Science

A leading astrophysicist has warned of the danger that unexpected asteroids pose to our planet, and classified the threat not as a matter of if, but when. Professor Alan Fitzsimmons from the University’s Astrophysics Research Centre has said it is a case of when an asteroid collision will happen, rather than if it will happen. Joined by scientist Brian Cox ... Read More »

Ancient DNA from cat mummies and skeletons has revealed the history of one of the greatest invasions of the world. The analysis shows how domesticated cats spread from Asia and northern Africa 9,000 years ago, to end up presiding in homes in all corners of the globe. According to the scientists, the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), the ancestor of ... Read More »

NASA today announced the discovery of 10 planets that could potentially support life. At a news conference today, NASA astrobuffs announced that the telescope has identified 219 new planet candidates. Ten are about the size of the Earth and are in the “Goldilocks zone” – they’re at the magic distance from their suns so that liquid water would theoretically be ... Read More »

Researchers have identified a new species of deep sea worm that bears a truly uncanny resemblance to a human penis, and Twitter has taken notice. A group of scientists working with Museums Victoria recently conducted an expedition near eastern Australia into a deep sea area nicknamed “the Abyss” – a habitat 4000 metres below the surface that’s virtually unexplored. Over ... Read More »

Large-scale melting of snow and ice on Antarctica’s massive Ross Ice Shelf, brought on by an unusually warm stretch of weather in the austral summer of 2015-2016, has been documented for the very first time, according to a new study. The science team conducting the ARM West Antarctic Radiation Experiment (AWARE) led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at ... Read More »

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed his vision for what a SpaceX city on Mars would look like, saying he wants people to believe setting up a colony on the Red Planet will be possible within our lifetimes. Musk’s vision to send a million people to Mars is now in print, but the billionaire visionary says he’s already working on ... Read More »

China made history by successfully shooting a hack-proof quantum signal from space that smashed previous records on the transmission of such entangled particles. Beijing used its new quantum communication satellite, Micus, which it launched last August to transmit the quantum signal to Earth over an unprecedented 1,200 Kms. Micius forms part of a wider Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QESS) ... Read More »

Researchers have confirmed the discovery of first ever porpoise with two heads. Dutch fishermen in the North Sea found the first known case of a two-headed harbor porpoise last month, when it was caught as bycatch in a net. This is the first documented case of conjoined twins in porpoises, and only the 10th in the cetacean family, which includes ... Read More »

Scientists have listed the top 15 alien species invaders most commonly found on islands around the world and their impacts on native flora and fauna. Islands and mainland coastal regions were found to be the most likely places to be colonised by foreign species. The top three locations with the highest numbers of established alien species were the Hawaiian Islands, ... Read More »

Wildfire smoke can harm the climate and atmosphere much more than previously estimated, a new research based on data collected by a NASA aircraft warns. The study, led by scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, found brown carbon particles released into the air from burning trees and other organic matter are much more likely than previously thought to travel ... Read More »

Magnetic materials form the basis of technologies that play increasingly pivotal roles in our lives today, including sensing and hard-disk data storage. But as our innovative dreams conjure wishes for ever-smaller and faster devices, researchers are seeking new magnetic materials that are more compact, more efficient and can be controlled using precise, reliable methods. A team led by the University ... Read More »