Astronomers have just found a cosmic cannonball. Around a star some 730 light-years away orbits an exoplanet the size of Jupiter, but with a density that boggles the mind. Astronomers have determined that the world, named TOI-4603b, has a mass of nearly 13 Jupiters. That means it’s nearly 3 times the density of Earth, and
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Most of us have heard the one about if you cross your arms over your chest you’re feeling defensive or if you’re fiddling with your hair while talking you feel nervous – but is there really any truth to some of these body language stereotypes? Reading body language can be a useful skill in understanding
All life on Earth depends on water, including us. Some of us consume water the old-fashioned way by drinking it with our mouths, others more creatively. Beetles can rehydrate themselves by opening their rectums and drinking trace amounts of water floating in the air. They can also reabsorb water from their poop, and their butts
The bending of light as its path veers around a giant, invisible mass has revealed the presence of one of the biggest black holes yet detected in the Universe. In a galaxy at the center of a massive cluster named Abell 1201, some 2.7 billion light-years away, lurks a cosmic colossus. Not content with being
Food scientists on Tuesday unveiled a giant meatball made from lab-grown flesh of an extinct woolly mammoth, saying the protein from the past showed the way for future foods. The glistening meatball was displayed under a glass bell jar by Australian-based cultivated meat firm Vow at the NEMO science museum in the Dutch capital Amsterdam.
If you look at where wombats deposit their poo, you realize they must be able to perform some surprising acrobatics. It has always amazed me to see wombat scats on top of grass tussocks or logs, because I’ve always wondered how the stocky creatures must have maneuvered themselves to put it there. It turns out
The world is direly addicted to plastics. Try as we might to recycle them, plastics are cheaper to make anew, so unthinkable amounts of plastic waste are dumped into landfill and are clogging up our oceans. From all the new plastics ever made, over 6 billion metric tons of plastic waste (that doesn’t decompose but
An Earth-sized exoplanet in perhaps the most promising alien system for signs of life is not likely to be habitable to life as we know it. New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal that the innermost world of the TRAPPIST-1 system, an exoplanet named TRAPPIST-1b with 1.4 times the mass and 1.1 times
The AI chatbot known as ChatGPT, developed by the company OpenAI, has caught the public’s attention and imagination. Some applications of the technology are truly impressive, such as its ability to summarize complex topics or to engage in long conversations. It’s no surprise that other AI companies have been rushing to release their own large
We know there’s water on the Moon, but questions remain about how it got there, where it’s stored, and how it moves around. In a new study, scientists from China have identified tiny glass beads in the lunar soil as potential places where water could hide. And we’re talking about a lot of water too,
A giant ‘hole’ has appeared on the surface of the Sun, and it could send 1.8 million-mph solar winds toward Earth by Friday. It follows the discovery of a coronal hole on the Sun 30 times the size of Earth. As this first ‘hole’ begins rotating away from us, a new giant coronal hole –
Bones found on the remote Arctic island of Spitsbergen suggest the ancient marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs roamed Earth’s oceans for much longer than we thought. Dated to 250 million years ago, the remains represent the oldest evidence of ichthyosaurs we’ve ever seen. Moreover, the species represented by the bones was already large and well-adapted
Every so often, a strange signal from outer space hits our detectors here on Earth. Known as fast radio bursts (FRBs_, these signals are extremely short, just milliseconds in duration, and are detected only in radio wavelengths. Yet in those milliseconds, and in those wavelengths, they can discharge as much energy as 500 million Suns
Humans might be the only species to sniffle and giggle through a romantic comedy, but there’s good reason to think many other animals also have some capacity to share emotions with their kindred. A new study led by researchers from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência in Portugal has provided evidence of the chemical mechanisms behind
We may not have found many planetary systems like our own Solar System. Still, there’s one thing they do seem to have in common: They appear to be made out of good ol’ ordinary baryonic matter – you know, the stuff our planetary system is made of. But what if there are planets out there
More than 2,000 mummified ram heads and a palatial Old Kingdom structure have been uncovered by archaeologists at the King Ramses II Temple of Abydos. The finds, located roughly 270 miles (435 kilometers) south of Cairo, come from a period of over 1,000 years, from the Sixth Dynasty to the Heroic Age, making some of
