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Scientists have gone back over data to see that NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft’s flyby of Uranus occurred under rare planetary conditions which made it hard to probe. The flyby occurred in 1986 and still provides much of the scientific understanding of the gas planet. The new paper published in Nature Astronomy suggests that Voyager 2 […]

As the world struggles with climate change and the need for sustainable energy, the push for renewable energy and storage has become urgent. Solar energy, though abundant, faces the challenge of intermittent supply. Innovative energy storage systems are essential to address this challenge. While battery energy storage is widely used, a promising alternative — Gravity […]

A bond between a carbon atom and a hydrogen atom is a special thing. Very strong, and therefore highly inert, it’s very difficult to interfere with. The carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond features in almost all biological molecules, padding them from unwanted reactions. But breaking the C-H bond can open up many new avenues in synthetic chemistry.. […]

Many animals today use bright colour displays as a means of attracting potential mates or to warn off would-be predators. The classic case of sexual selection using colour signalling is found in peacocks which proudly show off their vibrant tails to attract peahens for courtship. Bright colours are also displayed by toxic species including venomous […]

We have long known why plants grow flowers – to encourage pollination. But what prompts a flower to shrivel up, once it’s done its job? While there have been plenty of theories, the reason has not – until now – ever been directly tested. But some experiments on colourful Christmas bells (Blandfordia grandiflora) have finally […]

Private jets are emitting millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide each year – and the number is growing dramatically, according to a new study. The study, published in Communications Earth and Environment, finds a 46% increase in emissions from the private jet industry between 2019 and 2023. In 2023, the industry emitted at least 15.6 […]

Astronomers believe they have narrowed down the search for the origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs) to massive star-forming galaxies. Since the first FRB was detected in 2007, hundreds have been spotted. The observations all involve extremely energetic pulses of radio-frequency light which can travel across the universe. Evidence is mounting that the source of […]

In 1980, Mount St Helens erupted in the western USA, killing 57 people and destroying 350km2 of forest. In 1983, scientists captured 2 wild gophers, and put each of them on a small, fenced enclosure on the ruined volcanic plain. They let the gophers dig for 24 hours, then removed them. According to a new […]

Scientists have examined how honeybees build symmetrical nests, relating the process to how mirrored patterns emerge in biology such as human faces and bodies. Many multicellular organisms possess an outward appearance which is symmetrical. Some are very obviously asymmetrical. Of course, this symmetry is not perfect – in fact if you look at a perfectly […]

Researchers may have solved the centuries-old mystery of how plesiosaurs swam by constructing a robot to test the biomechanics of the extinct creatures. Plesiosaurs are marine reptiles, not dinosaurs, though they did live at the same time as the dinosaurs. The creatures died out during the mass extinction event 66 million years ago which spelled […]

It’s a fact of life: if you bath a dog, it will inevitably shake the water off all over you. Now, a new study has revealed the underlying neural mechanism that triggers the “wet dog shakes” reflex seen among dogs and many other hairy mammals. “Wet dog shakes are an evolutionarily conserved behaviour observed across […]

Does having eyes on you change how well you perform a task? If so, you’re not alone because new research has found the same for chimpanzees. The study in the journal iScience has found chimps’ cognitive performance can be influenced by the presence of audience members. The study analysed data from 6 captive chimps that […]

Sedimentary mineral deposits analysed by the Chinese Zhurong Mars rover appear to have been left by an ancient sea 3.5 billion years ago. Evidence is piling up that ancient Mars was a wet world – at least temporarily. Zhurong’s findings supporting this theory are published in the journal Scientific Reports. The rover landed on Mars […]

A chemical produced by the fungus Cordyceps militaris has been widely researched as a potential cancer medicine. Commonly known as the caterpillar fungus, C. militaris forms 1-8cm club-shaped fruiting bodies which grow out of dead underground caterpillar pupae. A new study has finally confirmed that the chemical behind its therapeutic effects, cordycepin, works by interrupting […]

Researchers studying how the brain responds to watching movies are now able to show it’s anything but a mindless way to wind down at the end of a busy week. Scientists mapped the brains of participants who watched clips from cinematic favourites like Inception (2010), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Home Alone (1990) to […]

A series of experiments has shown that neurons are not the only brain cells involved in memory recall. The study, published in Nature, could inform research into diseases of memory loss, like Alzheimer’s, as well as diseases where memories cannot be suppressed, like post-traumatic stress disorder. The brain’s remarkable adaptability, or plasticity, allows us to […]

