Oh, would it not be absurd if there was no objective state?
What if the unobserved always waits, insubstantial,
till our eyes give it shape?

— Peter Hammill

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Run, Lucy, Run! Human Ancestors Could Jog but Not Very Far or Fast

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 1:00pm

3D models of Australopithecus afarensis hint at the muscular adaptations that made modern humans better runners

Categories: Astronomy

Ancient Moon Melt Event May Explain 150-Million-Year Gap in Age Estimates

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 10:30am

The moon may have melted 4.35 billion years ago—explaining a lunar age mystery

Categories: Astronomy

Bird Flu Has Spread Out of Control after Mistakes by U.S. Government and Industry

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 10:00am

As the bird flu virus moved into cows and people, sluggish federal action, deference to industry and neglect for worker safety put the country at risk

Categories: Astronomy

Tech Stereotypes Discourage Girls from Computing and Engineering as Early as Age 6

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 9:00am

Early cultural exposure can influence kids’ ideas about gender and STEM in significant ways

Categories: Astronomy

What Gives Christmas Trees Their Crisp, Cozy Scent?

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 8:00am

Learn which molecules are responsible for giving Christmas trees their distinct, crisp-yet-spicy scent

Categories: Astronomy

The Winter Solstice Is Here. How Dark Days Affect the Human Body

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 7:30am

The winter solstice is the culmination of a period every year when each cell in our body literally craves more light

Categories: Astronomy

The Human Brainwaves Centennial Exposes a Darker Science History

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 7:00am

The centennial of the discovery of brain waves in humans exposes a chilling tale involving Nazis, war between Russia and Ukraine, suicide and the vicissitudes of history

Categories: Astronomy

How Do We Name the Stars?

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 6:45am

With billions of stars in the Milky Way, some nomenclature standardization is necessary

Categories: Astronomy

Conservation Efforts Save Pandas, Wolves and Panthers from Extinction

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 6:00am

There are so many species facing extinction—but today we’re telling stories about the animals making a comeback and the conservationists working hard to help.

Categories: Astronomy

This Year’s Nobel Prizes Are a Warning about AI

Fri, 12/20/2024 - 5:30am

Unless we pursue AI carefully, the Nobel committee will one day give a Peace Prize to the people cleaning up its terrible consequences, just as it did with nuclear physics

Categories: Astronomy

The UnitedHealthcare Tragedy Is Why Insurance Needs to Change Now

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 3:00pm

I am a trauma surgeon and gunshot survivor who has experienced byzantine health insurance coverage firsthand. I understand why people are furious

Categories: Astronomy

Biden Pledges Huge Climate Emissions Cuts He Can’t Enforce. Here’s Why It Still Matters

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 12:30pm

President Biden strengthened the U.S.’s commitment to slash climate pollution under the Paris Agreement knowing that President-elect Donald Trump could abandon it, but states and cities could still use it as a guide

Categories: Astronomy

Trump’s Pick for NIH Director Could Harm Science and People's Health

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 12:00pm

With a possible bird flu outbreak looming, Donald Trump’s choice of Jay Bhattacharya, a scientist critical of COVID policies, for the NIH is the wrong move for science and public health

Categories: Astronomy

How Dartmouth’s Sexual Harassment Scandal Transformed the Lives of These Women in Science

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 11:00am

In 2017, a group of students at Dartmouth College filed a lawsuit that revealed an entrenched culture of power and abuse, and in doing so, they sparked a wider conversation about sexual violence in science.

Categories: Astronomy

Most Expensive Dinosaur Fossil Ever Could Reveal Stegosaurus Secrets

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 10:00am

The huge Stegosaurus fossil Apex, bought at auction for $44.6 million, has debuted on loan at the American Museum of Natural History

Categories: Astronomy

Earth Life Found inside Ryugu Asteroid Samples

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 9:00am

Material from asteroid Ryugu riddled with earthly microbes provides a cautionary tale for scientists seeking signs of alien life

Categories: Astronomy

Mysterious Constant that Makes Mathematicians Despair

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 8:00am

The proof that the Apéry constant is irrational remains one of the most bizarre events in the history of mathematics

Categories: Astronomy

Genetic Testing Is a Gift. But It Shouldn’t be a Present

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 7:00am

Think Twice before Giving Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Kits to Friends and Loved Ones

Categories: Astronomy

9 Space Images from NASA and Beyond That Stunned in 2024

Thu, 12/19/2024 - 6:30am

See the year’s most striking images from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, NASA’s Mars rover and the best sky watching on offer

Categories: Astronomy

U.S. Has First Case of Severe Bird Flu, CDC Confirms in H5N1 Update

Wed, 12/18/2024 - 5:30pm

Louisiana reported a person hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1, and the USDA has begun bulk milk testing

Categories: Astronomy