Science

Fat Cells in Our Skin Could Be Key to Fighting Acne, Scientists Discover

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The cells in our skin that fabricate fatty acids could play an unappreciated role in acne breakouts. Recent experiments on human acne and mouse skin have found pimples and lesions are closely regulated by fat-producing fibroblasts.   Fibroblasts are the most common type of connective tissue cell we have in our bodies; they produce and … Read more

Two New Studies Just Outlined The Basics of Building an Interstellar Light Sail

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For centuries, people have dreamed of being driven at speed across the vast oceans of space by winds of light. As whimsical as the idea sounds, nudging reflective sails slowly towards the speed of light using nothing more than the punch of photons might be our only plausible shot at reaching another star inside of … Read more

The World’s ‘Happiest’ Countries Harbor a Dark Side, Wellbeing Study Reveals

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Have you looked at the international rankings of the world’s happiest countries lately? Measuring a country’s subjective levels of happiness has become something of an international sport. People look with interest (and a little jealousy) to nations such as Denmark, which consistently tops the world’s happiness rankings.   It has also led to Danish practices … Read more

The Sun Has Erupted Non-Stop All Month, And There Are More Giant Flares Coming

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The past few weeks or so have been a very busy time for the Sun. Our star has undergone a series of giant eruptions that have sent plasma hurtling through space. Perhaps the most dramatic was a powerful coronal mass ejection and solar flare that erupted from the far side of the Sun on February … Read more

Could ancient viruses from melting permafrost cause the next pandemic?

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By Michael Marshall Melting permafrost in Russia’s Yamal peninsula (pictured) has exposed nomadic reindeer herders (below) to anthrax Elena Shchipkova/Alamy IN NOVEMBER 2019, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine held a workshop to discuss an emerging disease threat. Not covid-19: they were a couple of months too early for that. Instead, they … Read more

It is only human to treat the metaverse with scepticism – here’s why

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Meta and Microsoft’s new virtual reality projects have been met with suspicion by many, but history has shown that people are often right to be wary of technological change, says James Ball Technology | Comment 16 February 2022 By James Ball Michelle D’urbano HARDLY a day goes by without some new claim promising to bring … Read more

Let’s hear it for the space Cinderellas – Earth-observing satellites

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We celebrate probes that look out at the universe, but rarely give a thought to the army of craft that peer down at our planet and make our lives better, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein Space | Columnist 16 February 2022 By Chanda Prescod-Weinstein NASA/NOAA WHEN we think about space launches, we tend to picture telescopes and … Read more

Wild Wild Life newsletter: Horzontal gene transfer – when species steal each other’s genes

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By Penny Sarchet Bemisia tabaci (male and female) Alamy Stock Photo Hello, and welcome to February’s Wild Wild Life, the monthly newsletter that celebrates the biodiversity of our planet’s animals plants and other organisms. To receive this free, monthly newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. Spring in London is almost close enough to taste now, … Read more