Today's Science News
November 6, 2024
'A flash of copper caught our attention': 4,000-year-old dagger discovered deep in Italian cave - Archaeologists say the finds will help them better understand the prehistoric people who lived or buried their dead in this Italian cave.SpaceX launching 20 Starlink satellites early Nov. 7 on 2nd half of doubleheader - SpaceX plans to launch 20 Starlink internet satellites from California early Thursday morning (Nov. 7), just hours after lofting another batch from the East Coast.
Nearly three years since launch, Webb is a hit among astronomers - Demand for observing time on Webb outpaces supply by a factor of nine.
Bustling Through the Physics of Crowds - A comic uses fluid dynamics to explain how groups of people move—and how that could help make large gatherings safer.
For fame or a death wish? Kids’ TikTok challenge injuries stump psychiatrists - As clinicians see more TikTok challenge injuries, explaining them is often hard.
Sun erupts with powerful X2.3 solar flare, triggers radio blackouts (video) - A X2.3 solar flare Wednesday morning (Nov. 6), leading to shortwave radio blackouts for parts of the southern hemisphere.
'Fastest-feeding' black hole of the early universe found! But does it break the laws of physics? - The hungriest known black hole in the early universe has been found, thanks to teamwork between NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.
'Hawking radiation' may be erasing black holes. Watching it happen could reveal new physics. - Primordial black holes may be exploding throughout the universe.
Election Grief Is Real. Here’s How to Cope - Understanding the psychology of ambiguous loss can help people struggling with grief and depression in the wake of the 2024 election results
Integrating Relevant Science Investigations into Migrant Children Education - For three weeks in August, over 100 migrant children (ages 3-15) got to engage in hands-on activities involving blueberries, pollinators, and eDNA as part of their time with The Blueberry Harvest School (BHS).
William announces Earthshot winners in Cape Town - Fifteen finalists, from countries including Kenya, Indonesia, the UK and Nepal, were competing for a £1 million Earthshot Awards prize.
'What's Starlink?' Trump talks Elon Musk, Starship and SpaceX in election night victory speech (video) - President-elect Donald Trump had high words of praise for Elon Musk and SpaceX during his election night victory speech, mentioning twice that he did not know what Starlink satellites were.
The next Starship launch may occur in less than two weeks - Starship will launch during the late afternoon so its descent into Indian Ocean is visible.
Mesopotamia Artifacts Help Explain How Language Evolved from Pictures to Words - By comparing early markings used for business purposes to 'proto' cuneiform, we can say language transitioned from symbols to writing.
Mars 2020 Perseverance Joins NASA’s Here to Observe Program - The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission has recently joined the NASA Here to Observe (H2O) program, where NASA planetary missions are partnered with universities to encourage undergraduate students from historically marginalized groups to pursue a career in STEM.
SpaceX targeting Nov. 18 for next Starship megarocket launch - SpaceX's Starship megarocket will fly for the sixth time ever on Nov. 18, on a test flight that will include another dramatic booster catch.
North Korea launches intercontinental ballistic missile to space, reaches record altitude - A North Korean ICBM flew 4,350 miles high on Oct. 30, media reports stated.
X-59’s Engine Started for Testing - NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits in its run stall at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, in this image from Oct. 30, 2024.
Mini-lungs could help fight flu & colds by tapping immunity - An Australian researcher has been awarded $60,000 to build more complex models of the human lung, with the hope to discover new therapies for respiratory diseases.
Finding a missing piece for neurodegenerative disease research - University of Michigan research suggests polyphosphate may play a crucial role in neurodegenerative diseases.
20 of the Most Adorable Animals To Help Make Anyone's Day - From a monkey that weighs only a few ounces to a 100-pound rodent, get to know some of these adorable creatures.
Why buy a telescope on Black Friday? - If you're looking to make the most of the dark winter nights, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fantastic times to save money on your next telescope ahead of Christmas.
Migraine molecules may drive endometriosis pain. Existing drugs might help. - Pain-sensing neurons exchange signals with immune cells that drive endometriosis, sparking the pain associated with the condition, new research suggests.
