Science

To See Where a Whale Has Been, Look in Its Mouth

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When most large whales—such as blue, minke and humpback whales—chow down, they don’t chew their food with teeth. Instead they employ hundreds of baleen plates that hang from their upper jaw like prickly curtains to filter minuscule prey from the ocean. First the whales gulp vast amounts of seawater into their massive maw. Then, like … Read more

The Geminids peak next week! Here’s how to spot them despite the bright moon.

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The December Geminid meteor shower is usually considered the most satisfying of the annual meteor displays, but this year, the moon will put a damper on the spectacle. Unfortunately, the moon will be full on Dec. 18 and as such will seriously hamper viewing the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, predicted to occur during … Read more

Sleep and creativity: Waking up after the first few minutes of sleep may help us solve problems

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A technique for interrupting the first stage of sleep helps people solve a maths problem – the same approach was used by Thomas Edison and Salvador Dali Mind 8 December 2021 By Clare Wilson Salvador Dali thought an unusual sleep state could boost creativity Photo12 / Alamy Where does creativity come from? According to people … Read more

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Is Fueled for Late December Launch

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The new James Webb Space Telescope is topped off and one step closer to taking flight.  Mission team members have finished fueling the James Webb Space Telescope at ahead of its planned Dec. 22 launch from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, the European Space Agency announced Monday (Dec. 6). The fueling for Webb, which is an … Read more

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2022 review

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Photoshop Elements is Adobe’s novice-friendly image-editing app. You buy it as a one-off purchase rather than as a subscription, and there’s a new version every year, and over time it has evolved into a sophisticated piece of software. We rated the 2021 version as one of the best photo editing apps for amateurs — but the … Read more

Omicron: How do prior infections affect covid-19 risk from new variants?

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Many people all over the world have now had one infection with covid-19 – how does that affect their future chance of a second round with the coronavirus? Health 8 December 2021 By Clare Wilson A healthcare worker does tests that detect antibodies to the coronavirus Peter Kovalev/TASS via Getty Images For the past year, … Read more

Archaeologists Dug Up an Old Skeleton. Then They Noticed Something Very Strange

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Scientists say a skeleton found with a nail through its foot in England is rare evidence of a Roman crucifixion. The skeleton was included in a recent report in British Archaeology magazine, which details findings from a dig of an ancient Roman settlement found in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, that dates back to the late first or … Read more

Astronomers Spot Two Dust Bunnies Hiding in the Early Universe

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Christopher Intagliata: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Christopher Intagliata. If you’ve ever looked up at the Milky Way, you’ve seen what’s known as cosmic dust. Pascal Oesch: When you see this band of the Milky Way, you can see these dark patches. So that’s really just dust that is obscuring the stars behind it. Intagliata: Pascal … Read more

Solar panels: Transparent coating causes snow and ice to slide off

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Snow and ice block sunlight from reaching solar panels and stop energy generation, but a new material can cause them to slide off Technology 9 December 2021 By Matthew Sparkes The solar panels on the left are covered in a snow-shedding coating Anish Tuteja et al. Settling snow and ice can significantly dampen the output … Read more