Giant insects with wingspans of more than two feet used to rule the skies from 300-150 million years ago. New research is suggesting that they were killed off by the emergence of birds, not by declining oxygen levels as had previously been believed. When birds first appeared 150 million years ago, insect sizes shrunk […]
Bird Ancestors Caused The Extinction Of Prehistoric Giant Insects Read More 👉
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory filmed the last Venus transit for the next one hundred years from space on June 5th. The next time Venus transits the sun won’t be until 2117. The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission to study the Earth-Sun connection as it relates to life and society on the Earth.
Venus Transit 2012 Filmed From Space (VIDEO) Read More 👉
Using a new technique to more accurately estimate the weights of some dinosaurs, researchers have found that some dinosaurs were not nearly as heavy as previously thought. Biologists from the University of Manchester used lasers to measure the minimum amount of skin necessary to wrap around the skeletons of modern-day animals such as polar
Dinosaurs Didn't Weigh Nearly As Much As Previously Thought Read More 👉
An atom has been split into halves, separated, and then put back together, in new research from the University of Bonn. The word “atom” literally means “indivisible,” yet quantum mechanics allows an atom to be split and put back together in a way similar to rays of light. The researchers are doing this work because
Atom Split Into Two And Then Put Back Together Using Quantum Mechanics Read More 👉
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), an American Spy Agency, is giving two of its powerful space telescopes to NASA. Apparently because they are “surplus” telescopes.
NASA Given Two Powerful Space Telescopes By Spy Agency Read More 👉
Quantum computers are still years away from becoming a reality, but a group of theorists has already developed an algorithm for them to simulate all the possible interactions when two elementary particles collide. Currently this type of research requires years of effort and massive, expensive particle accelerators. Building quantum computers will require technology we currently
Quantum Computers Will Be Capable Of Simulating Particle Collisions Read More 👉
A small cosmetics jar linked to Amelia Earhart has been found on an uninhabited island in the southwestern Pacific republic of Kiribati. This supports the theory that she landed and later died on the island. The jar was found broken into five pieces by researchers from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, a
Amelia Earhart's Fate May Be Solved Read More 👉
Eating dark chocolate every day reduces the likelihood of having heart attacks and strokes in people with metabolic syndrome, according to a new study. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of factors that make you more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Dark chocolate (at
Dark Chocolate Prevents Heart Attacks And Strokes Read More 👉
Global rates of cancer are set to increase more than 75% by 2030, according to a newly released study. The largest rise is predicted to be in the developing world, with increases of over 90% in some countries. This is expected to be largely from dietary and environmental changes occurring there as they transition
Cancer Rates Likely To Double In Next 15+ Years, Study Says Read More 👉
“This photo illustration depicts a view of the night sky just before the predicted merger between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. About 3.75 billion years from now, Andromeda’s disk fills the field of view and its gravity begins to create tidal distortions in the Milky Way. The view is inspired
Galactic Collision, The Milky Way Is Going To Collide With The Andromeda Galaxy Read More 👉
NASA is preparing to launch a new satellite, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), which will study everything from black holes to the sun. “We will see the hottest, densest and most energetic objects with a fundamentally new, high-energy X-ray telescope that can obtain much deeper and crisper images than before,” said Fiona Harrison,
NASA Launching NuSTAR Satellite to Study Black Holes Read More 👉
Researchers have recently developed a technique to build complex nano-structures out of short synthetic strands of DNA. Referred to as single-stranded tiles (SST), the short strands of DNA are interlocking building blocks similar to LEGOs®. They can be programmed to arrange themselves in very precisely designed shapes, such as numbers, letters, and shapes. The
DNA Manipulated By Nano-Machines To Shape Words Read More 👉
New evidence is suggesting that the emergence of birds was from a drastic change in how dinosaurs developed. Rather than spending years to reach sexual maturity, they drastically shortened their development, essentially remaining juvenile dinosaurs their whole lifespan. Some species of birds take as little as 12 weeks to reach maturity, as opposed to the
Birds Evolved From Dinosaurs By Remaining 'Juveniles' Read More 👉
Super-volcanos form and erupt much more quickly than previously thought, according to a new study from researchers at Vanderbilt University. Super-volcanos and super-eruptions are referred to as super because of their massive scale, more than 100 times the size of an eruption like Mount St. Helens. They release tremendous amounts of gas, ash, and
Super-Volcanos Form Very Quickly, New Study Finds Read More 👉
A new study has provided evidence that climate change was a leading cause of the great Indus or Harappan civilization collapsing 4000 years ago. The study also resolves the debate on the source and identity of the Sarasvati, the sacred river of Hindu mythology. At its height, the Indus civilization contained up to 10%
Ancient Harappan Civilization Collapsed Because of Changes in the Climate Read More 👉
Researchers have built and imaged the smallest possible five-ringed structure. It is about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair and looks like the Olympic rings.
