New research topples a 100-year-old law on how fluids move in rocks
Scans taken of fluids moving through rock have shown engineers have had it wrong when it comes to substances flowing through porous materials. For the past century, the movement of…
Running would have broken an adult Tyrannosaurus rex’s legs
Jurassic Park’s most iconic scenes should have run a little slower, based on new research suggesting our favourite dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex, couldn’t manage more than a walk. Calculating the top…
The BBC uploaded 40 hours of breathtaking Planet Earth II video to YouTube
If you like stunning cinematography capturing the windswept grandeur and awe-inspiring beauty of this rocky little planet we call home, we have some glorious news. The BBC has uploaded to…
Scientists just learned how to lock away carbon a whole lot faster
A key tool in the fight against atmospheric carbon just got a big boost, with scientists finding a way to significantly speed up the process of locking away carbon in…
Japan’s ridiculously cute floating camera bot is now operational on the ISS
You know that creepy black sphere used as a floating interrogation droid in Star Wars? It seems like scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) pretty much designed the…
We now have more evidence for the existence of Planet Nine
In January of 2016, astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin published the first evidence that there might be another planet in our Solar System. Known as “Planet 9”, this hypothetical…
How Maryam Mirzakhani was a role model for more than just her mathematics
On July 14, Maryam Mirzakhani, Stanford professor of mathematics and the only female winner of the prestigious Fields Medal in Mathematics, died at the age of 40. In just a…
Why do human beings speak so many languages?
The thatched roof held back the sun’s rays, but it could not keep the tropical heat at bay. As everyone at the research workshop headed outside for a break, small…
New research suggests at least 75% of the human genome is junk DNA after all
At least three quarters of the human genome consists of non-functional, ‘junk DNA‘, according to a new study, and the actual proportion is likely to be even greater than that.…
Elon Musk: Unregulated AI Could Be The “Biggest Risk We Face as a Civilisation”
As a guest speaker at the 2017 National Governors Association Summer Meeting, entrepreneur and innovator Elon Musk covered a number of topics, including artificial intelligence (AI). During his talk, the…
12 science-backed reasons you should spend more time outside
Many people spend their workdays indoors under fluorescent lights and in front of computers, then return home to bask in the glow of television screens. But spending too much time…
This flat microscope implant could beam sensory input directly to the brain
Behold the FlatScope, an innovative implant scientists hope could one day beam sensory information straight to your brain – skipping the need to repair eyes or ears to restore vision…
Scientists are digging up ‘ghost ponds’ and bringing zombie plants back to life
Aquatic plants buried underground for more than a century can be revived and regrown, according to a new study investigating the phenomenon of ‘ghost ponds’ – ponds that aren’t properly…
What an artificial intelligence researcher fears about AI
As an artificial intelligence researcher, I often come across the idea that many people are afraid of what AI might bring. It’s perhaps unsurprising, given both history and the entertainment…
A Google Company is Unleashing 20 Million Mosquitoes in California to Fight Zika
Verily is releasing millions of male mosquitos treated with a naturally occurring bacteria that renders them sterile in Fresno. This is the largest such field trial in US history and…
This Dizzying Galaxy Supercluster Will Change Your Perspective on the Cosmos
Astronomers have discovered a massive supercluster of galaxies located approximately 4 billion light-years from Earth – and not only is it one of the largest known structures in the cosmos,…