homehome Home chatchat Notifications


NASA maps ice water reserves inches below Martian surface

A new map of water ice trapped beneath Mars' surface could inform astronauts where they should land.

An Exxon subsidiary figured out how to stop climate change 30 years ago -- and we're not even close

The solution is something most governments don't even want to hear.

Chinese scientists engineer monkey-pig chimeras

Breeding cross-species hybrids could one day allow scientists to grow human organs in other animals.

Civil society kicked out of COP25 climate talks after unexpected protest

Activists entered the plenary of negotiations at the climate talks but were soon kicked out by security.

Ancient whale fossil show how the mammals moved to life in the ocean

The fossil might represent a transitional stage between foot-powered and tail-powered swimming in modern whales.

Greta Thunberg: “Every change in history has come through the people”

Backed by science: Swedish climate activist asked countries to raise climate ambition.

Self-driving truck makes smooth cross-country delivery of butter

It's the first time that an autonomous vehicle delivered freight across two states.

Plastic pollution is killing off the hermit crabs

This is an unmitigated catastrophe.

Dinosaur feathers were crawling with lice, amber fossils show

It's the oldest evidence of insects feeding on feathers.

Physicists produce quantum states in ordinary electronics

The findings may prove to be revolutionary.

Famous Harvard scientist creates dating app that matches for genetic compatibility

Swipe right on eugenics.

When it comes to climate, US is the worst-performing country

None of the most polluting countries is on track to meet the Paris Agreement goals

Older life isn't a loneliness sentence, new study finds

Human communication dynamics have changed substantially in the past few decades. It wasn’t long ago that if you wanted to talk to someone, you needed to be physically next to them. But phones became commonplace in the 20th century, and nowadays, we always have smartphones on us, we talk through the internet, we communicate via […]

Women in Nepal are forced to sleep in 'menstruation huts', and we need to talk about this

Although the practice was criminalized in 2018, the law is rarely imposed and as a result, women are still forced to sleep outside or in ‘special’ huts during their menstruation. It’s almost 2020, we’ve sent people on the moon, robots on Mars, we’ve spread on the globe far and wide, and yet we still don’t […]

Climate change is destroying jobs in New England's fisheries

"As we see more warm winters off the New England coast, fewer fishermen stay in business," the authors say.

The human eye can tell day from night with three types of cells

The insight could be use to design indoor lights that synchronize with day-night cycles better or even improve mood.

New fossil rewrites the evolutionary history of sea lilies

"It's not very often that we're challenging ideas that are almost two hundred years old," says the team.

Killer whale grandmothers boost survival of young, may explain menopause

Although they are not able to conceive anymore, orca grandmothers boost the survival of their grand-offspring. Could this explain menopause?

We create 'fake news' when facts don't match our biases

Don't believe everything you think

Battery prices fell nearly 50% in the last 3 years -- and there's no sign of stopping

Economies of scale and improved manufacturing methods are driving high energy storage prices down -- and fast!

Climate heating is sucking the oxygen out of the oceans

There are about 700 ocean sites with low levels of oxygen, an IUCN report presented at COP25 reported.

A 6,000-year-old fruit fly gave the world modern cheeses and yogurts

A lucky encounter between a fruit fly and a pail of milk around 5,500 years ago set the stage for dairy product.

Exoplanet researcher awarded for groundbreaking work

As the Hans Sigrist Prize is claimed by Ignas Snellen for groundbreaking exoplanet research, the message is clear--the search for other worlds is heating up.

The European Union can and must decarbonize its transport sector: here's how

A business-as-usual scenario is no longer viable, according to the EU's Science Advisory Council.

Tattoos in ancient Egypt may have been common

Tattoos were found on the skin of seven mummified Egyptian women. Previously, only six other such mummies had been found.

Single-celled organism can 'change its mind' despite lacking a nervous system

It took more than 100 years to confirm that single-celled organisms are capable of hierarchical decision making.

You can now browse thousands of medieval manuscripts thanks to Philadelphia libraries

A joint project involving 15 Philadelphia libraries digitized 160,000 pages dating from the 9th century. You can access them for free online.

Brits learn how much healthcare costs in the US -- their reaction is priceless

Are Americans equally shocked by universal healthcare and decently priced services?

Extreme weather is the 'new normal' (among other depressing climate projections)

Key report at COP25 summarizes main insights behind climate change

Measles infected 10 million, claimed over 142,000 lives last year

Large pockets of unvaccinate children have caused a backsliding in immunization against measles -- a vaccine-preventable disease.

Birth control pills may shrink a part of the brain, lowering sex drive

Many heterosexual couples that use oral contraceptives report having less sex than those who use condoms or other forms of contraceptives. Doctors have long believed that this is due to the hormonal imbalance caused by the pill, but a new study challenges this idea, potentially identifying the root cause. According to the results of the […]

Quantum tweak extends range of gravitational waves detection

A much needed upgrade to the LIGO detector enables scientists to cast a wider net to catch gravitational waves.

"Mighty Mice" arrive at the ISS to improve astronaut health

Scientists sent extraordinarily muscular mice to the International Space Station to study how microgravity affects muscles and bones.

Exoplanet telescope CHEOPS gears up for launch day

The ESA's CHEOPS satellite launches later this month with the mission to select exoplanets suitable for in-depth investigation.

New vaccine is incredibly efficient at preventing typhoid

Antibiotic-resistant typhoid is spreading in some parts of the world so this news comes in the nick of time.

It's already happening: AI to replace civil jobs in Indonesia in 2020

The Indonesian President has instructed government agencies to start replacing public servants with artificial intelligence.

We have the first genetic evidence of human self-domestication

Our ancestors screened partners for 'niceness' -- and our genomes reflect that.

Decades-old climate models accurately predicted global heating -- but no one listened

Climate models from as early as the 1970s were already reliable enough to offer reliable projections of temperature increases as a result of GHGs.

Language forms spontaneously, and fast

People love to communicate -- there are over 7,000 languages in use today.

How horizontal gene transfer complicated the tree of life

Not to mention that it has direct effects on human health

Airplanes are making the birds scream louder

Have you ever tried sending a mating call when there's a plane nearby? It's the worst.

Invasive species are looming threat to natural parks

As if mother nature didn't already have enough to deal with.

Is that bowl of ramen giving you a stroke? A study says 'maybe'

The high salt content of ramen could increase your chances of having a stroke.

Climate risks are increasing worldwide -- even for high-income countries

Japan, Germany and Philippines were among the most affected countries last year

Astronomers find the most massive black hole in the local universe

A dim patch in an otherwise bright galaxy is the epicenter of a supermassive black hole whose mass is 40 billion times greater than that of the Sun.

Carbon emission growth rates go down, overall emissions reach record highs (again)

"When the good news is that emissions growth is slower than last year, we need help," the researchers explain.

Sick reefs that sound healthy attract back marine wildlife

Scientists installed underwater speakers in dead or dying coral which played sounds typical of healthy reefs. Wildlife soon flocked back.

Coldest chemical reaction reveals intermediate molecules in slow motion

Scientists have used a complex setup that allowed them to image intermediate chemical compounds that typically last only a thousandth a billionth of a second.

Most people struggle to read cats' expressions, but "cat whisperers" don't

It's a skill that can likely be trained, the team explains.

40% of the world’s plant species are extremely rare

This puts them at high risk for extinction