Science

In rare cases, coronavirus vaccines may cause Long Covid–like symptoms | Science

by

In late 2020, Brianne Dressen began to spend hours in online communities for people with Long Covid, a chronic, disabling syndrome that can follow a bout with the virus. “For months, I just lurked there,” says Dressen, a former preschool teacher in Saratoga Springs, Utah, “reviewing post after post of symptoms that were just like … Read more

Hubble telescope spots a black hole fostering baby stars in a dwarf galaxy

by

Black holes can not only rip stars apart, but they can also trigger star formation, as scientists have now seen in a nearby dwarf galaxy. At the centers of most, if not all, large galaxies are supermassive black holes with masses that are millions to billions of times that of Earth’s sun. For instance, at … Read more

Spit take: Even young infants know we only swap saliva with the ones we love | Science

by

If you love someone, you’re probably willing to share spit with them. Whether it’s splitting an ice cream cone with your child or kissing your partner, we don’t mind trading a few germs with the people we hold dear. A new study reveals even 8-month-old children get the gist. When they see puppets or cartoon … Read more

How fast is Earth moving?

by

As an Earthling, it’s easy to believe that we’re standing still. After all, we don’t feel like we’re hurtling through space. Yet we are.  So how fast exactly is Earth moving around the sun?  Some of the earliest astronomers in recorded history proposed that we live in a geocentric universe in which Earth lies at … Read more

Watch an Orca Pod Free a Humpback Whale From a Coil of Rope, Possibly Saving Its Life

by

In a strange encounter off the coast of western Australia, a pod of orcas seems to free a humpback whale from a rope entangling its tail. But were they really trying to rescue it?   It isn’t clear whether the orcas (Orcinus orca) were trying to manipulate the rope or why they approached the humpback in the … Read more

Discarded 1990s Energy Invention Makes a Comeback

by

In 1991, a team of scientists patented what appeared to be a breakthrough for one of the nation’s most serious energy efficiency problems. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory had invented a “thin triple-pane” glass window. On paper the better-insulated window had the potential to cut annual energy for heating buildings by 39 percent … Read more

These simple green lights could save sharks and turtles from fishing nets | Science

by

An inky, tentacled squid stuck in a net can be a messy problem for a fisher. And for a loggerhead turtle or a diamond stingray, getting tangled in a net often means death. Now, new research offers hope: It shows that affixing green light-emitting diode (LED) lights to fishing nets significantly reduces the catch of … Read more

How Was the Moon Formed?

by

The moon formed a hundred million years after the creation of the solar system. This has left scientists wondering what was the cause of our planet’s satellite to birth if it didn’t come from the events that formation of the planets. Here are just three of the most plausible explanations.  Giant impact hypothesis The prevailing … Read more

U.S. science no longer leads the world. Here’s how top advisers say the nation should respond | Science

by

A new data-rich report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) confirms China has overtaken the United States as the world’s leader in several key scientific metrics, including the overall number of papers published and patents awarded. U.S. scientists also have serious competition from foreign researchers in certain fields, it finds. That loss of hegemony raises … Read more