In the grand scheme of things, we have not been at the space exploration game very long, but we have already learned a ton about the solar system. We have sent probes to planets and asteroids and comets. We know what they look like, what they are made of, their temperatures, atmospheres and so much more. But … Read more
There are things in nature so huge or complex that the only way to really study them is to build something enormous. Like, physicists didn’t just find the Higgs boson by fishing it out from under the couch. It took the world’s largest machine, the Large Hadron Collider, to observe it. But when it comes to outright size, … Read more
Why does time pass? It is a question so profound that few people would even think to ask it yet its effects are all around. Human beings live in a perpetual present inexorably sealed off from the past, but moving relentlessly into the future. For most people time seems to be something that is just out there, a … Read more
Humans have done a pretty good job of exploring the Earth thus far, climbing mountains and crossing continents and planting our flags all over the place in the name of science. But one part of the world that has remained pretty mysterious to us also happens to cover more than 70% of its surface: the ocean. Yes, we … Read more
At the beginning of the 20th century, many scientists started thinking that Physics was pretty much over. Surely we have a few unsolved mysteries left but it seemed like they could all be ironed out with better measurements or maybe with very slight tweaks to what was already known. The problem was, those mysteries didn’t … Read more
The moon is our planet’s constant, dependable companion. Whether it’s waxing, waning, or shining in its full glory, it always presents the same face to Earth: a mottled, monochrome landscape of black and white rocks. Depending on where you are in the world, you might see different things in that great inkblot in the sky. Some see the … Read more
Lots of genetic diseases come down to a small change to a single gene. So you would think that with genetic engineering we would be able to treat or even cure these diseases, an idea which is known as gene therapy. The concept has a lot of potentials and there are already a few successful treatments on the market, including … Read more
A team of researchers at the University of Pretoria and City University of Hong Kong has recently developed a continuous smartphone user authentication system based on gait analysis. This system, outlined in a paper presented at the 44th annual conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, takes advantage of a device’s pre-existing hardware, authenticating smartphone … Read more
The universe is about 13.8 billion years old and its stars are arguably its most momentous handiwork. Astronomers studying the intricacies of star formation across cosmic time are trying to understand whether stars and the processes that produce them were the same when the universe was younger, about half its current age. They already know … Read more
An international team of researchers has found evidence that suggests the cooling effect of aerosols in cumulus and MSC clouds is twice as high as thought. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their analyses of data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) database and what they found. Lack of … Read more
The ideal drug is one that only affects the exact cells and neurons it is designed to treat, without unwanted side effects. This concept is especially important when treating the delicate and complex human brain. Now, scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have revealed a mechanism that could lead to this kind of long-sought specificity … Read more
Salk researchers have mapped the genomes and epigenomes of genetically modified plant lines with the highest resolution ever to reveal exactly what happens at a molecular level when a piece of foreign DNA is inserted. Their findings, published in the journal PLOS Genetics. elucidate the routine methods used to modify plants, and offer new ways … Read more
A new astronomical study is the first to find direct evidence of ageing white dwarf stars solidifying into crystals. When the sun dies, it’s going to turn into crystal. Roughly 97% of stars in our sky will also turn into crystals when they die. This makes our universe precious indeed, all thanks to a special … Read more
Nerve axons serve as the wiring of the nervous system, sending electrical signals that control movement and sense of touch. When axons are damaged, whether by injury or as a side effect of certain drugs, a program is triggered that leads axons to self-destruct. This destruction likely plays an important role in multiple neurodegenerative conditions, … Read more
Childcare can be expensive, stressful and annoying to organise, but a University of Otago-led study has found it may also be behind religion’s resilience. Scholars have predicted the demise of religion for a long time, but it is not disappearing as quickly as anticipated. Following the collaborative study, lead author Dr. John Shaver, of Otago’s Religion … Read more