research

Scientists Can Now Trace Earth’s History in Individual Grains of Sand

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Grains of sand on a beach can tell us more than you might think about the history of the planet, new research reveals – something to think about the next time you’re heading to the coast for a swim or splash around.   Scientists have developed a new metric to determine what they call the … Read more

Stunning Loops of Plasma Observed on The Sun May Not Be What We Thought

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A well-studied solar phenomenon may not be quite as simple as we we thought it was. New simulations suggest that what we thought were loops of plasma known as coronal loops erupting out from the surface of the Sun along magnetic field lines may, at least sometimes, be wrinkles in corrugated sheets of plasma.   … Read more

Russian Capture of Ukraine’s Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Threatens Future Research

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The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Shortly after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, both governments said that the Russian military had taken over the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. In a tweet, the Ukrainian Ministry of … Read more

Archaeologist Identifies a Lost Timekeeping System in The Stones of Stonehenge

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We stick calendars on the wall or load them up on our phones, but the people of the third millennium BCE used giant rocks, new research suggests. A new study explains how Stonehenge may have originally been used to keep track of a solar year (aka tropical year) of 365 and a quarter days, which … Read more

Spurred by pandemic, U.S. government will revisit federal policies on risky virus research | Science

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In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. government is revisiting its oversight of experiments that involve modifying pathogens in ways that might make them more harmful to people. Yesterday, White House officials and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked an expert advisory board to undertake a swift, broad review of the agency’s … Read more

Muscle Strengthening Linked to Lower Risk of Dying – Even in Short Amounts

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Spending just 30-60 minutes a week on muscle strengthening exercises could be enough to significantly reduce your risk of dying, according to a new study – even with no extra cardio exercise like running or cycling added in.   Based on an analysis of 16 previous studies, covering up to 25 years of research and … Read more

These Ticks Can Survive For Years Without Eating, And Live to Nearly 30 Years of Age

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When it comes to longevity and surviving extended amounts of time without food, the Argas brumpti species of African tick is hard to beat, newly published research shows. Observed close-up in the lab over the course of 45 years by entomologist Julian Shepherd from Binghamton University in New York, some of these ticks have survived as … Read more

Scientists Built a Coronavirus From Scratch, Then Saw It Trying to Hide

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If you want to truly understand what makes a machine tick, you need to tinker. Swap gears, lock a lever, loosen a spring, and watch how it goes. When the machine is a deadly virus, you can’t afford to be so cavalier with its molecular clockwork. But researchers are getting around this problem by making … Read more

New Evidence Shows When The Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Struck

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The Chicxulub asteroid that ended the reign of the dinosaurs is one of the most momentous impact disasters in Earth’s history, and scientists have now identified the time of year when this deadly event took place.   New evidence suggests the asteroid hit in the spring for the Northern Hemisphere, which would be fall (or autumn) … Read more