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A team of US and Korean researchers has developed a 3D-printing ink that makes easy-to-recycle structures without the need for any heat or light. The ink, made from a polymer, solidifies on contact with salt and dissolves back into re-usable ink on contact with fresh water. The researchers say their ink could be useful for […]

A fossil of a larva which lived more than half a billion years ago might shed light on the earliest ancestors of modern insects, spiders, crabs and centipedes. Named Youti yuanshi, the fossil is described in a new paper published in Nature. Y. yuanshi lived during the Cambrian period (539–485 million years ago). The 1-millimetre-long […]

Engineers have found a way to turn phosphorus from city wastewater into parts for lithium-ion batteries. The Chinese researchers say that their method could be used to supply 35% of the phosphorus demand for their national lithium-ion battery industry. They’ve published their findings in Engineering. Phosphorus is a common component in the cathodes of lithium-ion […]

In the Vestfold Hills of Antarctica, a few kilometres away from Australia’s southernmost research station, lies a lake filled with mysterious microorganisms. Named Deep Lake, the water is so salty that it stays liquid even though its temperature dips to -20°C in winter. This makes it an ideal breeding ground for archaea, the single-celled organisms […]

Newly discovered semiconductor nanocrystals could be used to develop highly efficient light-emitting devices and lasers. The nanocrystals are described in a new paper published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano. Nanocrystals are often used in devices such as lasers or light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These are mainstays of modern technology, so finding more efficient […]

As if immune cells weren’t already weird enough, researchers studying allergic responses in mice have spotted something completely unexpected: immune cells nestled inside each other like Matryoshka dolls. Lead researcher Tim Lämmermann, director of the Institute of Medical Biochemistry at the University of Münster, Germany, says the phenomenon was completely unexpected. “We could hardly believe […]

The Moon is covered in a barely-there layer of atoms known as an “exosphere.” These atoms, bound tenuously to the Moon by gravity, bounce around on the surface before either returning permanently to it or escaping to space. It is nothing compared to Earth’s 600km-thick, life-sustaining atmosphere. New analysis of lunar soil samples has finally […]

The extinction event at the end of the “Age of Dinosaurs” saw a rapid evolution of bird genomes, according to a new study. At the end of the Cretaceous period, 66 million years ago, an asteroid crashed into Earth, triggering the mass extinction. Almost all animals weighing more than 25kg were wiped out. This included […]

After almost 800 years of peace and quiet, a new eruption period began on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula on 19 March 2021. Lava analysis reveals that magma pooled in the Earth’s crust before the eruptions began. The finding disproves the initial hypothesis that magma rose directly from the mantle and may be an important feature for […]

The so-called “Screaming Woman”, a 3,500-year-old mummified corpse from Egypt, has been “virtually dissected” to reveal how she got the expression which became her name. It was previously thought that her open mouth and presence of organs – normally removed during mummification – was the result of careless embalmers. But the new analysis, published in […]

While climate change remains the biggest threat, poor water quality continues to exacerbate its impact on the Great Barrier Reef, according to a new report. A body of 200 experts, using 4,000 publications’ worth of evidence, has collated the review on the water quality of the Great Barrier Reef. The review, called the 2022 Scientific […]

Thorns – technically termed prickles – are a common feature on many drastically different plants. So how have they evolved? The answer to this question is part of an evolutionary puzzle that has been perplexing biologists for decades. Now, thanks to a new study published in Science, researchers are one step closer to solving the […]

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that affects motor neurons – the nerve cells which govern voluntary movement. Though exceedingly rare, some people undergo an “ALS reversal” in which they initially meet the diagnostic criteria for the disease but then experience a partial or full clinical recovery. Now, researchers have identified the genetic […]

New analysis of New Zealand fossils first uncovered in 1987 shows how penguin wings evolved. The wing fragments were found near the town of Duntroon on New Zealand’s South Island, nearly 1,000km southwest of the Auckland. The fossils come from a species called Pakudyptes hakataramea. It lived during the late Oligocene (34–23 million years ago). […]

Researchers have figured out exactly how a beetle springs its wings open – and have used the mechanism to make a tiny flying robot. The Swiss and Korean team has published their findings in Nature. The rhinoceros beetle (Allomyrina dichotoma), like many flying creatures, can tuck its wings neatly into its body when it’s not […]

In 2012, physicists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) announced the discovery of the Higgs boson, sometimes referred to as the “God particle”. The Higgs boson was the last piece of the puzzle in the Standard Model of Particle Physics which describes the known phenomena in the universe. The particle was first theorised in 1964 […]

If the art of knitting wasn’t mind-boggling enough, researchers have designed a prototype machine that can knit in 3 dimensions. They’ve called the new fabrication technique “solid knitting” and have the aim of one day producing a machine capable of knitting furniture. The technique works by building up knitted layer by knitted layer in a […]

For the first time, images and data directly been gathered showing exactly what happens when a shark collides with a boat. In fact, the researchers believe it is the first video of any large marine animal being struck by a boat. The information could help scientists learn more about the impact of vessel strikes on […]

UK and Polish scientists have identified a new microscopic wood structure which fits into neither the hardwood nor softwood category. The wood, which belongs to trees in the Liriodendron genus, could be a particularly powerful absorber of carbon dioxide. The study is published in New Phytologist. There are 2 living Liriodendron species: the tulip tree […]

Observations from NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft, which successfully struck and redirected the asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022, have revealed new insights into the Didymos binary asteroid system. The findings, which include the estimated ages of the asteroid Didymos and its orbiting moonlet Dimorphos (about 12.5 million years and less than 300 thousand […]

Ever had to take part in a work team-building exercise? Found the newspaper tower or human knot a little tiresome? Consider yourself lucky the exercise wasn’t stinging each other with nettles to test different remedies. That was the pursuit of a group of emergency department doctors at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. From the judicious […]

An oncoming geomagnetic storm predicted to hit Earth in the next 24 hours is expected to produce significant geomagnetic activity and potentially visible auroras in some parts of Australia tonight. “Since Saturday morning, both solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – eruptions of solar material out into space – have been observed,” says Bret […]

Painkillers, also known as analgesics, are medications designed to alleviate pain without causing a loss of consciousness. They work by interacting with the body’s nervous system to either block or alter the perception of pain. The effectiveness and potential for addiction vary significantly among different types of painkillers, which can be broadly categorized into non-opioid […]

An analysis of 8.2 million scientists’ digital records has revealed high levels of inequality, where a small group enjoys most of the academic output. The researchers, from German, Canadian and Spanish institutions, found that this stratification appears around the world and in every major scientific field. The study is published in Humanities and Social Sciences […]