needle-free blood-drawing smartwatches

Competition between tech giants is more fierce than ever, and Google is out for blood - literally.

It's the Motherload: $17 Billion in Loot Found on Sunken Galleon off Colombian Coast

A ship missing for over 300 years has been rediscovered, according to Colombian authorities – a boat with an estimated $17 billion in loot. San José was a 60-gun, 3-masted galleon of the Spanish Navy. It was launched in 1698, and was sunk in the battle off the coast of Cartagena in 1708, during a […]

Hidden portrait found under the Mona Lisa

In what reads like the headline for a modern mystery novel, a researcher has found a hidden portrait under the Mona Lisa - or so he claims.

Here's how dolphins "see" humans through echolocation

An unprecedented image created by UK and US researchers shows how a submerged human is “seen” by dolphins through echolocation. Echolocation, also called bio sonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals, including dolphins. Basically, they emit sounds around them and then listen to the returning echo to locate and identify different […]

Academics for sale: undercover investigation reveals fossil fuel industry buys scientists

An undercover investigation exposed how fossil fuel companies pay off academics to publish research sowing doubt about climate change and promote corporate interests.

What polar inhabitants want from a climate deal

While the climate talks in Paris are carrying on in full force, it’s important to keep in mind that most of climate change isn’t actually affecting the ones causing it. The polar regions, the south Pacific and small islands are the ones suffering the most. The governments of Nunavut (Canada) and Greenland (Denmark) and the Inuit […]

Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to terminate climate change - and promote vegetarianism

“I don’t give a damn if we agree about climate change” – this is how a post on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Facebook page opened up yesterday, one day before his talk at the COP21 climate summit. Fighting for climate We don’t have the time to debate and convince everyone, as every day, as 19,000 people die from […]

The first COP21 draft is out!

The climate talks in Paris have so far been surprisingly consistent and on track – right now, we’ve learned that the first draft for a global climate agreement is out! This unprecedented meeting has just yielded its first concrete results, and while there are still many brackets which mean that many things are still debatable, […]

Artists install faux ads to protest corporate greenwashing in COP21

82 artists joined hands to create 600 artworks - modified ads placed around Pars to protest greenwashing done by the corporations involved in the climate summit.

German fusion machine to kick off in December

The Wendelstein 7-X will start firing up helium plasma in December and hydrogen plasma in January 2016, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics announced. That may not seem like much, but it’s quite exciting when you think that machines like this one could revolutionize energy production. The 425 tonne installation took 1.1 million construction hours spread over […]

US Presidential Candidates That Don't "Believe" in Climate Change

While most of the world is trying to reach a climate agreement that would help preserve our planet’s climate for future generations, some of the US presidential candidates just don’t get it – or don’t want to get it. Despite an overwhelming scientific consensus (97% of climate scientists), despite obvious effects and forecasts, and despite […]

Trump's reaction to the Climate Summit in Paris is laughably ... depressive

Warning alert: this will be extremely annoying for Republicans, Democrats, women, men, children… and pretty much anyone with common sense. While the whole world is trying to settle its differences and finally reach a climate agreement for the future of the planet, Donald Trump is being… Donald Trump. What is Obama thinking? A video posted […]

Six initiatives for sustainable agriculture announced at COP21

Climate change and agriculture are so interrelated that you basically can't talk about addressing climate change without bringing agriculture into the mix. At COP21, the climate summit in Paris, governments, NGOs and private entities joined hands to announce several initiatives focusing on some of the most pressing issues in agriculture: soils in agriculture, the livestock sector, food losses and waste, and sustainable production methods and resilience of farmers.

