Remote North Atlantic Islands Were Inhabited Centuries Earlier Than Previously Thought

The picturesque and remote Faroe Islands sit in the North Atlantic, between Norway and Iceland, around 200 miles (322 kilometers) northwest of Scotland. Today, almost 54,000 people live on the archipelago, but it seems the first inhabitants arrived a lot earlier than previously thought.   From the earliest archaeological structures on the Faroes, we know … Read more

Deep Conversations With Strangers Can Have Surprising Results, Study Shows

When we want to really connect with others, we usually limit ourselves to family and close friends. Opening up to a stranger would likely seem a daunting prospect to most of us – but it looks like our expectations may not always match reality.   New research suggests that people’s expectations about their interactions with strangers … Read more

Gigantic Eruption From ‘Dragon’ Star Is a Dire Warning About The Sun

In the search for “potentially-habitable” extrasolar planets, one of the main things scientists look at is stellar activity. Whereas stars like our own, a G-type (G2V) yellow dwarf, are considered stable over time, other classes are variable and prone to flare-ups – particularly M-type red dwarf stars.   Even if a star has multiple planets … Read more

Chemical Air Pollution Morphs Into Something Even More Toxic, Study Shows

Remnants of industrial chemicals in the air can potentially transform into new substances more toxic and persistent than the original pollution, according to a global study published on Wednesday.   Using samples gathered around the world, the study published in Nature found that these previously unidentified products are present in the atmospheres of 18 big … Read more

Waiting 60 Seconds Before Cutting The Umbilical Cord Can Save Lives, Study Finds

Waiting just 60 seconds to clamp umbilical cords gives very premature babies a better shot at life, reducing the risk of death and disability in the first two years of childhood by almost one-fifth, new research shows.   The Australian-led study, conducted in 25 hospitals across 7 countries, looked at health outcomes of more than 1,500 … Read more

16-Year Study of Extreme Stars Has Once Again Proved Einstein Is Still Right

Two pulsars locked in close binary orbit have once again validated predictions made by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Over 16 years, an international team of astronomers has observed the pulsar pair, named PSR J0737−3039A/B, finding that the relativistic effects can be measured in the timing of their pulses – just as predicted and expected. … Read more

We Just Got Closer to Understanding Why Asthma Might Protect From Brain Tumors

Neurologists in the United States think they have finally figured out why people with asthma seem to develop fewer brain tumors. The findings could one day help us develop better treatments for both conditions.   The curious connection between asthma and brain tumors first began popping up in global epidemiological research about 15 years ago, … Read more

Strenuous 8-Year Effort to Replicate Key Cancer Research Finds an Unwelcome Surprise

The replicability of scientific studies is under the microscope like never before: scientists are increasingly examining just how many studies can be repeated with the same results a second or third time around.   If a study doesn’t pass the so-called replication test, that casts some doubt over the findings; newly published investigations are now indicating … Read more

NASA X-ray telescope: New spacecraft will study the science of black holes

NASA and the Italian Space Agency are launching the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer space telescope to measure the X-ray light coming from objects including neutron stars and black holes Space 8 December 2021 By Will Gater An artist’s impression of the IXPE mission NASA NASA and the Italian Space Agency are scheduled to launch an … Read more

Just 10 Minutes of Moderate Running Can Boost Brain Activity, Study Shows

As little as 10 minutes of moderate-intensity running is enough to boost your mood and cognitive function, according to a new study – findings that give us a better understanding of how physical exercise is related to mental health.   The study looked at the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in particular, the part of the brain … Read more