Nations are not doing enough to address the rising impacts of climate change the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) latest Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come hell and high water has found. The report recommends a dramatic scale up of adaptation efforts this decade, starting with a commitment to act on finance at COP29. Global average […]

The DNA of people killed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius at Pompeii has turned traditional ideas of the victims’ identities and relationships on their head. Located just outside of modern-day Naples, Italy, the Roman town of Pompeii was buried under volcanic material in 79 CE. The ash, which compacted around the bodies of many […]

Frogs are thriving in the area around the destroyed Chornobyl Nuclear Plant, with radiation levels causing negligible effects on their health. More than 30 years after the disaster, researchers have found Eastern tree frogs (Hyla orientalis) collected in and around the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone show only minor differences in health markers. The study is published […]

Scientists have found the first geochemical evidence of the slushy planet – the period when high carbon dioxide levels led to rapid melting after “snowball Earth”. More than 700 million years ago, ice covered our planet even reaching the equator. This snowball phase lasted nearly 70 million years, known as the Sturtian glaciation (717–660 million […]

As part of the Ultramarine project we are diving into our archives and republishing some paid content for free. Compact and easily overlooked, bar-tailed godwits make the longest known nonstop flight of any animal on Earth. In the June 2023 Cosmos Print Magazine, Drew Rooke reported on the research that led to the amazing feat’s discovery […]

An Australian researcher has been awarded $60,000 to build more complex models of the human lung, with the hope to discover new therapies for respiratory diseases. Dr Rhiannon Werder, team leader at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), was awarded the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia’s 2024 Metcalf Prize for her work using stem […]

A common mineral and earthquake and avalanche statistics can be used to measure the impact of hostile environmental events on materials. Such studies would provide important information about the degradation and failure of materials used for advanced solar panels, geological carbon capture and infrastructure such as buildings, roads and bridges. Muscovite is the most common […]

New research describes how sheets of carbon dioxide ice protected rivers of water flowing into a lake the size of the Mediterranean Sea on ancient Mars. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets explains how an icy, cold Mars could have had flowing water more than 3 billion years ago. “This model […]

With an experimental setup worthy of a reality game show, scientists put the balance of healthy mice to the test and discovered new insights into how they use their tails. The results could inform research into neurogenerative diseases in humans despite our tail-lessness. Laboratory mice (Mus musculus) provide valuable models for human health and disease […]

Larvae of the mosquito responsible for spreading diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika grow faster when exposed to a certain kind of bacteria, according to new research in the Journal of Applied Microbiology. The finding has important implications for improving programmes to control mosquito populations some of which involve the breeding and mass […]

Two new studies published in the past week have presented new tools to help cities across the globe adapt to the increasing threat of dangerous heat. The first, published in the journal Proceedings of the of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), offers a tool to determine how the cooling efficiency of tree cover varies […]

Researchers have found a way to turn CO2 into ethanol, using cobalt and copper. The method, which works at a lab scale, is another potential way to use carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere and industrial processes – although capturing that carbon is still a difficult task. The team has published their discovery in ACS […]

Archaeologists have identified the precursors of writing in the designs of ancient seals dating back about 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Proto-cuneiform is one of the earliest written languages, developed at the end of the fourth millennium BCE in the influential Mesopotamian city of Uruk, located in what is now southern Iraq. The script consists […]

Researchers have made a material capable of cooling substances down to -253°C – enough to liquefy hydrogen – using magnets. They say their research, published in Nature Communications, could provide a cheaper and more sustainable way to supercool hydrogen fuel for storage and transport. The researchers tapped into the “magnetocaloric effect”: applying magnetic fields to […]

As part of the Ultramarine project we are republishing some paid content for free. This long read was originally published in issue 99 of Cosmos print magazine, in July 2023. You can read more amazing long reads if you subscribe now. Compact and easily overlooked, bar-tailed godwits make the longest known nonstop flight of any animal on Earth. Drew […]

Shrub cover across southeastern Australia halved after the arrival of Indigenous populations, according to a new study. The study, published in Science, attributes the change to cultural burning practices, suggesting that these changes reduced the risk of high-intensity bushfires. Shrubs, which fill out the middle layer of a forest between grasses and trees, can be […]

Following months of campaigning ahead of the US election, political scientists are suggesting that professional campaigners may not be getting the results they expect. A study published in PNAS showsAmerican political staffers and professionals are no better than laypeople at spotting the efficacy of a political message. The researchers also found that neither group could […]

