This prehistoric worm’s face looks like a butt with claws and we can’t deal
Around 500 million years ago, during the Cambrian period, Earth was undergoing some massive changes – organisms were becoming more complex, and animals were becoming more abundant. Some looked relatively…
Awkward robots that make mistakes are more likeable to foolish humans
Humans prefer interacting with robots that are flawed and make mistakes, according to new research, which could be crucial in helping experts work out how to build the robot interfaces…
Asphalt made from cigarette butts can help us clean all that awful litter
Tiny cigarette butts add up to a huge amount of toxic waste – about 1.2 million tonnes a year – but scientists have come up with a new way of…
Science shows that discriminating against religious groups feeds radicalisation
Marginalising and discriminating against immigrants displaced from their traditional countries and cultures is a significant contributor to feelings of radicalisation, according to a new study. Two surveys involving approximately 400…
Hydrogen Fuel Could Become a Viable Energy Alternative Thanks to This Aluminium Alloy
If you have seen or read The Martian, you may recall the stranded astronaut converting a hydrogen-based fuel into water. Well, we may have just discovered material that easily reverses…
Mysterious hybrid strain of anthrax is running rampant in African rainforests
A strange breed of anthrax bacterium killed more than half of the dead chimps analysed in new research from Africa – and scientists say the fatal infection could wipe out…
Flesh-eating bugs seriously messed up this teen’s legs after a casual beach dip
It’s the stuff of nightmares – you go in for a quick swim at the beach, and walk out with bites all over your ankles that won’t stop bleeding. But…
How to slam dunk creationists when it comes to the theory of evolution
The 2001 discovery of the seven million-year-old Sahelanthropus, the first known upright ape-like creatures, was yet more proof of humanity’s place among the great apes. And yet Mike Pence, then…
We can now add bees to the list of animals that can count to zero
The fact that nothing can be counted as something – what we humans call zero – isn’t exactly common knowledge across the animal kingdom. New research suggests the humble bee…
This is the most detailed map yet of the Universe’s dark matter
New research conducted as a part of the ongoing Dark Energy Survey (DES) has used the way mass distorts light to produce a bigger, more highly detailed map of the…
A 9-year-old has asked NASA to be the ‘Planetary Protection Officer’ of Earth
When NASA posted a job description for its planetary protection officer role, the space agency was fishing for candidates with advanced degrees and experience working on interplanetary missions. What it…
Blocking phone alerts for just one day can change your habits for years
Almost half of the participants in a study who were asked to switch off their phone notifications for a day said it was still influencing their habits two years later…
Watch: This Adorable Orangutan Wants Attention And It’s Everything We Need Right Now
We’ve all been there. It seems like a hilarious idea at the time – throw on a sack, pretend you’re a ghost, and now you’re the life of the party.…
Physicists have captured the first spectral fingerprints of antimatter
It’s been about nine months since a team of CERN researchers succeeded in their goal of measuring the spectrum of light emitted from hydrogen’s mirror particle, antihydrogen. They were just…
This crazy new material switches from super hydrophobic to super hydrophilic in an instant
Scientists have created a material that can switch between repelling and absorbing water droplets at the flick of a switch. The copper based material can go from super hydrophobic (water…
Strange little ‘ghost particles’ finally detected bumping into an atom’s nucleus
Using a device not much bigger than a wine bottle, physicists have for the first time observed neutrinos physically colliding with the nucleus of an atom. The discovery provides physicists…
NASA is hiring a ‘planetary protection officer’ to guard us against alien life
There’s a vacancy at NASA, and it may have one of the greatest job titles ever conceived: planetary protection officer. It pays well, between US$124,000 and US$187,000 annually. You get…
The ‘Mona Lisa’ of dinosaurs is so perfect we even know its skin colour
It may look like a dragon fresh off the set of Game of Thrones, but it turns out that one of the world’s best preserved dinosaurs faced some tough predators…
We are entering a new era of colour science and researchers are buzzing
It’s no secret that animals see the world in a very different light to humans, but an international collaboration between scientists has revealed that we are on the brink of…
Scientists unlock a secret to non-genetic variation within a species
Of the many variations between organisms in a species, only some of them can currently be explained by differences in their genetic code, but a new study has shed light…
Amazing new algorithms will fix your photos before you even take them
New algorithms developed by Google and MIT engineers make it possible for smartphones to process and retouch photos in real-time, before you’ve even hit the shutter button – so they…
Trapdoor spiders made a terrifying ocean voyage to move to Australia
Tales of epic ocean crossings are usually reserved for sailors with two legs, but an eight-legged odyssey millions of years ago may well be the most daring sea voyage in…
This month will be a truly spectacular time for stargazing
Even if you’re not a hardcore astronomy-geek, this month is looking seriously hot for staring up at the sky. In coming weeks we’ll have a lunar and solar eclipse forming…
Spoiling our pets less is one way we can lower carbon emissions
New research is giving pet owners food for thought, suggesting having a carnivorous companion contributes significantly to global warming. We humans can forgo a good rib-eye for a mushroom ragù…
