Everywhere they look mathematicians seem to find patterns in nature. But a strange link between how zebra stripes form and how sperm swim is almost as weird as it gets. Taking cues from how stripes and spots are thought to form in organisms as diverse as zebra and giant pufferfish, the researchers analyzed the animated
Month: September 2023
If you’re a whale, there’s often not too much to see out in deeper water. Perhaps that’s why so many whales get playful with kelp and other seaweed. Once might have been chance. But we’ve collected over 100 examples on social media of whales playing with seaweed, known as “kelping”. It’s not just one species
Earlier this year, the James Webb Space Telescope dashed hopes for life on one of the most Earth-like exoplanets discovered in the Milky Way. TRAPPIST-1b, a world 1.4 times the mass and 1.1 times the radius of Earth, just 40 light-years away, has no detectable atmosphere to protect it from the scorching radiation of its
For roughly 250 million years, some 20,000-odd species of trilobite scuttled across Earth’s ocean floor. Despite the huge abundance these diverse animals in our fossil records, much of their basic biology is still unclear, like what they ate. Until now, trilobite diets have only been inferred from indirect clues, but researchers have just discovered the
Caves were some of humanity’s first shelters. Who knows what our distant ancestors were thinking as they sought refuge there, huddling and cooking meat over a fire, maybe drawing animals on the walls. Caves protected our ancient ancestors from the elements, and from predators and rivals, back when sticks, stones, furs and fire were our
A dog running from a pack of feral dogs dove into an even more dangerous situation when it took a swim in a crocodile-infested river. Instead of turning the dog into a snack, the crocodiles appeared to usher it to safety. Researchers published images of the event in the August edition of the Journal of
Oxford today is known as a place of learning and elite scholarship. Several hundred years ago, the university town had something of a darker reputation. A deep dive into historical documents reveals that during the late medieval period in the 14th century CE, Oxford had a per capita murder rate four to five times higher
As far as gravity is concerned, both matter and its charge-flipped ‘mirror’ twin, antimatter, deserve a big, warm hug. A recent experiment by international Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus (ALPHA) collaboration achieved the first direct measurement of free-falling antimatter. Had the results been any different, we might have at last had our first solid clue on
On September 24, a strong storm of solar plasma struck Earth’s magnetic field and set the night sky on ‘fire’. Across the northern hemisphere, from Europe to North America, those with clear skies were able to witness a spectacular red light show, described by at least one skywatcher as the ‘Holy Grail of Northern Lights‘.
A stray canine in Brazil has turned out to be a whole new breed of adorable. According to a genetic study, the female animal is most probably the first of its kind – a hybrid between a South American pampas fox and a dog. Otherwise known as a dogxim. From the very start, its appearance
Deep beneath the ocean’s waves dwell creatures of pure horror. Sharp of tooth, screaming jowls, and flesh that shimmers with preternatural light, we can only be grateful for the shroud of darkness that hides them. There’s also Grimpoteuthis, the delightfully named Dumbo octopus – a genus of cephalopod about as terrifying as the adorable, big-eared
One of the James Webb Space Telescope’s principal science goals is to observe the epoch where we think that the first galaxies were created, to understand the details of their formation, evolution, and composition. With each deep look back in time, the telescope seems to break its own record for the most distant galaxy ever
India made history last month as the first country to land near the moon‘s south pole. But several days after they were set to wake up, the Chandrayaan-3 moon lander and its sidekick lunar rover remain fast asleep. And now it seems like they may be dead for good. The robots went to sleep in
The ghost, at long last, is actually in the machine. Earlier this year, for the first time, scientists detected neutrinos created in a particle collider. Those abundant yet enigmatic subatomic particles are so removed from the rest of matter that they slide through it like specters, earning them the nickname “ghost particles”. The researchers said
Antarctica is looking less and less recognizable with each passing year. On land, scientists have found flowering plants, moss, and algae spreading like never before, and at sea, the extent of floating sea ice has hit record lows. These dramatic changes have coincided with rising summer temperatures. In 2022, researchers at the University of Washington
In 1960, Freeman Dyson proposed how advanced civilizations could create megastructures that enclosed their system, allowing them to harness all of their star’s energy and multiplying the habitable space they could occupy. In 2015, the astronomical community was intrigued when the star KIC 8462852 (aka. Tabby’s Star) began to dim inexplicably. While an analysis of