Olympic Molecule Built, Smallest Possible 5-Ringed Structure Read More 👉
New research has revealed that it took the Earth over 10 million years to recover from its greatest mass extinction. All life on the planet was nearly wiped out 250 million years ago, only 10 percent of plants and animals survived. It’s currently a matter of debate how quickly life recovered from this massive loss
Earth Took 10 Million Years To Recover From Its Greatest Mass Extinction Read More 👉
NASA Television will air the Venus Transit live, as it occurs, on June 5th 5:30PM EDT, showing the shadow of Venus moving across the surface of the sun. This rare event won’t occur again until 2117. The transit happens when Venus is directly between the Earth and the sun. It will appear as a
Venus Transit Will Be Aired Live From Space By NASA Read More 👉
New dating methods have pushed back the dates of previously found musical instruments, figurative art, and mythical imagery. This makes them the oldest yet found. These human-created objects found in Geißenklösterle Cave in southwest Germany have been dated using new methods designed to remove contamination. The new dating methods have produced ages between 42,000
43,000-Year-Old Musical Instruments Found Read More 👉
Fresh tomatoes are very flavorful, while store-bought ones sometimes don’t taste like much of anything. Why? New research just published in the journal Current Biology answers that question. “We now know exactly what we need to do to fix the broken tomato,” said Harry Klee of the University of Florida. The flavor of a tomato
Why Do Fresh Tomatoes Taste So Much Better Than Store-Bought Ones? Read More 👉
A new forensic approach that links changes deep within a volcano to surface observations has just been described by scientists in a new study published in Science. The research may help develop volcanic prediction of great accuracy. Using chemical analysis the researchers directly linked seismic observations of the Mt. St. Helen’s eruption in 1980
Breakthrough in Volcanic Prediction, Using Magma Crystals Read More 👉
A group of American researchers has created an array of 25,000 invisibility cloaks measuring 30 micrometers in diameter. This array is the first of its kind. It was created by researchers from Towson University and the University of Maryland. The research has just been published in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society’s
Invisibility Cloaks Trap a Rainbow Read More 👉
A new study by the University of York has shown how a butterfly species changed its diet and spread northwards in response to the changing climate. The study found that warmer summers have allowed the Brown Argus Butterfly to complete its lifecycle by using wild Geranium plants, rather than the Rockrose plants they had
Butterflies Moving North with the Changing Climate Read More 👉
Organic carbon molecules, which are molecules containing long chains of carbon and hydrogen, have previously been found on meteorites from Mars, but researchers have disagreed about where they were from and how they were formed. On Earth, these molecules are the building blocks of life. Newly released research strongly suggests that this organic carbon
Organic Carbon in Meteorites is from Mars Read More 👉
A massive tomb containing 80 individuals of differing ages has just been discovered at Pachacamac, which is located on the Pacific coast about 30 km from Lima. Pachacamac is one of the largest Prehispanic sites in South America. The newly discovered tomb there is estimated to be 1000 years old. The discovery was made as
Massive Tomb With More Than 80 Mummies Discovered In Peru Read More 👉
A new solar cell that is cheap, environmentally friendly, and durable has been developed by researchers from Northwestern University. The solar cell is the first to solve the problem of the Grätzel cell, a low-cost, environmentally friendly solar cell that has one significant disadvantage — it leaks and causes corrosion of the solar cell itself.
