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We Have The First Direct Evidence of a White Dwarf Violently Ripping Apart a Planet

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Black holes may be well known for their gluttonous tendencies, but they’re not the only dead stars capable of slurping down passing objects. For years, evidence has been mounting that white dwarf stars also have a penchant for snacking – and on their own planets, no less.   Now, for the first time, astronomers have … Read more

Astronomers Keep Finding Stars That Should Be Dead. Now, We May Finally Know Why

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The most massive stars in the Universe are also the shortest-lived. The more mass a star has, the more quickly it burns through its fuel reserves, resulting in lifespans that are less than around 10 million years.   This fascinating fact leads us to a puzzle. Most of these stars are found relatively close to … Read more

Fish Have ‘Talked’ For 155 Million Years, And Now You Can Hear Their ‘Voices’

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All manner of croaks, chirps, and deep trombone moans permeate Earth’s waters, just like the cacophony of sounds that fill its forest air. For example, reefs are surprisingly noisy places, and many of the noisemakers are fish.   “We’ve known for a long time that some fish make sounds, but fish sounds were always perceived as … Read more

Insect ranchers pour $5 million into world’s first large-scale genetic breeding facility | Science

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For centuries, farmers have bred livestock and crops for desirable traits such as faster growth, better taste, and resistance to disease. Now, a new kind of rancher is following in their footsteps: mealworm breeders. Last week, France-based Ÿnsect announced it will spend nearly $5 million on the world’s first large-scale initiative to use state-of-the-art genetics … Read more

North America Could Expect Over 1 Million More Opioid Deaths by 2029

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A new analysis from researchers at Stanford University and the scientific journal, The Lancet, has revealed a large number of Americans and Canadians are still becoming addicted to prescription opioids each year.   Without “urgent interventions“, the members of the Stanford-Lancet Commission estimate this deepening disaster could claim the lives of up to 1.2 million people … Read more

Hundreds of Strange, Tiny Fossils Found Inside Fish Cranium From 9 Million Years Ago

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In a first for paleontology, scientists have found hundreds of tiny, fossilized fecal pellets crammed inside a fish braincase dating to about 9 million years ago. The wee fossil poops, also known as coprolites, were deposited by scavengers – probably worms – that devoured the fish’s decaying head, including its brain.   As they munched the flesh … Read more

Methane Pollution Just Reached New Heights, And The Sources May Not Be What You Think

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Methane recently reached 1,900 parts per billion (ppb) of Earth’s atmosphere according to measurements taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US. This compares with about 700 ppb before the industrial revolution.   Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, but lasts around nine years in the air. Including the knock-on effects … Read more

SpaceX snags $102 million contract to rocket military supplies and humanitarian aid around the world: report

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A visualization of a “rocket cargo” vehicle launch from the Air Force Research Laboratory.  (Image credit: Air Force Research Laboratory) SpaceX has won a contract, worth over $102 million, to transport military supplies and humanitarian aid around the world using a rocket. The U.S. Air Force awarded SpaceX the contract on Jan. 14. It’s a … Read more

A Harvard Mathematician Has Basically Solved an Epic, 150-Year-Old Chess Problem

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On one level, chess seems like a simple game: 64 individual black or white squares, 16 pieces per side, and two competitors striving for conquest. Dig a little deeper though, and the game offers incredibly complex possibilities, posing challenges to chess theorists and mathematicians that can go unsolved for decades or even centuries.   In … Read more