Science

Biologists have created the world’s smallest ‘train switchyard’ | Science

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Country: Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong … Read more

One More Pioneering Woman in Science You’ve Probably Never Heard of

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It is a regrettable fact that science has historically undervalued the contributions of women. Elizabeth Stern is probably one of the most significant physician-scientists who worked at the interface of epidemiology and cancer in the mid-20th century, but it is unlikely you have ever heard her name. You won’t read about Stern’s research in medical … Read more

Indigenous Amazonians Have Just 1% Dementia Rates. We Can Learn From This

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We know about the devastating effect that Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia can have on people – but what’s less clear is how they get started in the brain and what can be done to cure them or prevent them from happening in the first place.   Some clues could be found amongst indigenous … Read more

Why are asteroids and comets such weird shapes?

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A rubber duck. A spinning top. A pair of pancakes. These are just a few of the shapes astronomers have observed across the solar system. While planets and some moons are almost perfectly spherical, the smaller bits of the solar system, such as asteroids and comets, come in all different shapes. But why is that? It all comes down … Read more

Hubble telescope was at the perfect angle to capture this nearly impossible shot of two ‘dancing galaxies’

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Deep within the Andromeda constellation, some 320 million light-years away, two galaxies are consumed by a gravitationally bound dance, and the Hubble Space Telescope has just photographed the action in extraordinary three-dimensional detail. The two dancers are the smaller polar-ring galaxy IC 1559 (top) and the larger spiral galaxy NGC 169 (bottom). Collectively, they are … Read more

A Treasure Trove of Dinosaur Bones in Italy Rewrites the Local Prehistoric Record

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Emily Schwing: This is Scientific American’s 60 Second Science. I’m Emily Schwing. When he was little, Alessandro Chiarenza’s grandmother used to read him bedtime stories about dinosaurs and she would always tell him the same thing.  Alessandro Chiarenza: Oh you know, but these things were not living here. They were living in like America and in … Read more

NASA says it supports employees’ use of pronouns amid online criticism

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NASA is voicing support for its employees’ right to be addressed by their name and pronouns as criticisms flare online.  Claims recently surfaced online that NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland removed employees’ pronouns from ID badges. Now, the space agency has made a public statement about its stance on employee names and pronouns.  … Read more

Lego Star Wars Yoda review

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Essential info Price: $99.99/£104.99 Model number: 75255 Number of pieces: 1,771 Dimensions: 16 inches (41cm) tall Recommended age: 10+ Originally released in October 2019, Lego Star Wars Yoda is one of the longest-running Star Wars sets still available. In fact, it’s only beaten by one set: the $800/£700 Millennium Falcon, which has been around since … Read more

Russia’s War in Ukraine Threatens Joint Missions to Mars, Venus and the Moon

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In the weeks since Vladimir Putin sent Russian troops storming into neighboring Ukraine, blowback from that invasion has erupted around the world—and off-world, too. As the crisis deepens, it is increasingly disrupting international cooperation on present and planned projects for space science and exploration, potentially jeopardizing their future. Much like nesting matryoshka dolls of diminishing … Read more

Radioactive Material Is Basically Everywhere and That’s a Problem

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Our planet is home to many radioactive substances—not just in its geologic innards or its weapons caches but also in its hospitals, at its industrial sites and in its food processing plants. In Colorado, for instance, 27 buildings house scary-sounding elements such as cesium 137, cobalt 60, americium 241 and iridium 192. These materials are … Read more