US military test-launches unarmed nuclear missile on election night (video) - The United States military test-launched an unarmed nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Nov. 5, 2024.
SpaceX launching 23 more Starlink satellites from Florida today - SpaceX plans to launch another batch of its Starlink internet satellites this afternoon (Nov. 6) from Florida's Space Coast.
A Space Walking Robot Could Build a Giant Telescope in Space - The Hubble Space Telescope was carried to space inside the space shuttle Discovery and then released into low-Earth orbit.
El X-59 enciende su motor por primera vez rumbo al despegue - Estas pruebas de arranque del motor, que comenzaron el 30 de octubre, permiten al equipo del X-59 verificar el funcionamiento conjunto de los sistemas de la
Go Centaur! Space Force stands up rocket stage at Los Angeles base - A Centaur III propellant tank and its rocket engine stand on display at Los Angeles Air Force Base as a testament to its service to both the United States' military and civilian space missions.
Alligator and crocodile news, features and articles - Alligator and crocodile news, features and articles
X-59 Fires Up its Engine for First Time on its Way to Takeoff - NASA’s Quesst mission marked a major milestone with the start of tests on the engine that will power the quiet supersonic X-59 experimental aircraft.
We Stopped RFK Jr When Obama Wanted Him, We Stopped Him With Trump, Let's Do It Again - In 2008, fresh off a decisive victory over Democratic establishment candidate Senator Hillary Clinton in the primary and one over highly-regarded Senator John McCain in the general election, President-elect Obama began to engage in worrisome behavior.His transition team, those who set the tone for his Cabinet and first 100 days, was over-represente
NASA Knows – How Can I Get Involved With NASA Research? - NASA provides a variety of pathways for those outside the agency to contribute to authentic and meaningful research.
'Interstellar' gets 10th anniversary deluxe 4K UHD and Blu-ray collector's edition - A preview of Paramount's new "Interstellar" 10th anniversary limited edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray set.
Exploring How Sequencing and Omics are Shaping Disease Research - In this symposium, an expert panel will discuss how sequencing and omics technologies enable unprecedented exploration of health and disease, from genetic disorders to cancer.
Trump Victory Is a ‘Gut Punch’ to U.S. Climate Action - President-elect Trump vowed to promote fossil fuels, weaken pollution regulations and reverse Biden administration climate efforts
Cats are better at word association than human babies are, study finds - Cats are quicker than babies to associate a picture of a word with its corresponding picture, new research shows.
Physicists Spot Quantum Tornadoes Twirling in a ‘Supersolid’ - New observations of microscopic vortices confirm the existence of a paradoxical phase of matter that may also arise inside neutron stars.
Recruiting the world’s first disabled astronaut doesn't mean space travel is inclusive – here’s how to change that - Despite the rapid growth in the number of space travellers, underrepresented population groups are still left behind, particularly those with disabilities.
Misinformation Really Does Spread like a Virus, Epidemiology Shows - “Going viral” appears to be more than just a catchphrase when it comes to the rampant spread of misinformation
Crocodile quiz: Test your knowledge on the prehistoric predators - The Nile crocodile is one of the largest predators in Africa.
E. coli in the gut may fuel a 'chain reaction' leading to Parkinson's, early study suggests - Two recent chemistry studies pinpoint reactions that may link the gut microbiome to the development of Parkinson's disease.
A giant crocodilian killed the largest 'terror bird' ever found, 12 million years ago - The fossilized leg bone of the terror bird went unidentified for almost 20 years.
Earthquake prediction technique could shine light on strength of materials - A common mineral and earthquake and avalanche statistics can be used to measure the impact of hostile environmental events on materials.
Flying Drones With Particle Detectors - Nowadays we study the Universe using a number of probes and techniques.
What Would Happen to a Decomposing Body in Space? - As humans leave space junk behind, there may come a time when human bodies would need to decompose in space.