A new species of tarantula found scurrying around the forests of Thailand shimmers with dazzling blue highlights. Its discoverers have named the beastie Chilobrachys natanicharum, and say it’s the first tarantula ever identified living in Thailand’s mangroves. Findings like these highlight the value of preserving these natural habitats, where unique species have carved out small
Mysterious, bare patches of ground that polka-dot the deserts of Namibia and Australia are far more widespread than we knew. They’re known as fairy circles, and a new global assessment has counted 263 sites where these bald spots can be found, spread across three continents and 15 countries, including Sahel, Madagascar, and Middle-West Asia. This
For more than 300 million years, mammals of all shapes and sizes have flourished here on Earth. Today, this highly successful class of animal exists in nearly every major habitat on land, having persisted through massive climate fluctuations and several mass extinctions. It’s hard to imagine a world without them. Yet a new study led
In an exciting milestone for lunar scientists around the globe, India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down 375 miles (600 km) from the south pole of the Moon on August 23, 2023. In just under 14 Earth days, Chandrayaan-3 provided scientists with valuable new data and further inspiration to explore the Moon. And the Indian Space Research
The Vikings were notorious raiders, but they were traders too, establishing vast trade routes that flourished from the 8th to 11th centuries. A new study reveals some of those connections spanned surprisingly long distances, linking large urban trading centers with rural outlands where many natural resources originated. Researchers from the UK and Europe illustrate the
Our planet has changed a lot over billions of years, from the location of the continents to the makeup of the atmosphere, and a new study looks in detail at the history of the Sahara desert – which wasn’t always an arid wilderness. Researchers from Finland and the UK reconstructed the periodic transformations of the
Well, they’ve done it. After seven years and 6.21 billion-kilometers, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx has officially delivered a capsule of precious Asteroid Bennu dust to Earth. It’s a major, incredible achievement, a feat of space prowess, engineering, dedication, and skill. But although the capsule has reached its destination – Earth – there’s now a lot more work
Carbon dioxide detected on Jupiter‘s moon Europa comes from the vast ocean beneath its icy shell, research using James Webb Space Telescope data indicated on Thursday, potentially bolstering hopes the hidden water could harbour life. Scientists are confident there is a huge ocean of saltwater kilometers below Europa’s ice-covered surface, making the moon a prime
A seven-year space voyage came to its climactic end Sunday when a NASA capsule landed in the desert in the US state of Utah, carrying to Earth the largest asteroid samples ever collected. Scientists have high hopes for the sample, saying it will provide a better understanding of the formation of our solar system and
Even millions of years ago, Australia was a paradise for spiders. In the arid heart of the continent, scientists have found an exquisitely preserved fossil of a fascinatingly large spider that roamed and hunted in what was once a lush rainforest. It’s not just any fossilized spider, either. It’s only the fourth spider fossil ever
The Tasmanian tiger has a long, checkered history that now includes being the first extinct animal family from which scientists have recovered RNA, the molecule that brings a species’ genome to life. With a specially modified protocol, a Swedish team extracted millions of RNA strands from the skin and muscle of a 132-year-old Tasmanian tiger,
Wi-Fi signals can do much more than deliver streaming movies and music around the home, it turns out: they can also be used to identify shapes through solid walls, as demonstrated in recent experiments. The ability for Wi-Fi to spot movement through walls has been shown off before, but the technology struggles with seeing anything
After a long, successful, and fascinating journey, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is finally about to return its precious cargo to Earth. On September 24, the mission will drop off its collection canister, before zipping back into space on another mission. The cargo it will deliver consists of samples of dust and rubble from a carbon-rich asteroid
A 3D model of a black hole’s erratic feeding pattern reveals a potential explanation for the bizarre behavior of quasars with a dimmer switch. It’s highly unusual for galaxies to do anything in a hurry, but ‘changing-look’ quasars are an exception. They can switch their jets of radiation on and off within mere years or
In 1687, Isaac Newton formulated his laws of motion and universal gravity, bringing the movement of distant stars, moons, and planets into focus. With the stroke of his quill, Newton’s pioneering work also triggered a centuries-long search for mathematical solutions to rein in chaotic triple systems, such as the Sun, Moon, and Earth, which researchers
Over many thousands of years, a species of animal that shared a close relationship with wolves slowly morphed into something that loves to curl up in your lap, get belly rubs, and eat kibble three times a day. These changes in dogs weren’t just behavioral. In fact, the changes in body plan – like shorter
