It sounds like science fiction: a spacecraft, no heavier than a paperclip, propelled by a laser beam and hurtling through space at the speed of light toward a black hole, on a mission to probe the very fabric of space and time and test the laws of physics. But to astrophysicist and black hole expert…
Watch: Large fireball seen shooting across sky over Southeastern US A meteorite that crashed into a home in the US is older than planet Earth, scientists have said. The object flew through the skies in broad daylight before exploding across the state of Georgia on 26 June, Nasa confirmed. Researchers at the University of Georgia…
Artistic concept of what the gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A could look like ESA/Webb Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC) A giant planet the size of Saturn orbiting a sun-like star has potentially been identified in our nearest neighbouring stellar system, Alpha Centauri. At just four light years from Earth, Alpha Centauri…
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Cage fungus Alison Pouliot “I’ve been hanging around fungi for more than 30 years now, working more at the scientific end. But this time I wanted to really explore the aesthetics of fungi,” says photographer, writer and ecologist Alison Pouliot. “Many of them are aesthetically beautiful. But they are also bizarre, unusual and crazy. I…
Honeybees routinely battle infectious fungi, bacteria, mites and viruses Anthony Brown/Alamy Two seemingly innocuous viral infections in adult honeybees may be secretly insidious, meddling with the insects’ airborne athletics. One virus makes them fly faster, while the other pumps the brakes. Honeybees routinely battle infectious fungi, bacteria, mites and viruses – some of which can…
A Hubble Space Telescope image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Background stars appear as streaks because the telescope was tracking the comet NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA)/Joseph DePasquale (STScI) Telescopes trained on the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS have revealed that it looks much like comets found in the outer reaches of our own solar system. However,…
Researchers show astrocytes can be tuned to reverse some obesity-driven brain and metabolic changes, revealing untapped therapeutic potential. Credit: Shutterstock Fatty diets and obesity affect the structure and function of astrocytes1, the star-shaped brain cells located in the striatum, a brain region involved in the perception of pleasure generated by food consumption. What is even…
Georgina Rannard Science correspondent NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC) An artist’s drawing of what the new planet might look like. Our Sun is the small dot of light between the two bright stars on the left and right. Scientists have found strong evidence of a giant gas planet in the nearest star system…
Scientists have discovered that jewel wasps can slow down their biological rate of aging. A study of jewel wasps, known for their distinctive metallic colors, has shown that they can undergo a kind of natural ‘time-out’ as larvae before emerging into adulthood with this surprising advantage. The groundbreaking study by scientists at the University of…
