Considered one of the most famous Neolithic monuments in England, this table-shaped dolmen consists of nine upright large stones that are topped by one massive capstone weighing approximately 28 tons (25 metric tons), according to English Heritage, a charity organization that oversees hundreds of historic sites in England. As early as the 13th century, people … Read more
Earth’s days once got more than two hours longer, thanks to the moon drifting thousands of miles farther away in its orbit over two periods, researchers have discovered. The extra hours of sunlight, in turn, may have led to oxygenation events that ushered in a period when life’s complexity exploded, the study researchers say. “Daylength … Read more
he world’s oceans are home to microscopic organisms invisible to the human eye. The tiny creatures, known as “prokaryotes”, comprise 30% of life in the world’s oceans. These organisms play an important role in keeping the oceans in balance. But new research by myself and colleagues shows this balance is at risk. We found prokaryotes … Read more
Researchers plan to accelerate the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) with a worldwide network of extremely powerful computers — starting with a new supercomputer that came online in September. Artificial intelligence (AI) spans technologies including machine learning and generative AI systems like GPT-4. The latter offer predictive reasoning based on training from a large … Read more
Mars is a planet of vast contrasts — huge volcanoes, deep canyons, and craters that may or may not host running water. It will be an amazing location for future tourists to explore, once we put the first Red Planet colonies into motion. The landing sites for these future missions will likely need to be … Read more
The Moon’s surface is pockmarked with more than 200 known pits where rocks and regolith collapsed into depths unknown. New research has found that one of those pits, in Mare Tranquillitatis, collapsed into a lava tube and made an underground cave conduit accessible from the lunar surface. “We found a sort of front door to … Read more
Microscopic wormholes may be driving the accelerated expansion of the universe, scientists say. These tiny wormholes are constantly being born from the vacuum of space due to subtle quantum effects. If confirmed through experiments and observations, the wormholes could become a valuable source of information on quantum gravity — a theoretical unification of the fundamental … Read more
Scholars have finally deciphered 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets found more than 100 years ago in what is now Iraq. The tablets describe how some lunar eclipses are omens of death, destruction and pestilence. The four clay tablets “represent the oldest examples of compendia of lunar-eclipse omens yet discovered” Andrew George, an emeritus professor of Babylonian at … Read more
It is easy to imagine the moon as an atmosphere-less hunk of rock orbiting Earth. However, while lacking breathable air, our planet’s loyal natural satellite companion does have a thin and wispy atmosphere. Scientists have long puzzled over the existence of this tenuous atmosphere or “exosphere” and have searched for the main process that sustains … Read more
The Milky Way is just a speck in a universe filled with an untold number of galaxies. But if we had to take an educated guess, how many galaxies are in the universe? That sounds like a simple question, but it’s anything but. The first problem is that even with our most powerful telescopes, we … Read more