Nearly a century has passed since scientists broke the Universe. Through a complex mix of experiment and theory, physicists discovered an engine built on the mathematics of probability ticks away below the façade of reality. Referred to in vague terms as the Copenhagen interpretation, this take on the theory underpinning quantum mechanics says everything can
There might be some hidden oceans lurking around Uranus. New evidence suggests that one or two of the gas giant’s 27 known moons might be harboring liquid oceans beneath their crusty rock-and-ice exteriors. The possible culprits for seeding the space around Uranus with plasma are Miranda and Ariel, one or both of which might be
A large asteroid will safely zoom between Earth and the Moon on Saturday, a once-in-a-decade event that will be used as a training exercise for planetary defense efforts, according to the European Space Agency. The asteroid, named 2023 DZ2, is estimated to be 40 to 70 meters (130 to 230 feet) wide, roughly the size
A new species of orchid with delicate, glass-like blooms has been discovered by Japanese scientists, who found the pink and white plant hiding in plain sight. Despite its presence in Japan’s parks and gardens, it took researchers at Kobe University a decade to confirm that the plant – dubbed the Spiranthes hachijoensis – was a
A flower’s ability to mimic the sexually attractive traits of pollinators to lure them to its nectar has long fascinated scientists. Flowers can’t buy glasses and a wig to create a disguise, so how they came to pull off such convincing dupes, using only an existing toolkit of DNA, is baffling. Orchids are the most
Looking to the stars for constellations that preside over birth and life has a long and complex history, and archaeologists have just uncovered a small piece of it. A spectacular series of relief paintings on the ceiling of an ancient Egyptian temple depict 12 signs of the zodiac, and you might be surprised to recognize
A newly proposed propulsion system could theoretically beam a heavy spacecraft to outside the confines of our Solar System in less than 5 years – a feat that took the historic Voyager 1 probe 35 years to achieve. The concept, known as ‘pellet-beam’ propulsion, was awarded an early-stage US$175,000 NASA grant for further development earlier
NASA revealed a new prototype of the spacesuit destined to adorn the next astronauts on the Moon. But the look is a little misleading. In an event on March 15, NASA and its new spacesuit contractor, Axiom Space, walked out their first iteration of the uniform for the Artemis generation of lunar astronauts. Called the
Octopus is a popular ingredient in many cuisines, with some 420,000 metric tons of this mollusc being caught worldwide each year. The rising global popularity of octopus has been attributed to the increasingly adventurous tastes of younger consumers, its nutritional benefits and the decline of traditional fish stocks such as cod. This helps explain why
Nobody writes an obituary for the last of a species dying alone in the wild. So, knowing precisely when to confirm an extinction comes down to a mix of clever sleuthing, mathematics, and no small amount of guesswork. On 7 September 1936, a thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) held captive in a small Hobart zoo became the
NASA is actively monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth’s magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa. This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA
Skies across the northernmost US states could be graced with stunning displays of the Northern Lights on Friday, blown into view by a giant ‘hole’ on the Sun. The aurora borealis might appear in skies from Washington to New York, lighting up the night with beautiful colors, as a stream of electrically charged particles called
For the first time, an international team of physicists has successfully manipulated small numbers of light particles – known as photons – that have a strong relationship with each other. That may sound a little obscure, but it’s a fundamental breakthrough in the quantum realm that could lead to technology we currently can’t even dream
An interstellar object that is currently on its long journey back out of our Solar System has a completely natural explanation, in spite of its odd quirks. The peculiar acceleration of ‘Oumuamua, new research confirms, can be fully attributed to the release of molecular hydrogen gas. This, according to astrochemist Jennifer Bergner of the University
It’s all well and good to talk big about finding traces of life on Mars, but we also need to know where to look. Getting to Mars is hard – we want to make sure to make the best use of the opportunities available so as not to waste the trip. But there’s a lot
The ghost, at long last, is actually in the machine: For the first time, scientists have created neutrinos 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 say this work represents
There are few places on Earth as isolated as Trindade island, a volcanic outcrop a three- to four-day boat trip off the coast of Brazil. So geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos was startled to find an unsettling sign of human impact on the otherwise untouched landscape: rocks formed from the glut of plastic pollution floating in