Americans support signing of climate change pact, but don't want taxes on emissions

According to a NY Times/CBS poll two out of three Americans support the signing of a global climate pact, but only one in five agrees to increasing taxes on electricity

COP21 climate summit summary: Day 1

The Climate Summit in Paris (COP21) has started out in full force, bringing along a wave of optimism but also skeptic frowns. ZME Science is attending the summit and we’ll keep you posted with the daily events as they unfold and as we witness them – this is an event that has the potential to […]

120-country Solar Alliance announced at COP21 in Paris

A possible game changer – 120 country alliance spearheaded by India and supported by France has been announced, with the purpose of promoting solar energy in developing countries. Many developing countries enjoy sun-rich areas, but they lack the technology and financial capabilities to make full use of that potential. With that in mind, India’s prime […]

European countries announce new $500 million initiative to fight climate change in developing countries

Four European countries, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, have announced a new $500 million initiative to fight climate change, especially in developing countries. The entire initiative is supported by the World Bank. “We want to help developing countries find a credible pathway toward low carbon development,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “This initiative is […]

Paris Climate Summit Begins with Unprecedented Committment

The eyes of the world are set on Paris, as the COP21 climate summit started today with the ambitious goal of achieving a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world. But while this dance sometimes paces close to the impossible, there are also reasons to be optimistic: world leaders […]

Italy's earthquake scientists have finally been cleared

I’m happy to say that one of the most absurd events in modern science has finally concluded, and with a normal result. The Italian seismologists tried with manslaughter for not carrying a good enough risk analysis have been cleared – most of them, at least. The L’Aquila earthquake struck in central Italy on 6 April […]

The latest trend in green houses: moss walls

More and more people are greening their homes, and that’s definitely a good thing – whether it’s renewable energy or green walls, it can not only save you a lot of money and reduce your carbon footprint, but also increase your home’s appeal and make it more cozy. The latest trend that’s picking up steam […]

Indian Poverty Falls To 12.4%, electricity plays big role

Poverty in India has dropped stunningly from 21% in 2012 to 12.4%, according to the World Bank.

A pink sludge is taking over Norway's coast

Earlier this month, researchers started noticing that a mysterious purple goo was taking over Norway's coast.

ZME Science is attending COP21, the climate summit in Paris

A team from ZME Science will attend the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP21. Here’s the official page of the event, the Wikipedia page, and the official Twitter (in French). What does this mean? We’ll be attending as many sessions as possible, to give you the latest updates on this potentially historic event. We’ll […]

Raspberry Pi reveals tiny $5 computer

The smallest member of the Raspberry Pi might actually be its largest: at the absurd price of £4 ($5 in the United States), it’s a full scale computer, and it could revolutionize electronic appliances. Wait, what’s a Raspberry Pi? The Raspberry Pi is a series of credit card–sized single-board computers developed in the United Kingdom by […]

What the deal is with the deformed California road

If you've been following the news lately (especially science news), the odds are you may have come across images of this California road, deformed to the point where some sections of it are basically vertical.

Fun GIF shows what hydrophobic coating can do

Hydrophobic coating is without a doubt one of the most coolest inventions in recent years, but it's sometimes hard to imagine just how it can be useful.

Paleontologists find a ridiculously armored Cambrian worm

It basically looks like a weapon: the fossil of a worm-like animal from the Cambrian period has been presented by scientists, and it’s as armored as it gets. The Cambrian was definitely one of the strangest geological and biological stages in Earth’s history; it’s not only that it was 500 million years ago, but the […]

Scientists image organs at microscopic scales

In a new study published in Nature, researchers have demonstrated a technique that allows the mapping of organs at microscopic scales.

18th century alternatives for Thanksgiving recipes

Today, the world seems split into two different parts: some people devouring dramatically large pieces of turkey, and the other ones that simply don’t care about Thanksgiving. But no matter what category you fall into, it’s a good time of the year to enjoy some good food. With this in mind, I thought I’d share […]

How the Moon got its tilt

Astronomers describe that the present-day tilt of the Moon is likely a result of collision-free encounters of the early Moon with small planetary bodies.

Archaeologists reveal 5,000 year old Babylonian recipes

While many people are probably consulting Google these days with searches for “easy turkey dinner” or “last minute side dishes”, it’s pretty safe to say there’s no shortage of websites offering answers to those queries. But there is a shortage of recipes thousands of years old. The Yale Babylonian Collection now allowed us to take dinner as humans did […]

After the climate talks in Paris, the real work begins

The Climate Summit in Paris may or may not create a binding agreement for countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, but either way, the real work will begin after the talks. “When the meetings in Paris are done, the real business of decarbonization must begin,” write climate-policy experts David Victor and James Leape in […]

Have you tried Facebook's 'Most Used Words' app? If yes, say goodbye to your privacy