Use of 'genetic scissors' carries risks - The CRISPR tool is capable of repairing the genetic defect responsible for the immune disease chronic granulomatous disease.
Interstellar methane as progenitor of amino acids? - Gamma radiation can convert methane into a wide variety of products at room temperature, including hydrocarbons, oxygen-containing molecules, and amino acids, reports a research team.
Newly discovered neurons change our understanding of how the brain handles hunger - A new cell type provides a missing piece of the neural network regulating appetite.
What happens in your brain while you watch a movie - By scanning the brains of people while they watched movie clips, neuroscientists have created the most detailed functional map of the brain to date.
Imaging nuclear shapes by smashing them to smithereens - Scientists have demonstrated a new way to use high-energy particle smashups at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) to reveal subtle details about the shapes of atomic nuclei.
New haptic patch transmits complexity of touch to the skin - Thin, flexible device could help people with visual impairments 'feel' surroundings.
Researchers have uncovered the mechanism in the brain that constantly refreshes memory - Researchers have discovered a neural mechanism for memory integration that stretches across both time and personal experience.
Breakthrough in energy-efficient avalanche-based amorphization could revolutionize data storage - Researchers have developed a new method for disrupting the crystal structure of a semiconductor that requires as little as one billion times less power density.
Asteroid grains shed light on the outer solar system's origins - Tiny grains from asteroid Ryugu are revealing clues to the magnetic forces that shaped the far reaches of the solar system over 4.6 billion years ago.
Mighty radio bursts linked to massive galaxies - Researchers have uncovered where FRBs are more likely to occur in the universe -- massive star-forming galaxies rather than low - mass ones.
The egg or the chicken? An ancient unicellular says egg - Chromosphaera perkinsii is a single-celled species discovered in 2017 in marine sediments around Hawaii.
How water flowed on ancient Mars - New research describes how sheets of carbon dioxide ice protected rivers of water flowing into a lake the size of the Mediterranean Sea on ancient Mars.
Researchers solve medical mystery of neurological symptoms in kids - Researchers identified a new genetic disorder linking neurological symptoms to protein folding issues in children.
An ancient log shows how burying wood can fight climate change - A blanket of clay soil helped the wood hold onto the carbon it had absorbed — for thousands of years.
Bioinspired hydrogels harness sunlight: A step closer to artificial photosynthesis - Mimicking how plants convert sunlight into energy has long been a dream for scientists aiming to create renewable energy solutions.
AI-driven mobile robots team up to tackle chemical synthesis - Researchers at the University of Liverpool have developed AI-driven mobile robots that can carry out chemical synthesis research with extraordinary efficiency.
Astrology Was an Important Science for Medieval People - In medieval times, astrology was considered a serious science, a branch of astronomy.
Direct synthesis method uses recovered carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce formic acid - With the goal of achieving a carbon-neutral society and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, efforts are accelerating to utilize hydrogen as a key energy source.
Watch a mouse “whip it” to keep its balance - With an experimental setup worthy of a reality game show, scientists put the balance of healthy mice to the test and discovered new insights into how they use their tails.
Education, occupation, and wealth affect the risk of cognitive impairment - Socioeconomic factors significantly influence cognitive health and recovery from impairment or dementia.
Sols 4355-4356: Weekend Success Brings Monday Best - Earth planning date: Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 After a spooky week last week, it’s great to see all our weekend plans succeed as planned!
Live Imaging Intracellular Parasites Reveals Changes to Host Metabolism - Researchers found that Toxoplasma gondii increased the host cell’s metabolic activity, offering insights into potential treatment strategies.
A new piece in the grass pea puzzle – updated genome sequence published - An international team has created a detailed genome assembly for grass pea, enhancing climate-smart agriculture.
Bacteria could help breed more mosquitos to control disease - Mosquito larvae grow faster when exposed to a certain kind of bacteria, according to new research in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.
Between night and day: The power of flies to adapt - Drosophila species exhibit differing circadian plasticity, influencing survival amid environmental variations.
