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In new insight into the effects of artificial underwater structures on marine life, research has found that whale sharks can use oil and gas platforms and other, natural features as migratory “stepping stones” in their journeys. The findings have implications for the protection of natural features that promote this ability, and for decommissioning platforms. The […]

For the first time, physicists have been able to trap molecules and get them to perform quantum operations, opening a new line of research for future ultra-powerful quantum computing. Molecules have often been overlooked in quantum computing. Their internal structures have been considered too complicated, delicate and unpredictable to be useful in quantum devices. Instead, […]

Palaeontologists have found the tell-tale signs of an attack by a crocodile-like animal on the fossilised neck bone of a juvenile pterosaur – a flying reptile – dating to the Cretaceous period. The specimen was a species of azhdarchid pterosaur – the largest animals to ever fly – known as Cryodrakon boreas. While the juvenile […]

Electric vehicles (EVs) are going down in price, and up in size. But as EVs get bigger, so does the amount of resource needed to make them. An electric SUV is a less “sustainable” vehicle than a smaller car, because of its gargantuan battery. An opinion paper, published in PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, has called […]

A review of the oldest known dinosaurs has revealed that fossil evidence for their origin probably has not yet been discovered. Most of the earliest dinosaur fossils have been found in South America and Africa. During the Triassic period (252–201 million years ago), these continents formed the southern part of the supercontinent Pangaea which would […]

New analysis of marsquakes could explain the evolution of Mars and why it is so lop-sided. Mars’s southern hemisphere has a thicker crust and an elevation 5 to 6km higher than the northern hemisphere of the planet. This unexplained phenomenon is called the “Mars dichotomy”. The southern hemisphere actually makes up close to two-thirds of […]

Researchers have found a simple, environmentally friendly way to make a more effective form of ibuprofen. The technique, which uses a ball mill, could help manufacturers to lower their energy and material use when making painkillers. They’ve published their study in RSC Mechanochemistry. Ibuprofen is listed by the World Health Organization as an essential medicine. […]

Deep inside Earth there are mysterious and fascinating regions the size of continents at the boundary between the core and mantle, and earth scientists have just cracked the mystery of what they’re made of. Known as “Large Low Seismic Velocity Provinces”, or LLSVPs, the regions cause seismic waves to slow down. “The waves slow down […]

Analysis of bones butchered by ancient human ancestors shows they represent the oldest direct evidence of hominins in Europe. The bones are at least 1.95 million years old but could be up to 2.2 million years old. They may help build a picture of when early human ancestors left Africa and reached Europe and Asia, […]

The experimental nuclear fusion device known as  SMART, has successfully generated its first tokamak plasma, bringing the global quest for sustainable, virtually limitless energy a step closer. SMART (SMall Aspect Ratio Tokamak) is being put together at the University of Seville in Spain as part of an international research project. Late last year, a series […]

A new discovery adds to the mystery of the source of fast radio bursts. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extremely energetic pulses of radio-frequency light which travels across the universe that last just a few seconds or even milliseconds. More than 1,000 FRBs have been reported since the first was discovered in 2007. FRB 20240209A, […]

Advances continue to be made in neurobionics – integrating electronics with the nervous system to repair or replace impaired function – with the latest example helping a tetraplegic person to control a video game with their brain. A surgically implanted brain-computer interface has allowed the person to play a video game, using only their thoughts […]

After noticing that 20 captive chimpanzees at Kumamoto Sanctuary, Japan, appeared to urinate at about the same time, a team of researchers decided to spy on their toilet habits… for science. Just as a sleepy individual can set off a whole round of synchronised yawns in humans, we now know that when one chimpanzee pees, […]

A new superconducting material has been discovered by researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University in Japan. The material fits into a class of “unconventional superconductors” which could lead to high-temperature superconductivity that then could be used in transport, quantum technologies, power transmission and other applications. Superconducting devices are also used in advanced technologies such as superconducting […]

Clues into the mysterious lives of southern Scandinavia and northern Germany’s first farmers have been revealed in a new archaeological study. These ancient people were part of the Funnel Beaker Culture which emerged in the region about 6,000 years ago and persisted until new technologies emerged about 4,800 years ago. Grinding stones from a Middle […]

A big global survey has revealed people want scientists to be more involved in the policy-making process of most governments. The survey, of nearly 72,000 people in 68 countries, has found that most people have a high trust in science. The study, which is published today in Nature Human Behaviour, found no evidence for a […]

A large analysis of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy has surprised health researchers, who found links to multiple new benefits – and some new side effects. The research has found that weight-loss drugs – known as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) – may be associated with increased risks for pancreatitis and kidney conditions. […]

Tensions among astrophysicists continue to mount over Edwin Hubble’s 100-year old calculations about the speed which the universe is expanding. “The tension now turns into a crisis,” says Dan Scolnic, an associate professor of physics at Duke University in the US. Scolnic is part of a team who have measured the rate of expansion of the […]

A prototype wind turbine is about to be installed just south of Adelaide. At a mere 6kW, it’s not going to make any difference to our energy grid – yet. But its shape means that it could end up making big changes. Instead of the windmill-style horizontal turbine, it rotates vertically. According to the researchers […]

Almost exactly 100 years ago, Edwin Hubble made a claim which changed the way we view the universe – and our place in it – forever. On December 30, 1924, Hubble announced the discovery of a spiral nebula outside our galaxy. His breakthrough proved for the first time that our Milky Way galaxy didn’t make […]

A new species of large carnivorous dinosaur found in what is now Egypt has been identified from fossils which no longer exist. The original fossil was destroyed 80 years ago during World War II. Palaeontologists discovered the new species by looking at photographs of the skeleton taken before 1944. Tameryraptor markgrafi lived 95 million years […]

The H5N1 bird flu strain circulating in the USA is good at mutating to infect new hosts, according to a genetic study – but it’s still vulnerable to antivirals. The current H5N1 flu strain, which started spreading on US dairy farms in March 2024, has been transmitted to a handful of people working with infected […]

Octopus arms are a marvel of nature. Their 8 appendages can move with a near infinite degree of freedom and are packed with hundreds of suckers, which can change shape independently, and taste and smell the things they touch. So, how do octopuses control all that complexity? Inside each octopus arm is a massive nervous […]

A study of thousands of hours of flight calls suggests that songbirds may be forming social connections with other species as they migrate, possibly even exchanging information about the journey. It’s time to rethink songbird migration through a social lens, says Benjamin Van Doren, assistant professor at the University of Illinois and lead author of […]