Avi Schiffmann has been procrastinating on his school work, but he has a good excuse. The 17-year-old high schooler is the creator of one of the most visited coronavirus trackers in the world, which he says now takes up “100 percent” of his free time.   The coronavirus pandemic doesn’t look like it will be

A team of scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston has developed a brain implant that allows both blind and sighted participants “see” the shape of letters. As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Cell, the device works by skipping the eye and relaying visual information from a camera straight to

A sprawling structure regarded as the world’s oldest known temple was designed with an understanding of geometric principles somewhat unusual for the hunter-gatherer cultures thought to have built it, researchers say.   Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, widely viewed as the earliest place of worship ever discovered, is a vast Neolithic complex dated to over 11,000

Thousands of years ago, Ol Doinyo Lengai let forth. This unique Tanzanian volcano – ‘Mountain of God’, in the tongue of the local Masaii people – erupted on an unknown day in prehistory, sending a deluge of ash and lava down its sacred slopes.   The molten mass, carrying soil and mixing with floodwater from

Many new phrases have entered our vocabulary as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. “Zoom fatigue” refers to the mental exhaustion associated with online video conferencing.   We can change how we interact on video calls with adapted social behaviours such as scheduling shorter meetings. But theories from audio and sound research tell

When a mother gives birth to twins, the offspring are not always identical or even the same gender. Known as fraternal twins, they represent a longstanding evolutionary puzzle.   Identical twins arise from a single fertilised egg that accidentally splits in two, but fraternal twins arise when two eggs are released and fertilised. Why this

The oldest bones of Homo sapiens ever found in Europe have been discovered in a Bulgarian cave, providing the earliest known evidence of our species’ emergence in the European continent, according to new research.   The appearance and spread of modern humans in Europe is a difficult timeline for researchers to reconstruct, owing to a

The Food and Drug Administration has issued recommendations for pet owners during the coronavirus pandemic, encouraging social distancing practices for cats and dogs. An FDA fact sheet from April 30 indicates that pets should not interact with people or other animals outside the immediate household. Cats should be kept indoors when possible, and dogs should

Of all the volcanic eruptions to shake our planet in the last 2 million years, the Toba super-eruption in Sumatra, Indonesia, was one of the most colossal. But it may not have been the global catastrophe we once thought it was.   The massive eruption happened roughly 74,000 years ago, spewing roughly 1,000 times as much rock

Scientists have discovered that eyes and brains in rodents seem to have uncannily similar drainage systems used for self cleaning, and there’s reason to think this might apply to us, too.   This sort of maintenance is necessary to wash away waste cells and fluids, and we know that brains make use of a tiny

Some professional authors can become so immersed in their own writings, they say they can actually ‘hear’ their characters’ voices in their head, new research shows. Famous novelists like Alice Walker, David Nicholls, and Enid Blyton are known to have admitted to watching, listening, and chatting with their imaginary creations, and now, a comprehensive survey

When you’re living in a city, green spaces can make a huge difference – not only to your mental health, but also your physical health. In fact, a new study suggests more access to nature could even prevent premature deaths.   In the US city of Philadelphia, new research has found planting more trees could actually

While you’re reading this, your heart is beating. It’s pumping blood through your body, carrying vital oxygen and nutrients to help keep you alive. We are hardly aware of this relentless, life-affirming pounding underneath our skin, even though it happens over 100,000 times every single day.   While our heartbeat escapes our notice most of

Our short-term memory is wired to deceive us on purpose, scientists have found – a trick that enables us to better recognise what we’re seeing in the world around us. The deception kicks in when we take a second glance at something: our brains partly falsify that second glance, so it matches up with the

The United States Pentagon is a secretive place by nature, but every once in a while, the public gets a little peek behind closed doors. After years of speculation, defence officials have now declassified and released three grainy videos from the Navy that have been circulating online for a while now, causing all sorts of

As the Roman Empire drew to a dramatic collapse towards the end of the 5th century, ripples were felt across its former territories. Balances shifted as new powers rushed to fill the vacuums Rome’s retreats left behind.   The changes to the everyday lives of the people are far less well documented, but a cemetery