In 1960, legendary physicist Freeman Dyson published his seminal paper “Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation,” wherein he proposed that there could be extraterrestrial civilizations so advanced that they could build megastructures large enough to enclose their parent star. He also indicated that these “Dyson Spheres,” as they came to be known, could
For such a lush, verdant paradise, the Amazon rainforest’s soil can be surprisingly barren. Yet mysteriously fertile “dark earth” called terra preta can be found in patches across hundreds of sites, the origins of which have sparked debate among scientists. Now new research from the US and Brazil says ancient Amazonians intentionally enriched areas of
In what could be excused as a dictionary definition of futility, scientists have tried to teach a species of boxed jellyfish (Tripedalia cystophora) a few simple tricks to test whether learning necessitates a brain. Don’t expect to see ‘The Amazing Ball-Juggling Cnidarians and Friends’ variety hour on your next trip to Seaworld. This isn’t a
If you saw grains of sand rolling uphill you might be forgiven for thinking you were watching a Christopher Nolan movie. But scientists have recently figured out how a sand-like material can be made to flow back up slopes, without rewinding time. Researchers from Lehigh University in the US engineered tiny particles they call microrollers
A set of mysterious ‘hoofprints’ on the seafloor off the coast of New Zealand are not actually the work of a mythic underwater horse trotting through the abyss. As it turns out, there’s a more scientific explanation than that – one that helps reveal some of the more elusive characters living in the ocean’s depths.
There’s a line of thinking that says you can mentally manifest your way to financial success through believing it will happen – but this kind of aspirational mind trick is actually more likely to be linked to risky investments and bankruptcy, new research has found. Across three studies and a total of 1,023 participants from
The boundaries of science are constantly being pushed and expanded as newer and more advanced technology is developed, and researchers are now promising a “new era” of discovery as the world’s most powerful X-ray laser comes online. The laser in question is the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) II, and it’s able to produce up
When the largest stars in the Universe run out of fuel, they detonate as supernovae, collapsing inward and leaving behind a neutron star, black hole, or just wholly vaporizing. What’s happening inside the unfolding explosion is difficult to understand, and especially so for so-called exotic supernovae, the rarest and brightest types of stellar explosions. To
The fossilized skull of a 455-million-year-old fish reveals an anatomy that’s completely new to the study of vertebrates, bridging a knowledge gap of 100 million years. Insights gained from studying the Ordovician jawless fish, Eriptychius americanus, suggest the early development of the vertebrate brain’s protective dome was more complex than scientists thought. “This fills a
We can’t understand nature without understanding its range. That’s apparent in exoplanet science and in our theories of planetary formation. Nature’s outliers and oddballs put pressure on our models and motivate scientists to dig deeper. Gliese 367 b (or Tahay) is certainly an oddball. It’s an Ultrashort Period (USP) planet that orbits its star in
For centuries, inventor, scholar, and artist Leonardo da Vinci has been lauded for his precise, well-proportioned drawings and imaginative designs. He grasped gravity’s similarity to acceleration a century before Newton, and his artworks were sheer genius in their perspective and geometry. But on closer inspection, it seems one of the rules da Vinci devised to
Virtually every animal on Earth can thank their mother for the energy that fuels each of their cells. The power is generated in a part of the cell known as the mitochondria, and this organelle is made entirely from a genetic recipe laid out in your mother’s DNA. A father’s mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA, plays
We may have to rethink our plans for tapping into reserves of water on the Moon. According to a new analysis of lunar craters, these pocks and divots that mar and characterize the lunar surface are too young for the long-term retention of ancient reservoirs of water ice. In fact, most of the craters that
Generative AI – which encompasses large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT but also image and video generators like DALL·E 2 – supercharges what has come to be known as “digital necromancy“, the conjuring of the dead from the digital traces they leave behind. Debates around digital necromancy were first sparked in the 2010s by advances
Neolithic humans were apparently big on reuse. According to an analysis of bones from Cueva de los Marmoles, or Marmoles Cave in Southern Spain, it wasn’t necessarily uncommon for living humans to repurpose the deceased, and recycle their bones into tools. Amongst a collection of bones dating back thousands of years ago, archaeologists led by
A pair of interlocking logs that haven’t seen sunlight in half a million years could challenge some fundamental assumptions about the technology and culture of our Stone Age ancestors. Uncovered in 2019 at the Kalambo Falls in Zambia, the objects provide archaeologists with an exceptionally rare look at wooden technology from mid-Paleolithic Africa, a time
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