‘Little Foot’ Skull Reveals How This Human Ancestor Lived More Than 3 Million Years Ago
Micro-CT scanning of “Little Foot” skull reveals new aspects of the life of this more than 3-million year-old-human ancestor.
Strange & Offbeat News
Soldier Ants Reveal That Evolution Can Go In Reverse
Turtle ant soldiers and their oddly-shaped heads suggest that evolution is not always a one-way street toward increasing specialization.
Exoplanet Where It Rains Iron Discovered
Researchers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have observed an extreme planet where they suspect it rains iron. The ultra-hot giant exoplanet has a day side where temperatures climb above 2400 degrees Celsius, high enough to vaporise metals. Strong winds carry iron vapour to the cooler night side where it condenses into iron droplets.
Ancient shell shows days were half-hour shorter 70 million years ago
Earth turned faster at the end of the time of the dinosaurs than it does today, rotating 372 times a year, compared to the current 365, according to a new study of fossil mollusk shells from the late Cretaceous. The new measurement informs models of how the Moon formed and how close to Earth it has been over the 4.5-billion-year history of the Earth-Moon gravitational dance.
Breathtaking Photo Captures Aftermath of Stellar Collision (PHOTOS)
Astronomers have captured a truly incredible image of two stars locked in a fight to the death, producing a stunning, if violent, cosmic masterpiece in the process.
One of the brightest explosions ever seen was actually a giant star EATING its neighbor
The record-setting stellar explosion SN 2006gy was 50 billion times brighter than our sun, with a blast so energetic it baffled the scientific community. Now scientists think they have uncovered what made it so incredibly bright.
The core of massive dying galaxies already formed 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang
The most distant dying galaxy discovered so far, more massive than our Milky Way — with more than a trillion stars — has revealed that the ‘cores’ of these systems had formed already 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, about 1 billion years earlier than previous measurements revealed.
Taking the Temperature of Dark Matter
Physicists are using gravitational lensing to take the temperature of dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up about a quarter of our universe.
Fighting Opioids With An Unlikely Supplemental Painkiller: Anti-Itch Medicine
Researchers are investigating whether an anti-itch medication that targets a specific part of our nerve cells can make morphine — which targets a different part–more effective. The findings suggest it can.
Foam Offers Way To Manipulate Light (VIDEO)
Scientists have shown that a type of foam long studied by scientists is able to block particular wavelengths of light, a coveted property for next-generation information technology that uses light instead of electricity.
‘Are We Alone?’ Study Refines Which Exoplanets Are Potentially Habitable
Researchers are first to combine 3D climate modeling with atmospheric chemistry to explore the habitability of planets around M dwarf stars, which comprise about 70% of the total galactic population.
A Planet That Should Not Exist
Astronomers detected a giant planet orbiting a small star. The planet has much more mass than theoretical models predict.
An Artificial Skin That Can Help Rehabilitation and Enhance Virtual Reality
EPFL scientists have developed a soft artificial skin that provides haptic feedback and – thanks to a sophisticated self-sensing mechanism – has the potential to instantaneously adapt to a wearer’s movements.
Using Math to Blend Musical Notes Seamlessly (VIDEO)
Algorithm enables one audio signal to glide into another, recreating the ‘portamento’ effect of some musical instruments.
Perception Of Musical Pitch Varies Across Cultures (VIDEO)
How people interpret musical notes depends on the types of music they have listened to.