935,507 articles

New hydrogel can stretch to 15 times its original size

A team of molecular engineers at Tsinghua University, in China, has developed a new type of hydrogel that can stretch to 15 times its original size and then snap back to its original form. In their study, published in the journal Science, the group modified the process normally used to create hydrogels to produce a new one that is far more elastic.

Gravitational waves may have made human life possible

Could it be that human existence depends on gravitational waves? Some key elements in our biological makeup may come from astrophysical events that occur because gravitational waves exist, a research team headed by John R. Ellis of Kings College London suggests.

How to Use Your Smartphone to Take Photos of the Solar Eclipse

On Monday April 8, a total solar eclipse will pass across the U.S.. While the last solar eclipse visible from the U.S. occurred only seven years ago, it won’t be until 2045 that a total solar eclipse will pass again from coast to coast across the country. Given that you might have to wait a couple decades for the next one, it might be worth taking a photo to capture the moment....

Brain-cell transplants are the newest experimental epilepsy treatment

This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. Justin Graves was managing a scuba dive shop in Louisville, Kentucky, when he first had a seizure. He was talking to someone and suddenly the words coming out of his mouth weren’t his. Then he passed out....

Copernicus online portal offers terrifying view of climate emergency

Looking at the mass of information, there is only one conclusion: we are running out of timeThere is so much information on the newly launched Copernicus Climate Change Service atlas that my laptop started to overheat trying to process it all. As well as all the past data, it predicts where the climate is going and how soon we will breach the 1.5C “limit”, and then 2C. You can call up the...

The Sky This Week from March 29 to April 5: Comet Pons-Brooks puts on a show

Friday, March 29With a Moonless sky after sunset, tonight is a great time to target fainter deep-sky objects. After the sky grows fully dark, look north to find the Little Dipper, whose handle ends with the star Polaris, the North Star. To the dipper’s lower right is Draco the Dragon, a long, winding constellation thatContinue reading "The Sky This Week from March 29 to April 5: Comet...

Song lyrics getting simpler, more repetitive, angry and self-obsessed – study

Researchers analysed the words in more than 12,000 English-language songs across several genres from 1980 to 2020You’re not just getting older. Song lyrics really are becoming simpler and more repetitive, according to a study published on Thursday.Lyrics have also become angrier and more self-obsessed over the last 40 years, the study found, reinforcing the opinions of cranky ageing music fans...

Obese children twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis, study suggests

Swedish researchers say inflammation caused by obesity is likely to increase risk of developing conditions such as MSChildren who are obese may face more than double the risk of developing multiple sclerosis as adults, a study suggests.MS can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a range of potential symptoms including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It is a...


THURSDAY 28. MARCH 2024


Have scientists finally made sense of Hawking’s famous formula for disorder in a black hole?

Fifty years ago, famed physicist Stephen Hawking wrote down an equation that predicts that a black hole has entropy, an attribute typically associated with the disordered jumbling of atoms and molecules in material. The arguments for black hole entropy were indirect, however, and no one had derived the famous equation from the fundamental definition of entropy—at least not for realistic...

Atmospheric observations in China show rise in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas

To achieve the aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change—limiting the increase in global average surface temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels—will require its 196 signatories to dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Those greenhouse gases differ widely in their global warming potential (GWP), or ability to absorb radiative energy...

Supergene research solves the mystery of tiny ant queens

An ant colony is sustained through complex social dynamics, with each member—the queen, males and workers (sterile females)—contributing to the greater community. Some species add complexity to this dynamic with the addition of rather small queens.

Making the future too bright: How wishful thinking can point us in the wrong direction

Everyone indulges in wishful thinking now and again. But when is that most likely to happen, and when could it actually be harmful? A new study led by the University of Amsterdam (UvA) demonstrates unequivocally that the greater the insecurity and anxiety of a situation, the more likely people are to become overly optimistic—even to the point where it can prevent us from taking essential action....

Three-year study of young stars with NASA's Hubble enters new chapter

In the largest and one of the most ambitious Hubble Space Telescope programs ever executed, a team of scientists and engineers collected information on almost 500 stars over a three-year period. This effort offers new insights into the stars' formation, evolution, and impact on their surroundings.

Netflix trivializing teenagers' pain, says study

A new analysis of adolescent TV and films on Netflix suggests that too often, it shows misleading depictions of pain, portraying pain as something arising only through a violent act or injury. Instead of trivializing the experience, it could do more to educate young people about much more common, everyday pain.

Magnetic avalanche triggered by quantum effects: 'Barkhausen noise' detected for first time

Iron screws and other so-called ferromagnetic materials are made up of atoms with electrons that act like little magnets. Normally, the orientations of the magnets are aligned within one region of the material but are not aligned from one region to the next. Think of packs of tourists in Times Square pointing to different billboards all around them. But when a magnetic field is applied, the...

Plasma fusion: Adding just enough fuel to the fire

How much fuel can we add to the fire while still maintaining control? Metaphorically speaking, that's the question one team at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has been asking themselves lately.

Impact of synbiotic supplements on the gut microbiome and overall health of penguins

The gut microflora plays a pivotal role in the overall well-being of all living organisms. Like their multifaceted and beneficial role in humans, the role of the gut microbiome in maintaining health, behavior, and ecology of animals is unequivocal. Now, researchers from Japan investigated the impact of combined administration of prebiotics and paraprobiotics to understand how they impact penguin...