Science

Tsunamis’ Magnetic Fields Can Be Detected Before Sea Levels Change

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Seconds count when it comes to tsunami alerts, and scientists may have found a warning sign that can be detected even earlier than sea level rises: the magnetic fields created by these gigantic rushes of waves.   Even though the difference might only be a minute or two, that can save lives. Magnetic field data … Read more

Early Studies Out of UK Indicate Omicron Has a Lower Hospitalization Rate Than Delta

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Two studies from Britain published Wednesday showed COVID infections with Omicron are less likely to result in hospitalization compared to the Delta variant, the latest research confirming a trend first identified in South Africa.​   The preliminary studies – one paper from Scotland and the other from England – were cautiously welcomed by experts, who nonetheless … Read more

Scientists Just Identified a Brand New Muscle Layer in The Human Jaw

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It turns out there are still exciting new discoveries to be made in a field as well-studied as human anatomy: researchers have confirmed the existence of a layer of muscle in the human jaw that has until now eluded anatomists.   This new muscle is a deeper, third section of the masseter muscle. It’s the most prominent … Read more

NASA is tracking two explorers across Antarctica to prepare humans for Mars

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NASA is tracking two explorers on a 2,268-mile (3,650 kilometers) journey across Antarctica to learn more about humanity’s ability to survive on Mars.  British explorers Justin Packshaw and Jamie Facer Childs are on the 32nd day of an 80-day trek across the southernmost continent as part of the Chasing the Light mission — a grueling … Read more

US Life Expectancy Has Taken Its Sharpest Drop in More Than 75 Years

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US life expectancy dropped by 1.8 years in 2020, final official figures showed Wednesday, the steepest drop in more than 75 years driven in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic.   Life expectancy at birth was 77.0 years for the total US population last year, down from 78.8 years in 2019, according to the Centers … Read more

Winner of Blue Origin’s $28 million auction to fly with 5 ‘space warriors’ next year

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The identity of Blue Origin’s spaceflight auction winner is no longer a mystery. Justin Sun, the founder and CEO of the blockchain platform Tron, announced today (Dec. 22) that he’s the person who paid $28 million for a seat aboard Blue Origin’s first crewed spaceflight. That mission launched on July 20, carrying Blue Origin founder … Read more

Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck on sticking the landing for final ‘The Expanse’ novel, ‘Leviathan Falls’ (exclusive)

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The end of a beloved novel series is always a melancholy occasion, and so it is with the ninth and final entry for authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck’s (under the pen name James S.A. Corey) multi-layered military space opera, “The Expanse.”  After ten years of intense research, plot construction, worldbuilding, and character development, the … Read more

Meteorites reveal how Earth and Mars formed

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Earth and Mars likely arose from collisions between giant moon-size rocks instead of the clumping together of tiny pebbles over time, a new study found. Previous research suggested there may be two primary ways in which rocky planets such as Earth are built. The classic model proposes that moon-to-Mars-size rocks dubbed planetary embryos once regularly … Read more