Extremely flat explosion dubbed 'the Cow' defies explanation By Robert Lea published 30 March 23 A bizarre object called "the Cow" is the flattest explosion ever detected, and the first example of a rare phenomenon called a fast blue optical transient (FBOT).
The secrets to extreme longevity may be hiding with nuns... and jellyfish By Jennifer Nalewicki published 30 March 23 Some people live to be well beyond 100. But what genes and environmental factors contribute to such extreme longevity, and what can we learn from other long-lived animals?
Indigenous people of the American West used 'sacred' horses a half-century earlier than previously thought By Kristina Killgrove published 30 March 23 Indigenous oral histories and archaeological evidence are rewriting the story of how horses came to the American West.
T. rex had thin lips and a gummy smile, controversial study suggests By Sascha Pare published 30 March 23 Paleontologists have suggested that thin, lizard-like lips concealed the gigantic teeth of T. rex and other predatory dinosaurs, but not all experts are convinced.
Stephen Hawking's famous black hole paradox may finally have a solution By Robert Lea published 30 March 23 The 'Hawking radiation' emitted by black holes may be able to carry information after all, a new solution to Stephen Hawking's famous paradox suggests.
Rare 'demon fire' worms discovered in Japan bear a 'striking' resemblance to ancient demons, scientists say By Ben Turner published 30 March 23 Three species of marine worm have been described by scientists in Japan, who named them after folkloric demons because of their spooky glow.
World's population could plummet to 6 billion by the end of the century, study suggests By Ben Turner published 30 March 23 A new model has predicted that Earth's population is likely to decrease in all scenarios across the next century and will peak nowhere near the 11 billion previously forecast.
Stressed plants 'scream,' and it sounds like popping bubble wrap By Nicoletta Lanese published 30 March 23 A study of tomato and tobacco plants suggests they emit ultrasonic popping sounds when dehydrated or physically damaged.
FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan to combat opioid overdose crisis By Nicoletta Lanese published 30 March 23 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a naloxone nasal spray for over-the-counter use.
Inbreeding may be causing orca population in the Pacific Northwest to crash By Jennifer Nalewicki published 30 March 23 Inbreeding among an endangered population of orcas off the coasts of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon is a cause for concern.
We're nowhere near reaching the maximum human life span, controversial study suggests By Carissa Wong published 29 March 23 Human longevity records may be broken in the next few decades, a new modeling study suggests.
Object mistaken as a galaxy is actually a black hole pointed directly at Earth By Briley Lewis published 29 March 23 An object once thought to be a radio galaxy is actually an active black hole that changed angles to point directly at Earth, new research suggests.
Female spiders play dead during sex so males don't have to worry about being eaten By Harry Baker published 29 March 23 Researchers have determined the cause of an unusual behavior in funnel weaving spiders that involves the females curling up as if they're dead before having sex.
Rates of autism diagnosis in children are at an all time high, CDC report suggests By Sascha Pare published 29 March 23 A 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among 8-year-old children is the highest it's ever been.
DeepMind's AI used to develop tiny 'syringe' for injecting gene therapy and tumor-killing drugs By Nicoletta Lanese published 29 March 23 Researchers used the AI system AlphaFold to develop a tiny "syringe" that can inject proteins into cells.
2,000 mummified rams' heads were gifted to long-dead ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II By Harry Baker published 29 March 23 Researchers have discovered a vast cranium collection that was likely left as an offering to Ramesses II, a much-loved pharaoh who died around 1,000 years before the skulls were embalmed.
Gargantuan black hole 30 billion times the mass of the sun is one of the largest ever discovered By Ben Turner published 28 March 23 Astronomers used gravitational lensing and supercomputers to identify the colossal black hole, which is among the largest ever found.
Mathematicians make rare breakthrough on notoriously tricky 'Ramsey number' problem By Stephanie Pappas published 28 March 23 The bounds on Ramsey numbers, which describe relationships between nodes in a network, have been narrowed.
Brightest gamma-ray burst ever detected defies explanation By Stephanie Pappas published 28 March 23 Scientists are taking a closer look at the afterglow left by the brightest gamma-ray burst ever recorded, and what they see doesn't fit with any theoretical models.
China discovers strange glass beads on moon that may contain billions of tons of water By Ben Turner published 28 March 23 Scientists detected water trapped inside glass spherules on the moon after analyzing soil samples brought back by China's Chang'e-5 mission.