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An unusual imaging technique and curiosity piqued by worms has revealed new insights into the nanoscale structure of mammalian brain cells, specifically the arm-like axons that pass signals between neurons.  “Axons are the cables that connect our brain tissue, enabling learning, memory and other functions,” says senior author Shigeki Watanabe of John Hopkins University. These […]

Does your heart soar when you’re happy? If you were living in ancient Mesopotamia, you might assign such joyful flights to the liver. Researchers have analysed Mesopotamian texts to see how they described emotions inhabiting different parts of the body. The study, published in iScience, draws on Neo-Assyrian cuneiform texts dating from 934-612 BCE. The […]

We all know about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But there have been other impacts in (slightly) more recent times, with subtler effects. The Earth was struck by 2 huge asteroids 35 million years ago – but it managed to shrug off the impacts, according to a new study. […]

How did humans get such big brains – the answer might lie in the gut. A recent study from Northwestern University in the US is the first to show that gut microbes from different animals can shape their biology and evolution. The brain requires an exorbitant amount of energy to function, especially for large-brained mammals […]

Surprisingly small amounts of daily high-intensity exercise, such as climbing stairs rather taking the elevator, lugging groceries to the car, or chasing after grandchildren, may substantially cut the risk of cardiovascular disease in people who do not otherwise get much exercise, scientists say. In a study published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, […]

Lake Enigma – a permanently frozen lake, deep in the northern foothills of Antarctica’s Victoria Land – was thought to be solid ice from top to bottom. But, according to a new study, the lake’s icy surface rests on liquid water – and that water is filled with bizarre microbial life. The study is published […]

Scientists from Japan have developed new materials and methods to increase the efficiency and safety of a proof-of-concept green hydrogen reactor. The 100m2 reactor operated successfully outdoors, outside of laboratory conditions, for three years. Nevertheless, the authors conclude that many challenges remain to be solved before the technology can be a viable component of the […]

“I’m increasingly realising that nobody likes an ecological tax man,” says Dr Alexander Braczkowski. “Nobody likes to hear bad results.” Braczkowski, a conservation biologist at Griffith University, has been involved in a thorough audit of large carnivores in Uganda – and while the result isn’t uniformly bad, he says there is a lot that’s troubling. […]

A large study by researchers from Harvard Medical School in the US has identified a strong increase in cases of respiratory infections caught in hospitals after COVID-19 measures such as masks were removed. The study, led by Dr Theodore Pak from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, tracked data from over 64,000 patient admissions between late […]

As part of the Ultramarine project we are republishing some paid content for free. This long read was originally published in issue 100 of Cosmos print magazine, in September 2023. You can read more amazing long reads if you subscribe now. The village of Pang Pang is like many in Vanuatu. A dozen or so traditional houses, covered in […]

Australian astrophysicists have led an international effort to create the most detailed maps of gravitational waves across the Universe to date. The maps reveal insights into the most massive black holes known, how they shaped the Universe and the cosmic architecture they left behind. “What we’re seeing hints at a much more dynamic and active […]

Concentrated solar thermal has long promised to roll both solar power and energy storage into one technology. Another feature is being dangled by a newer version of the technology: the provision of high heat. This could help to power emissions-intensive industrial processes that can’t electrify easily, like steelmaking. The CSIRO has just launched a new […]

Hopes that life ever existed on Venus are thinning, after a new study has suggested the planet has always been too dry to support it. The research, published in Nature Astronomy, examined water signatures in Venus’ atmosphere to learn how wet it was over its history. “We won’t know for sure whether Venus can or […]

Lacking the drama of storm or fire, droughts often go under-noticed in the pantheon of natural disasters. But they’re extremely destructive, with wide-ranging effects – from long-term changes to a continent’s water ecology, through to computer chip shortages. And droughts are becoming more common as the climate warms. According to a new report by the […]

A recent study which might have implications for how mammals respond to climate change has shown that for one Costa Rican monkey, higher temperatures resulted in weaker immune systems. According to the University of Michigan study of capuchin monkeys, published in Science Advances, when the monkeys experience about two weeks of warmer temperatures, the performance […]

Children on farms are less likely to develop allergies. A new study suggests that exposure to certain bacteria associated with animals in the first few weeks of life may explain this pattern. Scientists have identified infancy as a critical window for both gut microbiome diversity and immune system development. However few studies have focused on […]

The starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) is a pro regenerator: capable of regrowing a lost body part, or even into 2 new anemones, when cut or injured. A new study has found that the anemone remodels its whole body to do this – all to preserve its body shape. The study is published in Developmental […]

A nanoscale “dinosaur” built using the new technique, imaged using the Thermo Glacios cryo-electron microscope at the University of Sydney Microscopy and Microanalysis facility. The object – just 250 nanometres wide – was created as a proof of principle object in research by Dr Minh Tri Lu and Dr Shelley Wickham from the University of […]

Earlier this year, a caver was poring over satellite images of the Nullarbor Plain in Australia’s outback when he came across something unexpected: an enormous, mysterious scar etched into the barren landscape. The find intrigued scientists, including my colleagues and I. Upon closer investigation, we realised the scar was created by a ferocious tornado that […]

Jasper de Bie, Griffith University This year’s humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) season in Australia has almost come to an end. The beloved mammals are on their way to Antarctica for a summer of feeding. Next year from April onwards, millions of people will again witness their movements and acrobatic displays – either from the coast […]

In what appears to be very good news for a hungry planet, agricultural productivity seems set to help meet the needs of a growing global population, which is expected to reach a peak of around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s. The analysis of worldwide food production has found that global crop yields have continued to […]

A leading UNSW computer scientist says a touted solution to a big problem for generative AI is better suited for other forms of artificial intelligence. UNSW Computer Science Professor Claude Sammut says AI chatbots, like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, are running out of data to “eat.” Generative AI models have swallowed up most of the data […]

NASA’s space telescope Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered a “hot Neptune desert” exoplanet in a tight orbit around its host star The planet, TOI-3261 b, is only the fourth such planet found. Researchers say it’s an ideal candidate for studying how planets such as these form. It’s behaviour is described in a paper […]

The proposed social media ban for under-16-year-old Australians has passed the Senate, and will come into force in 12 months’ time. Experts in psychology, communications, and education have mixed opinions about the ban, with many – although not all – considering it a bad idea. “It is clear that parents are calling for regulation that […]