Science
Scientific discoveries and research
A new way to 'cage' plutonium
Plutonium (Pu) exhibits one of the most diverse and complex chemistries of any element in the periodic table. Since its discovery in 1940, scientists have synth...
The radical propulsion needed to catch the solar gravitational lens
Sending a mission to the solar gravitational lens (SGL) is the most effective way of actually directly imaging a potentially habitable planet, as well as its at...
Freshwater ecosystems could play a critical role in climate resilience
A major new international review co-authored by Professor Gemma Harvey, Professor of Physical Geography in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science...
Strike against mask wearing in 1930s echoed COVID-19 protests, study finds
New research from The University of Manchester has shown that debates and resistance about wearing face masks go back a lot further than the COVID-19 pandemic....
Not all gigs are equal: Informal self-employment linked to lower pay, poorer health and instability
Not all self-employment guarantees financial security, with informal arrangements posing the greatest risks to well-being for many workers. Using machine learni...
UK winters grow wetter as greenhouse gases rise, research reveals
UK winters are becoming significantly wetter mainly due to warming driven by human burning of fossil fuels releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, a New...
Tiny marine animal reveals bacterial origin of animal defense mechanisms
Marine animals, such as the extremely simple flatworm Trichoplax, are ideal model organisms for studying the early evolutionary origins of animal life processes...
Not like other rats: Getting to know the rakali
It's been a good few months in the press for the rakali (known as moytj in Noongar)—Australia's native water rat. These long-whiskered rodents finally received...
Ammonia leaks can be spotted in under two seconds using new alveoli-inspired droplet sensor
Researchers from Guangxi University, China have developed a new gas sensor that detects ammonia with a record speed of 1.4 seconds. The sensor's design mimics t...
7,000-year-old deer antler headdress from Eilsleben illustrates contact between hunter–gatherers and early farmers
Central Germany is among the regions where, as early as the mid-6th millennium BC, farmers displaced the Mesolithic hunter–gatherers from the fertile loess soil...
Keeping an eagle eye on carbon stored in the ocean
Geologic reservoirs that trapped petroleum for millions of years are now being repurposed to store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. New research is improving...
New experiments suggest Earth's core contains up to 45 oceans' worth of hydrogen
Scientists have long known that Earth's core is mostly made of iron, but the density is not high enough for it to be pure iron, meaning lighter elements exist i...