Science

We think of DNA as the vitally important molecules that carry genetic instructions for most living things, including ourselves. But not all DNA actually codes proteins; now, we’re finding more and more functions involving the non-coding DNA scientists used to think of as ‘junk’. A new study suggests that satellite DNA – a type of non-coding

Physicists working on a type of fusion reactor called a stellarator are getting closer to actually harnessing the power of nuclear fusion. According to a new paper, the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator in Germany is now capable of containing heat that reaches temperatures twice as high as those found in the core of the Sun. This

As far as Lower Paleolithic archaeology goes, this is quite the haul: Experts have uncovered a record 98 elephant-bone tools at a site dating back some 400,000 years. This discovery could change our thinking on how some of the early humans – such as Neanderthals – fashioned implements like these. The bones were collected from

There are many kinds of stars out there in the big, wide Universe. We have a whole system for categorizing them according to temperature, size, and brightness. Even so, a recently discovered object is suggesting that we’re far from knowing everything. It’s been nicknamed ‘The Accident’, and it’s a type of object called a brown

As Hurricane Ida headed into the Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists was closely watching a giant, slowly swirling pool of warm water directly ahead in its path. That warm pool, an eddy, was a warning sign. It was around 125 miles (200 kilometers) across. And it was about to give Ida the power

The rapid commercialization of space and the establishment of the U.S. Space Force have created ideal conditions for change in the national security space business, says Steve Isakowitz, CEO of the Aerospace Corp. and former president of Virgin Galactic. Aerospace Corp. CEO Steve Isakowitz previously held senior  positions at the White House Office of Management

When it comes to getting rid of an annoying pest, sometimes subtlety just won’t cut it. Sometimes you just have to throw everything or anything within reach, pelting the offender with shells and debris until they scuttle off back to their hole. OK, that approach probably isn’t great for humans. But for octopuses, it seems

Nobody would ever have thought that farming the Atacama Desert would be easy. Yet, even so, the brutal challenges of living off the land in one of the driest, harshest environments on Earth (and the driest non-polar desert) proved deadly to many, and not all of the dangers were imposed by the desert. Some of the

Roughly a century ago, scientists began to realize that some of the radiation we detect in Earth’s atmosphere is not local in origin. This eventually gave rise to the discovery of cosmic rays, high-energy protons, and atomic nuclei that have been stripped of their electrons and accelerated to relativistic speeds (close to the speed of

Figuring out what’s going on underneath a kilometer (over half a mile) of solid Greenland ice isn’t easy for scientists, but the rise and fall of ‘water blisters’ could offer some vital insights into the deep flow of water and ice, according to a new study. These blisters form between the ice sheet and the

Updated 8:40 p.m. Eastern with comments from media call. WASHINGTON — Astra’s third attempt to reach orbit failed Aug. 28 when its Rocket 3.3 vehicle struggled to get off the launch pad because of an engine shutdown and eventually failed in flight. The small launch vehicle, designated LV0006 by Astra, ignited its five first-stage engines

Scientists have discovered what is believed to be the world’s northernmost landmass – a yet-to-be-named island north of Greenland that could soon be swallowed up by seawaters.  Researchers came upon the landmass on an expedition in July, and initially thought they had reached Oodaaq, up until now the northernmost island on the planet.  “We were

There’s a storm in your teacup of the likes we barely understand. Water molecules flipping about madly, reaching out to one another, grabbing hold and letting go in unique ways that defy easy study. While physicists know the phenomenon of hydrogen bonding plays a key role in water’s many weird and wonderful configurations, certain details

The bones of victims of the 79 CE eruption of Vesuvius in the nearby town of Herculaneum have revealed fascinating differences in the diets of the local men and women. According to an analysis of isotopes in the bones, men ate more cereals and seafood, and women ate more eggs, dairy, and meat from terrestrial

After taking new radio observations, astronomers have ruled out a leading explanation for the cyclic nature of a particularly curious repeating space signal. The signal in question is FRB 20180916B, which repeats with a 16.35-day periodicity. According to existing models, this could result from interactions between closely orbiting stars; however, the new detections – which

