Science

Artificial intelligence could easily fall into the trap of identifying non-life as life on other worlds, claim two researchers from Michigan State University who have tested AI on simulated life…

Do you sometimes notice a deep buzzing or humming noise that seems to have no identifiable source? If so, you may be among the estimated 2-4 percent of people worldwide…

SpaceX is gearing up to launch its Starship megarocket. On Thursday, no earlier than 6:45 P.M. EDT, Elon Musk’s space company will attempt a 13th flight test of Starship that…

Every couple of years, the rest of the media world discovers horror. “Remembers” might be a better word for it, given the cyclical nature of the phenomenon, but the coverage…

Last week in Skywatch, I described how stars are born in gigantic families in part one of the trilogy of a star’s birth, life and death. Every phase is controlled…

A rare type of meteorite known as a CO chondrite was likely the object that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago and triggered the extinction of about 75 percent…

More than one in 10 Americans takes a GLP-1 medication for weight loss. As more people take a GLP-1, or glucagonlike peptide 1, receptor agonist, such as Wegovy, so, too,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new cholesterol-busting drug that appears to reduce harmful cholesterol far below levels than can be achieved using statins. Statins have long…

A PhD student in Sydney has produced cosmic dust from scratch by recreating a small piece of the universe inside a laboratory bottle. The experiment offers new clues about how…

One of the most compelling time-travel tropes is the idea of parents meeting their children before those children are born. It’s the sort of brain-twisting thing we love about Back…

A widely available antidepressant may provide meaningful relief for people experiencing persistent fatigue from long COVID, according to a global clinical trial co-led by McMaster University. Researchers found that fluvoxamine…

What’s the best thing Netflix has ever made? You might point to some of their biggest shows, like Stranger Things or Bridgerton, or perhaps some of their most critically acclaimed…

A “space mirror” test satellite meant to beam sunlight and turn night into day on targeted swaths of Earth just received approval to proceed—and astronomers are aghast. The satellite, called…

This week in science: Surprisingly tiny T. rex hatchlings, an elusive new monkey species, and much more! First up: Quantum supercomputers have been put to work on the complex task…

Earth’s climate systems are inexorably and often unexpectedly interconnected. Dust from North Africa’s Sahara Desert drifts thousands of miles to fuel food webs in the Amazon and the ocean’s depths,…

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, are giving astronomers their clearest look yet at how supermassive black holes obtain the gas they need to grow. The…

Several widely used sugar substitutes may be associated with faster declines in memory and thinking skills over time, according to research published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American…

The phrase “I could die of happiness” is not meant to be taken literally. But as it turns out, you actually can – though it is exceedingly rare. A new…

New York State has given itself up to a year to decide how to take the environmental measure of a data center. On July 14 Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the…

Dear Editor: Will Briggs’s article on Realta Fusion’s plans to build a commercial nuclear fusion research facility at the former Oscar Mayer plant reminded me that I worked on the…

WASHINGTON — The island nation of Mauritius signed the Artemis Accords July 17, becoming the 70th nation to do so in less than six years. In a ceremony in the…

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. “You have hissed the mystery lecture. In fact, you’ve tasted the whole worm!”…

A violent collision in the main asteroid belt may have triggered a prolonged wave of impacts across the inner solar system about 800 million years ago, according to a study…

SpaceX Goes to War! – And Other Space Headlines – YouTube Watch On On Episode 219 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the space headlines…

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Unsure what to do with your rancid old hot dog factory? Apparently, the…

WASHINGTON — Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 rocket successfully lifted off on its inaugural flight July 18, becoming the first commercial Indian rocket to reach orbit. Vikram-1 lifted off at 2:35 a.m….

An outbreak of an explosive-diarrhea-causing parasite has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at the popular Tex-Mex chain Taco Bell in five states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control…

From a snake’s venomous fangs to the sharp spines that cover a cactus, puncture tools can be found right across the animal kingdom. While they come in all shapes and…

The dagger of Princess Ita is stunning. Embellished with gold and lapis lazuli, it was found in the Egyptian princess’s tomb at the site of Dahshur, south of Cairo, and…