The Chelyabinsk Meteorite May Have Been Involved in The Smash That Formed Our Moon

A meteor that exploded in the sky over Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013 could have also been somehow involved in the giant impact that formed the Moon. This tantalizing finding comes thanks to a new way of dating collisions between rocks in space, based on microscopic analysis of minerals within meteorites. Although further investigation is warranted, … Read more

Low-Meat Diets Linked to Lower Cancer Risk, Hints Study of Nearly 500,000 People

A growing number of people are choosing to eat less meat. There are many reasons people may choose to make this shift, but health is often cited as a popular motive. A large body of research has shown that plant-based diets can have many health benefits – including lowering the risk of chronic diseases, such … Read more

Are we on the verge of a global initiative to clean up ocean plastics?

A global summit on clearing up the oceans has produced big promises – is it just blah, blah, blah, or can we make the future of plastic fantastic, asks Graham Lawton Environment | Columnist 23 February 2022 By Graham Lawton Elena Valeeva/Shutterstock IN JUNE 2021, the government of the Seychelles decided it was time to … Read more

New Russia sanctions won’t imperil ISS operations, NASA says

The International Space Station program will continue business as usual, NASA assures us as the U.S. government levies new sanctions against Russia.   Russia invaded Ukraine today (Feb. 24) in a series of military attacks. This action, which sparked international criticism, also prompted new and severe sanctions, U.S. President Joe Biden announced in a public … Read more

Meet the robots that can reproduce, learn and evolve all by themselves

By Emma Hart Ruby Fresson ROBOTS have come a long way in the century since Czech writer Karel Čapek used the word to describe artificial automata. Once largely confined to factories, they are now found everywhere from the military and medicine to education and underground rescue. People have created robots that can make art, plant … Read more

Science needs to address its imagination problem – lives depend on it

Almost 200 people died in the German floods of 2021 because experts couldn’t convince them of impending danger. We must rethink how to get through to the public, says hydrologist Hannah Cloke Humans | Comment 23 February 2022 By Hannah Cloke Simone Rotella IMAGINATION is one of those powerful human traits that sets us apart … Read more

The Man Who Tasted Words review: Inside the odd world of human senses

A new book by neurologist Guy Leschziner looks at the astonishing ways some people’s brains interpret the world, offering insight into how we all experience reality Humans 23 February 2022 By Carissa Wong Tasting words is one possible outcome of crossed sensory wires in the brain Shutterstock/Brian Mueller The Man Who Tasted Words: Inside the … Read more

Climate change: UK advisers urge tighter curbs on new oil and gas projects

It is naive and wrong to think increasing domestic oil and gas production is the answer to the UK energy crisis, says Chris Stark of the Climate Change Committee Environment 24 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan Oil rigs at Cromarty Firth in Invergordon, UK James Jones Jr/Shutterstock Ending new UK oil and gas production is … Read more

Nuclear waste: Cost of new UK underground storage facility jumps to £53 billion

A larger volume of waste and ‘more realistic’ scope of costs has resulted in a bigger price tag for building and operating a long-term storage facility for radioactive waste Environment 24 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan The Sizewell nuclear site in Suffolk, UK David J. Green/Alamy The cost of a proposed underground storage facility to … Read more