works

Stonehenge may have been a giant calendar and now we know how it works

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The sarsen stones of the Stonehenge monument could have been designed as a calendar to track a solar year, with each of the stones in the large sarsen circle representing a day within a month Humans 2 March 2022 By Alison George Stonehenge – an ancient calendar? nagelestock.com / Alamy Stonehenge has long been thought … Read more

NASA works to maintain Russian cooperation in space while eyeing ‘operational flexibility’

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NASA is continuing to operate the International Space Station (ISS) as usual alongside Russia and the agency’s other partners, but is weighing its options for the future amid Russia’s ongoing invasion in Ukraine, the agency’s top space operations official said Monday (Feb. 28). “We understand this the global situation where it is, but as a … Read more

What Freezing Ants Can Tell Us About How Their Memory Works

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We humans are versatile and accomplished navigators, but insects might have navigation skills that are even better. For them, it’s literally a matter of life and death – and that’s why we decided to freeze some ants and beetles (don’t worry, they still survived) to learn more about how they remember their way home after … Read more

‘Moon Gallery’ prototype arrives at space station with 64 works of art

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Packed among the scientific research and crew supplies delivered by a cargo craft to the International Space Station early Monday morning (Feb. 21), was a small purple box “housing the seeds of a future, interplanetary culture.” Or so reads the inscription printed on the side of the canister. Dubbed the “Moon Gallery”, the collection of … Read more

How the World Really Works review: The tech that underpins society

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From how food is grown to how we generate power, Vaclav Smil’s new book outlines the basic technologies that keep society going and commands us to know them better Humans 2 February 2022 By Simon Ings IN SUCH a complex world, no one can be expected to understand everything. But for energy expert Vaclav Smil, … Read more

Wound healing: Dressing works like duct tape to seal internal wounds

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Wounds in the gut can cause dangerous infections, but a sticky medical dressing can patch them up and allow them to heal Technology 2 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins A duct tape-inspired bandage bioadhesive patch Xuanhe Zhao et al. A transparent dressing inspired by duct tape has been shown to quickly heal internal injuries in … Read more

Pavlovian Experiments on Locusts Provide New Clues on How Smell Works in The Brain

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From the fragrance of brewing coffee to the smell of rain soaking the soil, distinguishing scents is one of the reasons that having a sense of smell is wonderful. But how smells such as coffee can be understood by our brain, no matter the season, location, or time is a complex question to answer. There’s … Read more

Here’s How Much Exercise Works Best For Controlling Your Blood Pressure

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When it comes to exercise for heart health, you don’t want to peak too early in life. Recent research suggests that if you want to protect yourself against high blood pressure as you age, you need to play the long game and keep your exercise levels up through middle age.   But social factors can … Read more

AI that writes stories works better when it starts with the ending

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AI can write a story where each sentence flows from the next in a grammatically correct, statistically likely way, but often the plot will quickly descend into incoherence. Starting with a good ending and working backwards results in better stories Technology 15 December 2021 By Matthew Sparkes A still from the film Memento, which showcased … Read more