Bronze swords made from copper and tin aren’t the most robust of weapons, which has led to some uncertainty about whether they were originally used for battle or just for show.   Now, a group of archaeologists has tried to settle the debate by quite literally coming to blows with each other. Researchers commissioned the

It’s not unusual for parents to worry about the next generation and the future planet they’ll inherit, but new research suggests having children doesn’t necessarily make you any ‘greener’ as a person – quite the opposite, in fact.   A new study in Sweden has found that even those who really care about the environment

Human pregnancy is no easy feat. Unlike other mammals, the process is unusually long and dangerous, and that might have something to do with a key reproductive gene. The hormone progesterone plays a crucial role in mammal biology. It helps regulate nearly every aspect of female reproduction, from menstruation, to implantation, to pregnancy, and in

Four months in, this year has already been a remarkable showcase for existential and catastrophic risk. A severe drought, devastating bushfires, hazardous smoke, towns running dry – these events all demonstrate the consequences of human-induced climate change.   While the above may seem like isolated threats, they are parts of a larger puzzle of which

A structure critical to our brain’s core language pathway, found only in humans and apes, has now also been identified in monkeys, according to a controversial new study – suggesting the origins of language may have appeared 20 to 25 million years earlier than previously thought.   Compared to other animals, the human brain is

Thanks to advances in DNA technology, we now know we’re all a little bit Neanderthal. Just how their genes continue to affect us has become a topic of wild speculation, with anything from red hair to sleeping habits a potential legacy left by our extinct cousins.   With more research, many of these claims have

In the midst of a global pandemic, conspiracy theorists have found yet another way to spread dangerous disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19, sowing seeds of doubts about its severity and denying the very existence of the pandemic.   Since March 28, conspiracy theorists — “coronavirus deniers” — have been using the hashtag #FilmYourHospital to encourage

Across the Mediterranean region, in fields and on roadsides, thrives a small plant with silvery leaves. It doesn’t look like much, and in many cases it’s an annoying weed. But in the Middle Ages, Chrozophora tinctoria was highly prized.   There’s a clue in the name – tinctoria means to dye, and common names of

At an average altitude of around 1,800 metres (1.1 miles), high in the Jotunheim Mountains of Norway, a patch of ice is melting. It’s called the Lendbreen ice patch, and for millennia, it has been frozen year-round, accumulating a new layer every year.   But in the past two decades, the ice has been slowly

Ancient archaeological sites across the Northern Hemisphere have been littered with a mystery. Where there were hominins, there too could often be found roughly rounded spheres of stone. Some have been dated back to over 2 million years ago, with marks suggesting that the balls had been deliberately shaped.   New research has discovered a plausible

On the frigid landscape of Antarctica’s Ingrid Christensen Coast sits Davis Station, where 24 people are hunkered down for a long and dark winter. Although this happens every year, with the winter crew taking atmospheric observations, fixing seabird cameras, and looking after the station while the Sun slowly sets, this year things feel different.   “It’s

A sunken ship found in the Nile river may have lain undisturbed for over 2,500 years, but it is finally ponying up its secrets. Scientists think that this ship has revealed a structure whose existence has been debated for centuries.   In fragment 2.96 of Herodotus’ Histories, published around 450 BCE, the Ancient Greek historian –

Neanderthals were making string and cords from fibres long before early humans cottoned on to the technique, according to a new archaeological discovery. Researchers have found a 6.2 millimetre (0.24 inch) fibre fragment which they date to around 41,000–52,000 years ago – so quite a bit older than the previous record holder, a 19,000-year-old fragment

There’s a small and exclusive list of places where crop cultivation first got started in the ancient world – and it looks as though that list might have another entry, according to new research of curious ‘islands’ in the Amazon basin.   The savannah of the Llanos de Moxos in northern Bolivia is littered with

The sound of people chewing, slurping, tapping, or humming can drive some people into a rage, and scientists have actually discovered the neurological wiring responsible for this strange condition.   Called misophonia, it describes the unreasonable emotions that well up in some of us when we hear certain repetitive noises being produced by other humans.

