Science

Remarkable cryo-EM images of dendrites show details down to the individual atom, and will yield new insights into why high-energy batteries fail. Researchers have revealed new atomic-level images of the finger-like growths called dendrites that can breach battery compartment barriers, and go on to cause short circuits or even fires. Understanding more about these tiny protrusions is not only going ... Read More »

A small, recently discovered asteroid – or perhaps a comet – appears to have originated from outside the solar system, coming from somewhere else in our galaxy. If so, it would be the first “interstellar object” to be observed and confirmed by astronomers. This unusual object – for now designated A/2017 U1 – is less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) ... Read More »

If you saw this image out of context, you might be a bit perplexed. Is it some strange macro shot of eyelashes? A weird desert landscape? It’s actually a look at the Hellas Planitia on Mars, and it shows off some distinctive, surreal-looking lines. At around 2,200 kilometers in diameter, Hellas Planitia is the largest visible impact basin in the ... Read More »

A new video has emerged on the internet that claims to have found evidence of a crashed alien mothership on Mars’ surface. The images from the video were found in footage taken from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor – which surveyed the red planet until 2006 when the space agency lost contact with it. “I have processed, colorized and rebuilt the ... Read More »

There are currently about fifty known exoplanets with diameters that range from Mars-sized to several times the Earth’s and that also reside within their stars’ habitable zone – the orbital range within which their surface temperatures permit water to remain liquid. A “water world” is an extreme case, an exoplanet defined as being covered by a deep ocean, perhaps as ... Read More »

Interest in “Properties of Expanding Universes” is at an all-time high: Stephen Hawking’s doctoral thesis of that name crashed Cambridge University’s open-access repository on the first day the document was posted online. When an unknown physics student submitted his completed PhD thesis in 1966 he had no idea thousands would still be clamouring to read it more than 50 years ... Read More »

Plastic in our seas is threatening coral, which researchers now believe may see it as tasty food. There are fears for the future of coral, such as the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for 1,400 miles off the coast of Australia. “Corals in our experiments ate all types of plastics but preferred unfouled microplastics by a threefold difference over microplastics ... Read More »

Researchers has discovered a new set of footprint fossils that suggests a large carnivorous dinosaur roamed southern Africa around 200-million years ago. The footprints belong to a new species, named Kayentapus ambrokholohali*, which is part of the group of dinosaurs called “megatheropod”. The term “Megatheropods” describes the giant two-legged carnivorous dinosaurs, such as the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) which ... Read More »

Scientists have revealed a nature-inspired RoboBee that can dive into water mid-flight, and launch itself back out for a safe landing. The design uses a ‘Goldilocks combination’ of wing size and flapping rate, allowing for a system that’s 1,000 times lighter than any other aerial-to-aquatic robot, according to the creators. Once it dries off, the “robo-bee” can repeat the whole ... Read More »

New study at the University of Adelaide has found that a specific combination of techniques will increase people’s chances of having lucid dreams, in which the dreamer is aware they’re dreaming while it’s still happening and can control the experience. Although many techniques exist for inducing lucid dreams, previous studies have reported low success rates, preventing researchers from being able ... Read More »

Footage of a mysterious moth-like insect flexing its pulsating tentacles has whipped the internet into a frenzy. The video shows what appears to be a moth with a huge orange belly. Attached to it are four enormous hairy tentacles which it is seen flexing in the air. Thousands of people reacted in horror after the footage was shared on Facebook ... Read More »