Science
Scientific discoveries and research
A light-controlled 'muscle' could give synthetic cells a new way to move
Engineers interested in creating artificial cells to deliver drugs to unhealthy parts of the body face a key challenge: for a cell-like system to move, change s...
Archaeologists have discovered 12,000‑year‑old dice. Here's what they reveal about the history of play
Humans have always been playful. But for much of our history, play has left little trace. Unlike tools or bones, games rarely preserve and the fleeting pleasure...
Wafer-scale 2D magnetic films emerge thanks to a new low-defect growth technique
In a major advance, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have devised a method to grow high-quality 2D magnetic materials (2D-MMs) over centime...
'Protected' seagrass meadows aren't necessarily healthy, because pollution doesn't stop at the shoreline
I spent last summer wading through seagrass meadows across Northern Ireland, from the sheltered waters of Strangford Lough to the exposed coast at Waterfoot Bay...
Sulfur-rich Mercury magmas behave differently than Earth's do
Mercury is a small, rocky planet about which researchers know relatively little. Two missions, taking readings as they passed over the planet, have revealed tha...
Moroccan dinosaur's fearsome tail spikes evolved much earlier than we thought—new discovery
In the heart of the Middle Atlas Mountains in central Morocco, a global team of paleontologists and geologists has discovered new remains of a very unusual dino...
How tiny voids could make fusion targets more stable under powerful shockwaves
Picture two materials sandwiched together. The boundary between them may appear flat, but, in reality, it is full of tiny bumps and dents. Suddenly, the materia...
Why anatomy's naughtiest mnemonics work so well
Some lovers try positions that they can't handle—I'm referring to the bones of the wrist, of course. The phrase is a classic mnemonic used to remember the eight...
These blazing blue explosions may be born when a compact dead star slams into a Wolf-Rayet star
Luminous fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs) are among the universe's brightest and fastest explosions but their origin is not completely understood. A new st...
Theoretical models of supernova chemistry overhauled after X-ray data from Perseus Cluster reveal key discrepancies
The Perseus Cluster is a massive galaxy cluster located in the constellation Perseus. It is one of the largest structures in the observable universe, comprising...
Your local fishing hole is getting browner, changing which fish species thrive and which ones struggle
The lakes, streams, and ponds you've visited for years are likely looking more brown than they used to. And people who are fishing those waters are likely catch...
Hollow-sphere catalyst enables greener production of 99% pure propane at room temperature
The world's appetite for propene (propylene) is growing faster than the chemical industry can keep up. This petrochemical product powers the production of acryl...