Scientists have observed an “association” between the use of 22 pesticides and prostate cancer incidents in the US, 4 of which were also potentially linked to prostate cancer mortality. The research is published in the journal Cancer and comes as debate about the safety of the use of the herbicide paraquat heats up in Australia. […]

The 12-million-year-old fossil of an extinct, giant, carnivorous bird found in Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert could be the largest member of its kind. But it was probably killed by something much bigger. Ancient South America was home to a group of birds known as “terror birds”. These ferocious, feathered hunters belong to the phorusrhacid (FOR-us-RAH-kid) family. […]

Chemistry is littered with rules that, on closer inspection, are alarmingly brittle. Researchers are calling for a 100-year-old rule to be thrown out, after they’ve made molecules that defy it. They’ve published their finding in Science. “We shouldn’t have rules like this – or if we have them, they should only exist with the constant […]

Holding a hallowed place at the top of search engine results, Wikipedia has become a profound influence on the information age. With articles written and edited by millions of volunteers around the world, it’s been hailed as “the last best place on the Internet”, and is often the first port of call for anyone learning […]

People forced to hunker down in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic have retained many of those habits – which might change the face of our cities and urban spaces. In 2023, people in the US spent about 51 minutes less time on activities outside of the house compared to before the pandemic, a new […]

An estimated 65 million people live with long COVID, many of whom experience cardiovascular issues such as chest pain and heart palpitations. A small new Australian study suggests chronic inflammation could explain these symptoms. Long COVID, also known as post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (PASC), is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as […]

A new report from a commission established by The Lancet Public Health reveals for the first time the global scale of the problem of gambling and its consequences, which are growing rapidly across the world. The Lancet shows harms of gambling are much more extensive than previously thought, with about 80 million people worldwide suffering from gambling disorder, and […]

In a week of macabre astronomy including a new study of the “dark wolf nebula”, more ghoulish observations have been reported. A pair of galaxies dubbed “blood-soaked eyes” has been analysed by NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes to better understand the physics of the colliding galaxies and their rapid star formation. The pair […]

New research has revealed the impact of climate change on a region of East Africa, with average monthly minimum temperatures increasing by more than 5°C, frequent droughts, and erratic wet conditions. The changing climate will impact on tourism, biodiversity and human habitability. Interactions between climate change and oceanic and atmospheric oscillations have impacted weather patterns […]

The world is striving to reach net-zero emissions as we try to ward off dangerous global warming. But will getting to net-zero actually avert climate instability, as many assume? Our new study examined that question. Alarmingly, we found reaching net-zero in the next few decades will not bring an immediate end to the global heating […]

Like all domesticated animals, cattle are descendants of wild animals which have changed genetically over thousands of years. New research published in Nature sheds light on the complex history of modern cows by analysing the DNA of their ancient ancestor the aurochs. Aurochs (Bos primigenius) once roamed all over Asia, Europe and northern Africa. They […]

Significant acceleration in the upper-ocean circulation of the equatorial Pacific Ocean over the past 30 years is impacting global weather patterns, according to a new study. The acceleration is driven by strengthening atmospheric winds. The oceanic currents are becoming stronger and shallower. Among the effects are increased frequency and intensity of El Niño and La […]

Can monkeys randomly hitting keys on a typewriter type out the complete works of Shakespeare? Alas, it is not to be. This is according to a statistical study published in the journal Franklin Open by 2 researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The Infinite Monkey Theorem is a thought experiment used to explain […]

Timelapse showing reverse development in a lobectomized individual of M. leidyi. Credit: Soto-Angel and Burkhardt (2024), PNAS, “Reverse development in the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi“. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2411499121 Who knew you could be jealous of a comb jelly? Thats right, scientists have discovered that a ctenophore, also known as a comb jelly, can age in reverse. This alternate […]

The minimum age of criminal responsibility has become a hot-button issue in state and territory politics. But how well do people actually understand it? According to a West Australian study, the answer is “poorly”. The study, published in The International Journal of Human Rights, draws on interviews from 69 members of the West Australian public. […]

Giant clams (Tridacna gigas), found in the waters around Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands, have been declared critically endangered according to a new assessment. Its overall population has fallen 84% in the past century. Another 11 related giant clam species also had their statuses updated. The evaluation is based on research led by Ruiqi […]

A new quantum device might help discover new, complex materials that can be used to design high-performance electronics. Next generation electronics will be made using faster, more powerful and more energy efficient materials. This includes semiconductors, insulators and superconductors. Findings such new materials can be laborious. Scientists spend a lot of time, energy and resources […]