A lifetime ago, a Jewish girl confided in her diary as she spent two years in isolation from the outside world in a doomed attempt to escape mortal danger. Anne Frank, a teenager from Amsterdam, wrote of her hopes, fears and dreams as she and her family hid from the Nazis in a secret annexe

Almost 13,000 years ago, a group of prehistoric nomads in what we now call Syria embarked upon a historic change. They abandoned their hunter-gatherer ways, and became the earliest known pioneers of a new milestone in human civilisation: agriculture.   Just where the ancient foragers of Abu Hureyra got this outlandish notion of farming may

Can you tell just by looking where a woman’s at in her reproductive cycle? For other primate species, such as the red-bottomed baboon, it’s pretty easy to see. For humans, the changes are more subtle.   But there are some scientists out there who claim it’s possible to tell the stage of a woman’s cycle

A global pandemic is as good a time as any to reflect on where we as humans went wrong. Human impact on animal populations worldwide is a direct contributor to zoonotic disease spread, according to a timely new study.    The research has found our continued exploitation of the natural world – through hunting, trade,

The human evolutionary path is complicated. It’s almost impossible to say exactly when we modern humans became “us”. This quandary is best articulated by the famous naturalist Charles Darwin in his book The Descent of Man: “In a series of forms graduating insensibly from some apelike creature to man as he now exists, it would

During the invasion of Mesoamerica in the early 16th century, Spanish armies may have wielded the more powerful weapons, and yet when push came to shove, their troops had no clue how to actually replenish their armoury.   A new analysis of historical archives, local knowledge, and archeological discoveries in El Manchón, Mexico supports the

The placebo effect is weird. When it takes place, people who haven’t taken anything stronger than a sugar pill appear to respond as if they’d actually taken a real drug. This strange phenomenon has been known for centuries, but remains something of a mystery, even though scientists are constantly finding out more about how this illusion

Some scientific concepts are so intricate and discombobulating, they are difficult to convey in words – but a good, old-fashioned visual aid can make it crystal clear. Scientific illustration is an art form. Not only can it communicate complicated concepts clearly, supplementing and expanding verbal explanations, it can also be incredibly beautiful – from reconstructions

The more we learn about our evolutionary history, the more it seems like early humans and Neanderthals just couldn’t keep their hands off one another. A new study has once again found evidence that a long, long time ago, our ancestors made a habit of intermingling with Neanderthals – not once, not twice, but time

The battle with the new coronavirus has been well and truly engaged across the world, and one of the fronts we’re fighting on is trying to scale up testing measures so scientists can see where COVID-19 is spreading the most.   Large-scale data can be hugely helpful in tracking and controlling the spread of the

The Broken Hill skull has long been considered one of the key hominin fossils found in Africa, a possible relative of modern humans. It was recovered from cave deposits in what is now Zambia almost a century ago, and to this day, it remains one of the best-preserved skulls of a fossil hominin ever discovered.    In

Neanderthals were apparently much more partial to seafood than previously thought: new research shows that Neanderthal communities living in Portugal during the last ice age were just as keen on fishing as our modern human ancestors.   Molluscs, crustaceans, fish, birds, and marine mammals like dolphins and seals made up as much as half the

As people try to maintain social engagement during self-isolation, citizen science offers a unique opportunity. Defined as “public participation and collaboration in scientific research”, citizen science allows everyday people to use technology to unite towards a common goal – from the comfort of their homes. And it is now offering a chance to contribute to

It’s not hard to feel a connection between musicians, the music being played, and the audience at any gig or concert that you go to, but new research suggests this link goes right down to the neural level – and that the brain activity of performers and listeners actually sync up.   Based on this

Plague Inc, a game that lets users destroy the world with a novel pathogen, has created a new version of the game, in which players can save the world from a virus. The game, which has occupied a position on the App store charts ever since it was created in 2012, reached new levels of

In a single announcement on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi almost doubled the planet’s tally of people who have been placed under lockdown to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.   His strict order to the nation’s 1.3 billion people to stay home brings the global number of people under some form of lockdown

According to Google Trends, the top two most searched terms about mobile phones this week in Australia were “how to disinfect phone” and “how to clean your phone.” And the third most-searched “can I get coronavirus from…?”-style question in the past week in Australia was “can you get coronavirus from mail?” (If you were wondering,