New Report Details What Happened to the Arecibo Observatory - In 1963, the Arecibo Observatory became operational on the island of Puerto Rico.
“Havard”-trained spa owner injected clients with bogus Botox, prosecutors say - Woman claims to have a degree from "Havard" and be licensed by the "Estate Board."
November 5, 2024
UCLA chemists just broke a 100-year-old rule and say it’s time to rewrite the textbooks - UCLA chemists challenge Bredt's rule, enabling the creation of anti-Bredt olefins for drug discovery.An Eruption Like Pompeii Most Likely Didn't Preserve These Dinosaur Fossils - Both scientific ‘red herrings’ and flaws in human logic led to inaccurate ‘Pompeii effect’ hypothesis.
Salton Sea receding at greater rate according to Loma Linda University study - The Salton Sea's shoreline retreat worsens pollution, impacting local communities and health significantly.
Beyond the Console: Kenneth Attocknie’s Mission to Bridge Cultures at NASA - From the Mission Control Center to community celebrations, Kenneth Attocknie blends safety expertise with a commitment to cultural connection.
Endurance tells story of two expeditions, centuries apart - New NatGeo documentary was directed by the same duo who brought us the Oscar-winning Free Solo .
NRO chief: “You can’t hide” from our new swarm of SpaceX-built spy satellites - "A satellite is always coming over an area within a given reasonable amount of time."
Bundling the Best of Heliophysics Education: DigiKits for Physics and Astronomy Teachers - For nearly a decade, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has been working to bring together resources through its DigiKits–multimedia collections of vetted high-quality resources for teachers and their students.
U.S. Navy Fleet Training Launch to be Conducted at NASA Wallops - A rocket-propelled target is scheduled to launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during a window Thursday, Nov. 7 to Friday, Nov. 8
We Understand Rotating Black Holes Even Less Than We Thought - The theory of black holes has several mathematical oddities.
Habitable Worlds are Found in Safe Places - When we think of exoplanets that may be able to support life, we hone in on the habitable zone.
How to Drill for Extraterrestrial Life on Europa - The formidable challenge of digging through miles of ice millions of miles away.
Off the clothesline, on the grid: MXene nanomaterials enable wireless charging in textiles - Researchers developed a wireless, textile-based energy grid to power wearable electronics efficiently and flexibly.
Mitigating urban heat requires planning from the neighbourhood to city scale - Two new studies published in the past week have presented new tools to help cities across the globe adapt to the increasing threat of dangerous heat.
New Glenn Booster Moves to Launch Complex 36 - Nine years ago, Blue Origin revealed the plans for their New Glenn rocket, a heavy-lift vehicle with a reusable first stage that would compete with SpaceX for orbital flights.
Despite its impressive output, generative AI doesn't have a coherent understanding of the world - Large language models can achieve incredible performance on some tasks without having internalized a coherent model of the world or the rules that govern it, researchers find.
Cringing at That Old Facebook Post? You’re Not the Only One - There are several reasons to feel this way, and a few ways to cope with the feeling.
Groundbreaking study provides new evidence of when Earth was slushy - At the end of the last global ice age, the deep-frozen Earth reached a built-in limit of climate change and thawed into a slushy planet.
Even After Getting Cancer, Quitting Cigarettes Leads To Greater Longevity - Cigarettes are the top lifestyle risk factor for getting cancer, though alcohol and obesity have begun to close the gap as awareness of the risks of cigarettes, coupled with more nicotine smoking cessation and harm reduction tools, have caused cigarette use to decline.Even if you get cancer, quitting smoking improves outcomes.
After 31 cargo missions, NASA finds Dragon still has some new tricks - Typically, most of the ISS propulsion comes from the Russian segment of the space station.
Non-Europeans Opt Out Of Genomic Databases, Leading To Lack Of Diversity - When Senator Elizabeth Warren had her claims of native ancestry debunked by DNA testing, it was a warning shot to everyone who identifies that way - don't take a test.
