On Earth, a compass can be a vital tool. Compasses have provided a constant point of reference for humans for over 800 years, enabling us to successfully navigate to the far reaches of the planet. But our species has started to journey farther, into the cold abyss of space. Is the compass still useful outside … Read more
An advanced alien civilization may want to cruise around the galaxy, and the best way to do that is by steering their binary star system, a researcher proposes in a new paper. Long-lived civilizations may have many motivations for wanting to move somewhere else in the galaxy. They may need to escape an impending supernova, … Read more
If you’ve ever seen yourself through a thermal imaging camera, you’ll know that your body produces lots of heat. This is in fact a waste product of our metabolism. Every square foot of the human body gives off heat equivalent to about 19 matches per hour. Unfortunately, much of this heat simply escapes into the … Read more
Earth’s total fresh water has plummeted to an alarming new low, and it could be a sign that climate change is pushing the world into a dangerous phase of global drying, according to a new study. Since 2015, our planet’s lakes, rivers and aquifers have lost 290 cubic miles (1,200 cubic km) of fresh water, … Read more
The first analysis of lava samples from the moon’s far side reveals that volcanoes were erupting there 2.8 billion years ago. The moon is tidally locked with Earth, meaning the same side always faces our planet. The far side is less explored than the near side. Only two landers, both from China, have made it … Read more
In an early-stage clinical trial, scientists used designer immune cells to “reboot” the immune systems of patients with various autoimmune diseases. The trial used a form of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, which has become a mainstay treatment for blood cancers, like leukemia. Only a few patients were included in this initial trial, … Read more
In the 2016 science fiction movie Arrival, a linguist is faced with the daunting task of deciphering an alien language consisting of palindromic phrases, which read the same backwards as they do forwards, written with circular symbols. As she discovers various clues, different nations around the world interpret the messages differently — with some assuming … Read more
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) poses questions not just for technology and the expanded plethora of possibilities it brings, but for morality, ethics and philosophy too. Ushering in this new technology carries implications for health, law, the military, the nature of work, politics and even our own identities — what makes us human and … Read more
Tardigrades, the ubiquitous microscopic animals that resemble gummy bears with eight legs, are renowned for their ability to survive some of the harshest environmental conditions for decades without food and water. These hardy animals can easily endure levels of radiation that would be lethal to most other forms of life, extreme temperatures and even survive … Read more
Last October, an asteroid impacted Earth’s atmosphere just hours after being detected — somehow, it managed to circumvent impact monitoring systems during its approach to our planet. However, on the bright side, the object measured just 3 feet (1 meter) in diameter and posed very little threat to anything on Earth’s surface. This asteroid, designated … Read more
