Science

Scientists studying learning in mice have inadvertently encountered ‘zombie neurons’ in the brain – not flesh-eating, virus-spreading monsters, but cells that stop interacting normally even though they’re functionally alive. What’s more, they shed new light on learning processes in the brain. A team from Portugal discovered the cells as part of an investigation into how

The Moon is a great whackin’ oddball in the sky, and scientists may have just figured out part of the reason why. Its surface is chemically asymmetrical, and new evidence suggests that’s because the Moon’s mantle flipped topsy-turvy upside-down when the Moon was only young. What was on top of Earth’s satellite went underneath; what

As nearly every climate indicator grows increasingly dire, calls for extreme technological fixes get louder. However, study after study finds that taking a gamble on forced geoengineering comes with its own dangerous risks. New research warns that if we inject sulfate particles into the atmosphere to attempt to reflect sunlight and mimic the cooling effects

WASHINGTON — SpaceX could attempt to land a Starship booster as soon as the vehicle’s fifth flight as Elon Musk outlined plans to increase both the flight rate and the performance of the launch vehicle. SpaceX posted on social media April 6 the video of an undated, but apparently recent, presentation the company’s founder and

City planners aren’t doctors. They don’t have to consider how cancer grows and spreads to do their job. But perhaps they should. A new study suggests that large cities, like London and Sydney, grow oddly similarly to malignant tumors. Researchers argue that the same key factors that govern the growth of cancer also seem to

Eclipse watchers might be in for a two-for-one special on Monday. On April 8, the moon will blot out the sun over a significant portion of the US, plunging cities from Texas to Maine into several minutes of darkness. But there will be another exciting astronomical event to keep an eye out for. For the

Droughts can have dramatic effects in Australia – decimating agriculture, threatening water resources and devastating the environment. Much of Australia is drought-prone, and the risk is expected to increase as global warming continues. That’s why it’s important for Australia to be prepared for droughts, particularly those lasting multiple years. To have some idea of just

TAMPA, Fla. — European space consultancy firms Euroconsult and SpaceTec Partners announced merger plans April 5 to expand their services globally. The combined group will be called Novaspace, marrying Euroconsult’s market intelligence expertise with SpaceTec Partners’ management consulting strengths and closer ties with European Union agencies. Pacôme Revillon, CEO of Euroconsult, said the deal is

Despite careful preservation efforts, researchers have discovered at least 16 different types of microplastics infiltrating a 2nd-century archeological site in York, UK, up to 7 meters (23 feet) deep. This region is known for its Viking and Roman history. “The presence of microplastics can and will change the chemistry of the soil, potentially introducing elements

A world infamous for its hellacious conditions may have just been seen spotting one of the prettiest phenomena ever to grace Earth’s own atmosphere. High up in the metal-filled skies of a world named WASP-76b, astronomers have found evidence of a shimmering, multi-hued halo of light known as a glory. This spectacle has never before

A major current of circulating air called the Arctic polar vortex has completely reversed course and is now spinning ‘backwards’. With winds now blowing easterly, scientists are trying to predict what effect this might have on weather systems in the coming months. Before you start envisioning the sudden collapse of our planet’s weather systems, these

HELSINKI — Thailand has signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The memorandum of understanding was signed April 5 by Xu Zhanbin, deputy administrator of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Permsuk Sutchaphiwat, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI).

Look at these pictures. Can you see a cube on the left and a face on the right? What do you see? (Derek Arnold / Adobe Stock) Can you imagine seeing things in your mind? Can you hear an inner voice when you think or read? One of the authors, Loren Bouyer, cannot do any

The White House announced Tuesday it is directing NASA to create a unified time standard for the Moon and other celestial bodies, as governments and private companies increasingly compete in space. With the United States keen to set international norms beyond Earth’s orbit, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) instructed the

WASHINGTON — Scout Space, a startup based in Reston, Virginia, is developing a space domain awareness sensor aimed at the military market as the U.S. seeks new ways to monitor and protect its assets in orbit. The company on April 4 announced it won a $1.8 million Small Business Innovation Research contract under the SpaceWERX

The neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero announced in 2015 that he could soon be capable of performing the world’s first human head transplant procedure. This would mean that it would be possible to remove someone’s head, and graft it onto the neck and shoulders of another person. As of yet, this has only been performed on cadavers

Combining results of laboratory studies on the infra-red glow of carbon molecules in simulation software has led a team of researchers to a new discovery about the creation of spherical carbon ‘cages’ called fullerenes. Given these molecules could have protectively carried complex compounds through the harshness of interstellar space, the findings could have implications for

WASHINGTON — A new White House policy instructs NASA to develop a strategy for a new time standard for use on cislunar missions to provide improved navigation and related services on and around the moon. The Policy on Celestial Time Standardization in Support of the National Cislunar Science and Technology Strategy, released by the White

A new study has associated rare variants of specific genes with the development of left-handedness in humans. Learning how these variations make left-handers different in other ways could help solve mysteries such as how genes can make people more likely to have neurodevelopmental disorders or develop neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for

A search for the first stars that winked into existence at the dawn of the Universe has yielded one of the oldest stars we’ve found yet, right next door to our own galaxy. It’s not quite a member of the first stellar generation. This glimmer in the darkness, known as LMC 119, was spotted in

TAMPA, Fla. — Canada is prepared to invest 50% more than initially planned to help flagship geostationary operator Telesat fund its Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband constellation. Telesat said it received a letter from the Canadian government last week that agreed terms for a loan worth 2.14 billion Canadian dollars ($1.6 billion) for Lightspeed,

A study published back in 2015 revealed a curious link between crime and unintentional injury rates in men and a low resting heart rate. Now a similar study on women has uncovered much the same association, reminding us that risk-taking isn’t confined to any one gender. Researchers from the US, Sweden, and Finland followed the

The magnetic fields that spiral around our galaxy’s supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* have now been revealed by twisted light. A team of scientists has detected and measured the effect of polarization in a spectacular direct image of the shadow of Sgr A*. And, interestingly, it reveals a magnetic field structure similar to the only

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services include the ability to monitor, track, and predict the location and behavior of satellites orbiting the Earth. They are vital for the safety, security, and sustainability of space activities. Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space) is a leading space supplier and recently launched a new SSA solution distinguished by its outstanding

Cannabis flower sold in Colorado claims to contain much more tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, than it actually does, according to my findings published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE. THC is the psychoactive compound that is derived when cannabis flower – commonly referred to as “bud” – is heated through smoking or cooking. Why it matters

The Sun’s rotation is, in a word, bizarre. You’d sort of expect every latitude of its surface to spin at more or less the same rate, but no. If you could stand on the Sun’s equator, for example, it would take you approximately 24 Earth days to undergo a full rotation. If you stood on

Over 3,500 juvenile eels (elvers) have been found dead in the Kauritutahi Stream on the northernmost flank of New Zealand’s North Island. It’s the second mass eel death in New Zealand this year, with thousands of dead adult eels found a month ago in another stream at the opposite end of the country. While the

Some 16 percent of children aged 11 to 15 were cyberbullied in 2022, up from 13 percent four years ago, a WHO Europe report covering 44 countries said on Wednesday. “This report is a wake-up call for all of us to address bullying and violence, whenever and wherever it happens,” WHO regional director for Europe

As low-orbiting broadband constellations become an increasingly dominant force in the satellite industry, stratospheric high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) are closing in on commercializing connectivity from altitudes much closer to Earth. After being spun out of European aerospace giant Airbus last year, Aalto plans to set up its first permanent base for stratospheric aircraft in Kenya,

When you deliver a university course that makes students happier, everybody wants to know what the secret is. What are your tips? What are your top ten recommendations? These are the most asked questions, as if there is some quick, surefire path to happiness. The problem is that there are no life-transforming discoveries, because most