Climate Is on State Ballots This Election - Several downballot races in the 2024 presidential election will carry implications for climate policy far beyond state lines
Testicular Cancer Treatment: What Is The Gold Standard? - Testicular cancer is the most common solid tumor in young men, with approximately 10,000 diagnoses in the U.S. each year.
How Many Additional Exoplanets are in Known Systems? - NASA's TESS mission has turned up thousands of exoplanet candidates in almost as many different star systems.
Print Edition 58 - Issue 58 of the Nautilus print edition combines some of the best content from our September andOctober 2024 online issues.
Carbon dioxide becomes ethanol with metal help - Researchers have found a way to turn CO2 into ethanol, using cobalt and copper.
Some People Who Need Hearing Aids Never Wear Them – Leading to Other Health Issues - Not wearing hearing aids could lead to increased risks of social isolation and Alzheimer's Disease.
The Six Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made About Neptune - Despite the lack of a dedicated mission to the planet, scientists have learned plenty through ground observations and space telescopes
These Bird Nests Show Signs of an Architectural ‘Culture’ - Culture may play a role in how birds build collectively in the Kalahari Desert
Bio-based fibers could pose greater threat to the environment than conventional plastics - New research has shown that bio-based fibers caused higher mortality, and reduced growth and reproductivity, among earthworms -- a species critical to the health of soils globally -- than conventional plastics.
Towards a hydrogen-powered future: Highly sensitive hydrogen detection system - Hydrogen, a promising fuel, has extensive applications in many sectors.
Let’s learn about entanglement - Entanglement is a special connection between particles that syncs up their properties — even when the particles are far apart.
This young engineer built an affordable electronic braille reader - Thermo Fisher JIC finalist Yash Mehta got inspired to make a better braille device after visiting a school for blind students in Old Delhi, India.
We Want to Hear Your Thoughts - New brain-coding technology brings us one step closer to mind reading.
Signed and sealed: ancient artifacts delivered on written language - Archaeologists have identified the precursors of writing in the designs of ancient seals dating back about 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia.
Hubble and Webb are the Dream Team. Don't Break Them Up - Many people think of the James Webb Space Telescope as a sort of Hubble 2.
Researchers discover localized pain relief using known chemical reaction - A team of international researchers including those from the University of Adelaide have taken a well-known chemical reaction as the basis of a new generation of targeted pain relief medication.
These pink crystals use magnets to super-cool hydrogen - Researchers have made a material capable of cooling substances down to -253°C – enough to liquefy hydrogen – using magnets.
Sleep Disruptions and Impaired Muscle Control in Ataxia May Share a Culprit - Dysfunctional neurons in the cerebellum, a brain region that controls motor functions, reduced REM sleep in mice.
Birds without borders: a dive into the archives - As part of the Ultramarine project we are republishing some paid content for free.
Scientists Have Figured out why Martian Soil is so Crusty - On November 26th, 2018, NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) mission landed on Mars.
November 4, 2024
Drugmaker shut down after black schmutz found in injectable weight-loss drug - The warning comes amid a legal war over compounded weight-loss drugs.Medicine Is Going Viral - Once lost in scientific obscurity, bacteriophage therapy is making a comeback.
Researchers spot black hole feeding at 40x its theoretical limit - Similar feeding events could explain the rapid growth of supermassive black holes.
Rats in Vests Sniff Out Wildlife Trade - They can identify pangolin scales, rhino horn, and elephant ivory.
Largest ‘Terror Bird’ Fossil Identified — Sat Atop Food Chain 12 Million Years Ago - Researchers confirm the terror bird fossil 20 years after its South American discovery, comparing the creature to a massive, carnivorous-like ostrich.
The Myth that Musicians Die at 27 Shows How Superstitions Are Made - Famous people who die at age 27, such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse, get even more famous because of the mythology surrounding that number—an example of how modern folklore emerges
Ancient pollens show change in plants after human arrival in Australia - Shrub cover across southeastern Australia halved after the arrival of Indigenous populations, according to a new study.