Solar Power Breakthrough: New Inexpensive, Environmentally Friendly Solar Cell Read More 👉
Every year, the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and a committee of international scientists compile a list of their picks for the top 10 newly described species. The annual top 10 new species list has just been released for 2011. This year’s list includes: a new type of box jelly, a
Top 10 Newly Discovered Species of 2011 Read More 👉
A new sensory organ has been discovered in rorqual whales. The discovery may help explain the great success of their ‘lunge-feeding method’. Rorqual whales are a subgroup of baleen whales that includes blue, fin, minke, and humpback whales. They are known for their enormous size, and an accordion-like layer of blubber extending from their snout
New Sensory Organ Discovered In Rorqual Whales Read More 👉
New research from North Carolina State University has shown the ‘tumbleweed’ Mars rover design to be an effective one. “There is quite a bit of interest within NASA to pursue the tumbleweed rover design, but one of the questions regarding the concept is how it might perform on the rocky surface of Mars,” says Dr.
Wind-Driven Mars 'Tumbleweed' Rover Being Developed Read More 👉
For the first time, researchers have successfully taken skin cells from a heart failure patient and reprogrammed them to be new heart muscle cells that can integrate into the existing heart. The research, just published in the European Heart Journal, will make it possible to treat heart failure by using the patient’s own cells,
Skin Cells Turned into Healthy Heart Muscle in a Patient, for First Time Read More 👉
Researchers at Harvard have found that the accumulation of toxic mercury in the Arctic is being caused both by atmospheric processes and by circumpolar rivers depositing it there. The atmospheric source has been known for some time, but it turns out twice as much mercury is being brought into Arctic ecosystems by the flow
Toxic Mercury Is Accumulating in the Arctic Read More 👉
New research has shown that exposure to commonly used chemicals causes changes in rats that are passed down through multiple generations. “We are now in the third human generation since the start of the chemical revolution, since humans have been exposed to these kinds of toxins,” says David Crews, co-author of the study and
Damage from Chemical Exposure Passed Down for Generations Read More 👉
The oldest pigment ever discovered has been found in 160-million-year-old fossilized giant squid ink sacs. The pigment, melanin, has been found to be nearly identical to the melanin in modern-day cuttlefish. It’s extremely rare to be able to identify an organic compound that is hundreds of millions of years old. These rare finds in
Squid Ink Pigment Found in 160-Million-Year-Old Fossil, Oldest Pigment Ever Found Read More 👉
The Earth’s water cycle is intensifying, leading to more evaporation in dry climates and more rain in wet climates. “A clear change in salinity has been detected in the world’s oceans, signalling shifts and an acceleration in the global rainfall and evaporation cycle.” A new study just published in the journal Science reports changing
Earth's Water Cycle Is Intensifying, Dry Is Getting Drier and Wet Is Getting Wetter Read More 👉
The Lyrid meteor shower that peaked on April 21, 2012, is caught here on film by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. The footage captures the sight of the meteors burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The image above is a screen capture of the video below taken on April 22, 2012 at
Lyrid Meteor Shower Seen from the International Space Station (VIDEO) Read More 👉
SpaceX aborted the launch of its Falcon 9 spaceship at the last second on May 19, right after its computers detected higher-than-it-considered-safe pressure readings in engine 5. The launch was stopped exactly one half second before liftoff. The next launch attempt will likely happen on either May 22nd or 23rd, when there are launch
SpaceX Aborts Falcon 9 Launch Attempt Read More 👉
Summer thunderstorm clouds strengthened by pollution are warming the atmosphere, says a new study by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. The study, just published in Geophysical Research Letters says that anvil-shaped thunderclouds, strengthened by pollution, are spreading out high in the atmosphere and trapping more heat. “Global climate models don’t see
Pollution in Thunderstorms is Warming the Atmosphere Read More 👉
