Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people

— Carl Sagan

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Updated: 13 hours 43 min ago

Genetically modified golden rice may yet succeed in the Philippines

Mon, 04/29/2024 - 9:00am
A court in the Philippines revoked the permit to grow rice genetically modified to boost vitamin A, but the government is expected to appeal against the decision
Categories: Astronomy

Toxic chemicals from car tyres can get into soil and contaminate food

Mon, 04/29/2024 - 8:00am
Governments need to take action to protect people from potentially toxic additives in tyre rubber, say researchers after finding they can get into food from contaminated soil
Categories: Astronomy

AI that determines risk of death helps save lives in hospital trial

Mon, 04/29/2024 - 6:00am
An AI trained on the heart's electrical activity alerted physicians about patients at high risk of dying, significantly reducing deaths in a clinical trial with almost 16,000 patients at two hospitals
Categories: Astronomy

Image-generating AI creates uncanny optical illusions

Mon, 04/29/2024 - 2:00am
Generative AI models designed to create images from text can be adapted to construct complex optical illusions - pictures that look like different things when viewed from far away or with motion blur
Categories: Astronomy

How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 6:11pm
As the US grapples with an ongoing bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle, the country’s health agencies are ramping up surveillance efforts and working to develop a vaccine if needed
Categories: Astronomy

Bowhead whales still harmed from whaling that ended a century ago

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 6:00pm
Commercial bowhead whaling ended in the early 20th century, but the industry’s lasting effects on the whales’ genetic diversity are leading to declines again
Categories: Astronomy

5 extraordinary ideas about the mind and what it means to be conscious

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 12:00pm
To celebrate the launch of our new event series in the US, kicking off with a masterclass on the brain and consciousness, we have unlocked five incredible long reads
Categories: Astronomy

Rare mutation that causes short stature may shed light on ageing

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 12:00pm
The genetic variant, which causes people to be insensitive to growth hormone, may also protect people from heart disease
Categories: Astronomy

Alpacas are the only mammals known to directly inseminate the uterus

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 11:00am
When alpacas mate, males deposit sperm directly into the uterus, a reproductive strategy not confirmed in any other mammals
Categories: Astronomy

Asteroid that broke up over Berlin was fastest-spinning one ever seen

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 9:00am
Before it shattered over Germany, the asteroid 2024 BX1 was clocked rotating once every 2.6 seconds – the fastest spin we have observed
Categories: Astronomy

Global warming could make tides higher as well as raising sea levels

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 7:00am
In addition to the overall rise in sea level, the heights of tides are also changing as the oceans warm and separate into more distinct layers
Categories: Astronomy

Deepfake politicians may have a big influence on India’s elections

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 4:00am
Political campaigns are deploying AI-generated deepfake versions of politicians to reach hundreds of millions of eligible voters in India’s 2024 election – the world’s largest ever
Categories: Astronomy

Two medicines for opioid addiction also help with compulsive gambling

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 2:00am
The medicines nalmefene and naltrexone helped compulsive gamblers reduce their betting activities, trials have shown
Categories: Astronomy

Swarm of nanorobots can remove tiny plastic fragments from water

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 6:00pm
In just 2 hours, small metal robots can capture most nanoscopic plastic particles from a sample of water
Categories: Astronomy

Wasps use face-recognition brain cells to identify each other

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 4:57pm
The neurons in wasp brains that help them recognise hive mates are similar to those in the brains of primates, including humans
Categories: Astronomy

Supermassive black holes may provide a nursery for mini ones to grow

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 4:00pm
The supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies may capture smaller black holes. Not only does this prove a place for the small black holes to grow, it also makes the supermassive ones look even bigger and brighter
Categories: Astronomy

Birthplace of red asteroid Kamo‘oalewa pinned to specific moon crater

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 2:00pm
The redness of asteroid 469219 Kamo‘oalewa marks it out as probably originating on the moon, and now we might know the exact impact crater it was launched from
Categories: Astronomy

Rat neuron injection lets mice that can’t smell sniff out cookies

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 12:00pm
Mice that had been genetically modified to lack the ability to smell could sniff out hidden cookies when sensory neurons from rats were grown in their brains
Categories: Astronomy

Modern rose hybrids have a worrying lack of genetic diversity

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 10:00am
Intensive breeding since the 19th century has created thousands of varieties of rose, but a reduction in genetic diversity could leave them vulnerable to diseases and climate change
Categories: Astronomy

Brain activity seems to be more complex in baby girls than boys

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 8:00am
When fetuses and babies were exposed to sound stimuli, their brains' subsequent activity appeared to be more complicated in the females than the males
Categories: Astronomy