Up to 95 percent of Earth’s ocean surface will have changed by the end of the century unless humanity reins in its carbon emissions, according to research published Thursday. Ocean surface climates, defined by surface water temperature, acidity and the concentration of the mineral aragonite – which many marine animals use to form bones and

Down on an atomic level, glass is a jumbled mess of atoms, which makes it easily prone to distortion and cracking. Now, chemists have discovered how to arrange the atoms within glass in such a way, the resulting material can even rival the strength of diamonds. A team of materials scientists from Yanshan University in

COLORADO SPRINGS — Amazon is urging the Federal Communications Commission to dismiss SpaceX’s revised plans for its second-generation Starlink constellation, saying they are too broad and speculative. SpaceX proposed two potential configurations for nearly 30,000 follow-on satellites Aug. 18, which Amazon said breaks FCC rules that require details of a proposed amendment to be settled

A police raid in Brazil has saved our scientific knowledge of an incredibly well-preserved flying lizard that sported a ridiculously large head crest. The police had been investigating illegal fossil trade, and in 2013 found the pterosaur Tupandactylus navigans fossil amongst 3,000 other specimens.  University of São Paulo paleontologist Victor Beccari and colleagues realized they had the

Picturing how our species might appear in the far future often invites wild speculation over stand-out features such as height, brain size, and skin complexion. Yet subtle shifts in our anatomy today demonstrate how unpredictable evolution can be. Take something as mundane as an extra blood vessel in our arms, which going by current trends could be

Winter has cleared the air of dust on Mars, allowing the Curiosity Rover to take a stunning panorama of its alien surroundings. On July 3, while rolling up the slope of Mount Sharp, a tall mountain in the center of the Gale Crater, Curiosity stopped to let its cameras sweep the scene. The rover has

New measurements from scientists in Sweden reveal that Kebnekaise, Sweden’s highest mountain, is sweltering and transforming in the face of unrelenting global warming. In further evidence that climate change has the power to move mountains – and to bring their greatness low – researchers say Kebnekaise’s southern peak, long famous for being the highest point

‘Green steel’ might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s a phrase you’re bound to be hearing a lot more of in the next few years. On Wednesday, the world’s first, carbon-free steel was delivered to the truck-maker AB Volvo in Sweden. It’s only a trial run, and, admittedly, a bit of a media stunt, but

COLORADO SPRINGS — Space data provider Numerica is upgrading its network of ground-based telescopes so they can track objects both in low Earth orbit and beyond. “Our telescopes traditionally have been used to track satellites in geostationary orbit but until now they have not been used for tracking objects in LEO,” said Jeff Aristoff, vice

Millions of years ago, an ancient sperm whale had a very, very bad day when a megatoothed shark – possibly the fearsome Otodus megalodon or its ancestor Otodus chubutensis, the largest predatory sharks that ever lived – viciously attacked it in what is now North Carolina, a new study suggests. Marks from the attack, preserved as gouges out of the sperm

The possibility of time travel has excited many of us for hundreds of years, inspiring countless books and films. The ability to move not only through space but into the past or future would open a myriad of possibilities for humankind. But is it theoretically even possible to time travel? In the original 1978 Superman

What is the baby lion’s name in Disney’s The Lion King? If you feel sure that you know it, and it is on the verge of coming back to you but you can’t quite remember it right now, then you’re experiencing a tip-of-the-tongue feeling. Tip-of-the-tongue feelings can also occur when people try to remember things

It’s no secret that a new Space Race has been brewing over the past few years. This time, rather than being a competition between two federal space agencies, the race has more competitors and is more complicated. In addition to more state competitors, there are also commercial space entities vying for positions and lucrative contracts.

If the world hadn’t come together to ban ozone-destroying chemicals in the late 1980s, a new study suggests climate change would have drastically worsened global warming by the 2040s. The models paint a picture of a world avoided – a scorched Earth scenario even more fiery than the climate crisis we currently face.  According to

The sexbots are coming – or rather, they’re already here, and they’re becoming ever more sophisticated and life-like. That means official rules and laws around their use are going to be required, according to two law experts. Right now there’s not a huge amount of research into whether using sex robots is a good or