“Glowing” water atmosphere detected on an exoplanet for the first time
For the first time, scientists have detected water molecules “glowing” around a planet outside our Solar System, giving us the best evidence yet of an exoplanet with a stratosphere. It’s…
Astronauts can see ‘super typhoon’ Noru from space, and their photos are incredible
Typhoon Noru is barrelling northwest across the Pacific Ocean and taking aim at Japan, and possibly Korea or China, this weekend. Forecasters are intently tracking the storm. As of Sunday,…
A classic magic trick is helping scientists study how your body maps itself
A new spin on a classic sensory illusion is revealing more details on how our body combines sensations to model the body in our mind. Using a mirror to fool…
Scientists just revealed a hidden secret about the Sun’s inner core
The innermost region of the Sun is hidden from our eyes, and it looks like this stealth has enabled the core to conceal a massive secret. For the first time,…
This is the best advice to help extend your phone’s battery life
As mobile phone users, all we want is enough battery life to last the day. Frustratingly, the older the device, the less power it seems to have. In fact, the…
We finally know what the first ever flower on Earth actually looked like
Although most species of plants on Earth have flowers, the evolutionary origin of flowers themselves are shrouded in mystery. Flowers are the sexual organs of more than 360,000 species of…
WATCH: What science really has to say about fancy wine drinking tips
Wine lovers have many different ways to enjoy their favourite glass of plonk. Whether that’s decanting the bottle, picking a wider cup to drink from, or swirling the glass before…
Reviewers of Tesla’s Model 3 are going absolutely nuts over the car
As the Tesla Model 3 launch was imminent, Jack Stewart of Wired wrote, “The arrival of Tesla’s Model 3 signals a new chapter in automotive history, one that erases 100-plus…
A dinosaur-era plant has been discovered alive and well in the US
The dinosaurs that roamed Earth 66 million years ago might be gone forever, but the plants they trampled through are still with us, as a new discovery in the US…
An asteroid headed our way is about to test NASA’s planetary defence system
Our Solar System is littered with chunks of space rocks that whizz around in different orbits and varying speeds – and it’s no big deal until one of those rocks…
Woman calls 911: “I have a boa constrictor stuck to my face”
A woman in Ohio has been saved by firefighters after making a frantic 911 emergency call to explain she was being attacked by a boa constrictor. The Sheffield Lake resident…
Crispy jellyfish are the next weird food source proposed by Danish scientists
If you’re a fan of potato chips, the next best thing might just be a crispy, lightweight sheet of preserved jellyfish. Scientists have come up with a new way to…
Fungi harness the power of physics to hurl their spores into the world
The physics behind fungal spore momentum may not keep all of us up at night, but for a select group of scientists, the issue has proved vexing for over a…
Roomba CEO is totally not going to sell a map of your house to the highest bidder
Robovacs like the Roomba may be awesomely convenient helpers around the home, but buying a robot to clean up after you could come at a hidden cost. Unguarded comments from…
5 futuristic technologies set to change our lives really soon
Flying warehouses, robot receptionists, smart toilets… do such innovations sound like science fiction or part of a possible reality? Technology has been evolving at such a rapid pace that, in…
Flatworms can still detect light even after they’ve been decapitated
Using the flatworm’s ability to survive and even regrow its head after decapitation, researchers have shown the animal will shy away from a light source even when it no longer…
This cool chemical found in Titan’s atmosphere could make actual cell membranes
An organic compound used in the manufacture of plastics has been detected in the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. While polymers of the chemical vinyl cyanide have plenty of…
The newest dinosaur to be discovered looks just like a modern-day bird
We’re still making many discoveries about the animals that roamed the Earth more than 66 million years ago, and a newly identified dinosaur bears a remarkable resemblance to a modern-day…
Astronomers may have spotted the first moon outside of our solar system
Astronomers have now discovered plenty of exoplanets – planets outside our Solar System orbiting suns like our own – but the hunt for smaller exomoons around these planets goes on.…
Listen to what space sounds like: an eerie chorus of ‘alien birds’
If you ask Craig Kletzing, the recordings echo the chirping of crickets. To his wife, they sound like a chorus of alien birds. But there is no life where these…
These bouncing balls on a hot pan led to a new physics discovery
It all started when a Ukrainian programmer and aspiring rapper dropped a handful of hydrogel balls on his piping-hot pancake griddle. The beads, used by gardeners to hydrate plants because…
DNA analysis has solved the mystery of whether Canaanite descendants live on
A genetic analysis of 4,000 year old human remains identified as of Canaanite origin has revealed it’s unlikely that the ancient population was wiped out, putting a new spin on…
Scientists Just Made Food From Electricity
Finnish researchers have created a batch of single-cell protein that is nutritious enough to serve for dinner using a system powered by renewable energy. The entire process requires only electricity,…
New Study Shows the First Galaxies Underwent a Huge Galactic Recession
A key sign of a recession is when the market can’t respond to greater supplies of raw materials with increased demand. Long before this century’s Great Recession the first galaxies…