What this 500-year-old shipwreck can tell us about how we age - Raman spectroscopy of 12 collarbones suggests most crew members were right-handed.
Clean Energy Is Bringing Electricity to Many in the Navajo Nation - Thousands of homes in Navajo and other tribal lands don’t have access to electricity.
Another Way to Extract Energy From Black Holes? - Black holes are incredible powerhouses, but they might generate even more energy thanks to an unusual effect known as frame dragging.
China reveals a new heavy lift rocket that is a clone of SpaceX’s Starship - The Long March 9 gets flaps and a reusable upper stage.
Organosilicon chemistry offers options for replacing PFAS in food and medical industries - Due to the unique properties of PFAS, almost no other chemical substances can compete with them.
He’s Gleaning the Design Rules of Life to Re-Create It - Yizhi “Patrick” Cai is coordinating a global effort to write a complete synthetic yeast genome.
AI for real-time, patient-focused insight - BiomedGPT is a new a new type of artificial intelligence (AI) designed to support a wide range of medical and scientific tasks.
New trigger proposed for record-smashing 2022 Tonga eruption - Fifteen minutes before the massive January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, a seismic wave was recorded by two distant seismic stations.
The secrets of baseball's magic mud - The unique properties of baseball's famed 'magic' mud, which MLB equipment managers applied to every ball in the World Series, have never been scientifically quantified -- until now.
The New 7 Wonders of the World and Where You Can Visit Them - From the Great Wall of China to the iconic Taj Mahal, uncover the fascinating histories and cultural significance of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
analytica expands its international network to the USA - analytica USA picks up on analytica's unique selling point by covering the entire spectrum of laboratories in industry and research, from laboratory planning to final equipment.
No-one is good at judging spin – not even professionals - Following months of campaigning ahead of the US election, political scientists are suggesting that professional campaigners may not be getting the results they expect.
The Law Must Respond When Science Changes - What was once fair under the law may become unfair when science changes.
New process enhances thermoplastic blends with polylactic acid - Bio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use.
4 Foods That are High in Fiber Other Than the Typical Bran Muffin - Getting more fiber in your diet is important.
Cobalt-copper tandem system offers sustainable approach for converting carbon dioxide to ethanol - The continuing release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is a major driver of global warming and climate change with increased extreme weather events.
Scientists tackle farm nutrient pollution with sustainable, affordable designer biochar pellets - What if farmers could not only prevent excess phosphorus from polluting downstream waterways, but also recycle that nutrient as a slow-release fertilizer, all without spending a lot of money?
Novel catalyst can suppress charge recombination in photocatalytic water splitting - A team of researchers have discovered a metal-organic framework (MOF) that suppresses charge recombination, which is a major challenge in photocatalytic overall water splitting.
Scientists Say: Theia - Clues about this ancient protoplanet's catastrophic end may have been entombed in Earth's lower mantle for billions of years.
Our brains might help explain why people disagree on politics - Differing political views may stem from our evolutionary past — and show up in distinct brain activity.
Fossil of huge terror bird offers new information about wildlife in South America 12 million years ago - Evolutionary biologists report they have analyzed a fossil of an extinct giant meat-eating bird -- which they say could be the largest known member of its kind -- providing new information about animal life in northern South America millions of years ago.
Dance of electrons measured in the glow from exploding neutron-stars - The temperature of elementary particles has been observed in the radioactive glow following the collision of two neutron stars and the birth of a black hole.
Synthetic genes engineered to mimic how cells build tissues and structures - Researchers have developed synthetic genes that function like the genes in living cells.
Astronomers discover the fastest-feeding black hole in the early universe - Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang that is consuming matter at a phenomenal rate -- over 40 times the theoretical limit.
How the 2024 Election Could Change Access to Education in the U.S. and Influence Global Climate Change Decisions - The outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election could set the climate agenda, reshape public education and shift the dynamics of global science collaboration.
Epic Gravity Lens Lines Up Seven-Galaxy View - A galaxy cluster bends light from seven background galaxies around it, letting astronomers peer into space and time