The ‘Most Used Words’ app has picked up steam more and more on our Facebook feeds, but as it’s often the case, this rings some major privacy alerts. So far, more than 17 million people have used the app to find out what they say most – but the recent uproar has begun when people […]

20 Years of International Climate Change Politics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Philipp Pattberg, a professor of transnational environmental governance and policy at VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands, focuses on the study of global environmental politics, with a focus on climate change governance and biodiversity. Here, he gives a talk about more than 20 years of international climate change diplomacy, from the successful negotiation of the 1992 United Nations […]

Copenhagen takes bike lanes to another level... literally

The Danish capital of Copenhagen is known for its bike friendly culture but this time they’re taking it to the next level. Work is set to start on the new bike lane which will join two skyscrapers, 213 feet in the air (65 meters). The design was the winner of a competition to reinvigorate the […]

70% of Mongolian nomads now have solar power

In many the vast steppes of Mongolia, some things have remained unchanged for centuries. But some things have changed, and big time: according to a new report, almost 3 out of 4 Mongolian nomads are now using solar power. Even if your lifestyle is pretty much Medieval, you can still benefit from advanced technology – that’s […]

Underwater balloons could help us store renewable energy

While wind and solar are offering more energy than ever to global grids, there is still much work to be done if we want to properly integrate them; one question that always arise is that of energy storage. Sure, you can harvest a lot of sun during the day, but you need to store it for later usage, and that's quite a problem. Now, a Canadian start-up believe they may have found a solution for that, and it's just crazy enough to work: underwater balloons.

Reactions to FDA approving genetically engineered salmon

A few days ago, the FDA approved the genetic engineering of modified Atlantic salmon variety. This is the first food animal that was genetically modified that the FDA approved for human consumption and farming; the gene alteration would make it grow much faster. Public reactions have been mixed, as expected. This could be a very good move, greatly reducing the stress on wild populations, but people are always reluctant when it comes to GMOs - especially animals.

Climate change: It's real, and it's up to us

The little things we do matter: being more responsible with the resources we use, walking that extra stop, even speaking our voice out, it all matters.

Why most diets don't work

Universal diets don’t work because “healthy food” varies from person to person, a new study has found. Sadly, only a fraction of all people truly eat healthily these days – we all have our own struggles with food, either because we eat too much, or we eat things that are bad for us, or we don’t […]

Solar panels in refugee camps could make life easier and slash CO2 emissions

A simple yet efficient solution could not only make life easier for millions of refugees worldwide, but also reduce CO2 emissions by 6.85 million tons every year and save a lot of money in the long run: installing solar panels in camps. A consortium of think tanks and NGOs has released a report highlighting that […]

Dubai firefighters will get jetpacks

If you ever wanted to become a firefighter in an exotic location, now you have the perfect extra motivation: jetpacks. As if Dubai didn’t have enough hi-tech with all the awesome cars and helicopters and all, firefighters will receive jetpacks as part of the new year’s city budget – this is considered a “practical” solution […]

Tiny two-legged puppy receives life-time supply of 3D printed wheelchairs

When Tumbles was born in Ohio with just two back legs, prospects didn’t seem that good for him, in a world where having just two legs is sadly, as good as a life sentence for most animals. Friends of the Shelter Dogs in Athens rescued and bottle-fed him, and not long after that, a family adopted […]

Stephen Hawking: You Should Support Wealth Redistribution

In July, Professor Stephen Hawking took the time to answer questions posed by Reddit users in an AMA (Ask Me Antyhing), addressing one of the less discussed aspect of increasing technology and robotization: the distribution of wealth.

Scientists create 244-atom light-driven submarine

Every once in a while, someone creates something so incredible that it probably wouldn't even pass the Hollywood standard, being deemed to unrealistic.

800 Year Old "Extinct Big Squash" Revived With Ancient Seeds

Archaeological diggings at the First Nations in Canada unearthed, among others, a small, 800 year old pot - and inside it, squash seeds!

Start-up develops new robot that identifies and removes weeds

Start-up company Deepfield Robotics has developed a field vehicle that can distinguish weeds from useful crops and eliminate them.

No, a Nigerian didn't solve the Riemann Hypothesis

The problem is still unsolved.