Male songbirds learn their songs by a process of trial and error, singing over and over while making subtle corrections. The male Bengalese finch begins this process at around 40 days old, and finishes around day 90, just as it reaches sexual maturity. To accomplish this, the bird must receive and critically process large
Songbird's Learning Processes Give Insight Into Motor Control of Humans Read More 👉
A powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck northern Italy just after 4am today. The epicenter was about 22 miles north of Bologna. It was felt throughout northern Italy, and aftershocks have been continuing. At least 6 people are reported dead, with at least another 60 reported injured. The same area had previously been struck by a
6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Italy, At Least 6 Dead Read More 👉
A newly discovered exoplanet appears to be evaporating from the heat of its parent star, according to new research by MIT and NASA. The planet appears to be followed by a long trail of debris. The planet is about the size of mercury, and the researchers estimate that it will completely disintegrate within 100-million
Newfound Planet Being Turned to Dust by Its Sun Read More 👉
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are about twice as common as originally thought, according to new research by NASA. PHAs are a subsection of the more common near-Earth asteroids. But they follow an orbit very similar to the Earth’s, coming within five million miles. And they are large enough to survive passing through the Earth’s
Asteroids 'Potentially Hazardous' to the Earth More Common Than Thought Read More 👉
Subtle ecological chains worldwide are being damaged by human influence, leading to significant losses of population in different ecosystems. One of the longest ecological chains ever found has just been discovered in the remote Palmyra Atoll, in the Pacific Ocean. This area is useful to science because there are relatively untouched ecosystems that are
Ecological Chains Worldwide Being Damaged Read More 👉
A prehistoric turtle big enough to eat crocodiles has been discovered in Columbia. The turtle lived about 60 million years ago, and was about the size of a small car. The fossils were discovered in a coal mine in northern Colombia, in 2005. And the turtle has, thus, been named Carbonemys cofrinii, ‘coal turtle’.
Prehistoric Turtle Big Enough to Eat Crocodiles Discovered Read More 👉
Phineas Gage, famous for having a 13-pound, 3-foot-7-inch packing rod blasted through his skull and surviving, is the subject of a new study just published in the journal PLoS ONE. Using brain-imaging data that had been lost to science for a decade, researchers studied the damage that was done to the white matter ‘pathways’
Phineas Gage's Brain Imaged For the First Time Read More 👉
Solar flares 10,000 times stronger than any ever observed on our sun can be released by stars similar to ours, according to new research. Just one solar flare of that magnitude would greatly damage the ozone layer, and cause mass extinctions. The research was done by using NASA’s Kepler Probe to monitor 83,000 sunlike
Super Flares 10,000 Times Stronger Than Any Observed on Our Sun Occur on Similar Stars Read More 👉
The earliest galaxies in the universe, those that formed more than 12 billion years ago, had much higher levels of the heavy elements needed for life, as we know it, than originally thought, according to new research. Accepted theory speculates that for several thousand years after the ‘Big Bang’ that occurred 13.7 billion years ago,
Earliest Galaxies Were More Suitable for Life Than Originally Thought Read More 👉
Manmade pollutants, such as black carbon and tropospheric ozone, are most likely what’s causing the tropical belt expansion northward, a new study says. In the Southern Hemisphere, depletion of stratospheric ozone has previously been shown to be the cause of tropical expansion. But, in the Northern Hemisphere, the main cause appears to be black carbon
Pollution May Be the Cause of Earth's Expanding Tropical Belt Read More 👉
A new study focused on the annual migrations of elephant seals has just been published in the journal PLoS. More than 300 individuals were tracked, using satellite tags measuring a wide range of different data. “This work is unprecedented in terms of the number of animals tracked. For the first time we can truly
Elephant Seals Dive More Than a Mile Deep, New Study Reveals Read More 👉