A sample extracted from an asteroid far from Earth has confirmed that RNA nucleobases can be found in space rocks. Analysis of dust ferried home from asteroid Ryugu has been found to contain uracil – one of the four nucleobases that make up RNA – in addition to niacin, a form of the vitamin B3,
Our planet hides its scars well. It’s a shame, actually, as evidence of previous asteroid strikes might help us better plan for the next catastrophic impact. In fact, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center chief scientist, James Garvin, thinks we might have been misreading traces of some of the more serious asteroid strikes that have occurred
The world hungers for more food while wildlife yearns for untouched habitats. So goes the conflict between our seemingly insatiable need for agricultural land, razing forests to make way for cattle and crops. But an unlikely food source could go some way to ameliorating the loss of forested lands to agriculture. A new study suggests
Astronomers on Monday warned that the light pollution created by the soaring number of satellites orbiting Earth poses an “unprecedented global threat to nature”. The number of satellites in low Earth orbit have more than doubled since 2019, when US company SpaceX launched the first “mega-constellation,” which comprise thousands of satellites. An armada of new
Don’t miss the planet parade taking place at the end of March. Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars are set to align in an arc formation on the nights of March 25 through 30, alongside the Moon. Jupiter may sink into the sunset and get lost in sunlight after the 28th, though, so aim to
The world will cross the key 1.5 degree Celsius global warming limit in about a decade, the United Nations (UN) said Monday, warning that devastating impacts of climate change are hitting faster than expected. In the final instalment of a major series of reports, delivered in a crucial decade in human history, the UN’s climate
A plant-eating dinosaur that once grazed the greenery in what is today northwest China could hold the title of the longest neck ever known, according to a new analysis of its fossilized bones. Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum was unearthed from fossil beds in northwest China in 1987 and named in 1993. Revisiting the fossil and comparing its
In 2013, a monstrous marine heatwave known as ‘The Blob’ developed off the coast of Alaska and soon stretched as far south as Mexico along the Pacific coast of North America. It lingered far longer than anyone expected, decimating fisheries, triggering toxic algal blooms, disturbing kelp forests, and starving sea birds of food. At one
Millions of dead and rotting fish have clogged a vast stretch of river near a remote town in the Australian outback as a searing heat wave sweeps through the region. Videos posted to social media showed boats plowing through a blanket of dead fish smothering the water, with the surface barely visible underneath. The New
We don’t know what a galaxy named RAD12-B did, but it must have been something heinous. That’s because its companion galaxy has blasted a hot plasma jet right at it, in what seems (if we’re going to be anthropomorphic about it) like a targeted attack. Discovered during observations by a team led by astronomer Ananda
The operator of a nuclear facility in Minnesota said on Thursday the plant suffered a leak last November of water containing radioactive tritium, but that contamination was largely limited to the plant itself. Xcel Energy, operator of the nuclear plant northwest of Minneapolis in the Midwest state of Minnesota, did not say why it waited
For all the damage that the 2019 Notre Dame fire wrought, it presented archaeologists in Paris with a unique opportunity to peer into through the landmark’s history. Parts of the famous cathedral that were concealed for centuries are now being picked apart and put back together, providing a window into the architectural innovations that once
Most of the light streaming through the Universe is invisible to human eyes. Beyond the mid-range wavelengths we can see, there’s a whole cosmos shining in high- and low-energy radiation. But we humans are clever little animals and have managed to build instruments that can see the light we cannot. One of these is NASA’s
Creating rocky planets is a messy, dangerous, hot business. Planetesimals accrete together, which creates heat and pressure on the newborn world. The nearby adolescent star bombards them with intense radiation. That likely “bakes off” any surface oceans, lakes, or rivers, which is a disaster if you’re looking for places where life might arise or exist.
A large-scale animal study from 2021 revealed something interesting about yawning: Vertebrates with larger brains and more neurons tend to have longer-lasting yawns. Researchers collected data on 1,291 separate yawns from zoo trips and online videos, covering a total of 55 mammal species and 46 bird species. They found “robust positive correlations” between how long
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