Most of Mars’ missing water may still be there – underground

Mars may currently be a dusty desert, but that wasn’t always the case – a growing body of evidence points to the Red Planet being much bluer in its ancient past. Where all that water went is a key question, and now researchers at JPL and Caltech have p… Continue reading Most of Mars’ missing water may still be there – underground→

Life on Earth may have arisen from a quintillion lightning strikes

The exact recipe for how life got started on Earth – and whether it’s appeared on other planets too – are some of the most profound mysteries of science. Now, scientists have found that lightning strikes could have contributed a key ingredient, which s… Continue reading Life on Earth may have arisen from a quintillion lightning strikes→

Spongy wood nanogenerators make for energy-harvesting smart floors

There are untold energy sources all around us, if we can just figure out how to tap into them. Swiss researchers have now demonstrated an environmentally friendly way to make spongy wood flooring that can generate electricity with every step.Continue R… Continue reading Spongy wood nanogenerators make for energy-harvesting smart floors→

Dark matter or cooling “primordial soup” could create gravitational waves

Just a few months ago, scientists reported the detection of very low-frequency gravitational waves. Now a pair of German astrophysicists has investigated two intriguing possible sources – the universe cooling down after the Big Bang, and a field of par… Continue reading Dark matter or cooling “primordial soup” could create gravitational waves→

Lightning-fast GigaDrive SSD boasts read/write speeds of 2,800 MB/s

In this world overflowing with data and content, external solid state drives are becoming more and more necessary. Thankfully they’re also getting faster, as demonstrated by a new SSD called GigaDrive that boasts read and write speeds of up to 2,800 MB… Continue reading Lightning-fast GigaDrive SSD boasts read/write speeds of 2,800 MB/s→

Ancient crystal graveyards carry clues of Earth’s magma ocean phase

It may be a cool, comfortable paradise nowadays, but Earth had a pretty hotheaded youth – some scientists speculate that for a while the surface was one big ocean of magma. Now, a team of researchers at Cambridge has found elusive evidence from that ti… Continue reading Ancient crystal graveyards carry clues of Earth’s magma ocean phase→

“Restless” supermassive black hole may be wandering round its galaxy

Moons orbit planets, planets orbit stars, and stars in galaxies orbit supermassive black holes. And that’s more or less where the chain ends, because the super masses involved tend to anchor those black holes in place. But now, researchers have found e… Continue reading “Restless” supermassive black hole may be wandering round its galaxy→

Colossal primordial stars may have seeded supermassive black holes

The supermassive black holes lurking at the center of most galaxies, including our own, are believed to have grown so big by gobbling up matter over billions of years. But a new study suggests they may have taken a shortcut, starting life as a hypothet… Continue reading Colossal primordial stars may have seeded supermassive black holes→

Physicists measure the gravitational pull of a ladybug

Of the four fundamental forces, gravity is the one we’re most familiar with in our everyday lives, but perhaps surprisingly, it’s the weakest and hardest to measure here on Earth. Now, physicists in Austria have made the smallest measurement of gravity… Continue reading Physicists measure the gravitational pull of a ladybug→

IBM develops AI to invent new antibiotics – and it’s made two already

Hiding behind the current COVID-19 pandemic, another serious public health threat is looming – the rise of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.” New antibiotics are needed to help turn the tide, but developing them takes time. Now, IBM Research has put AI … Continue reading IBM develops AI to invent new antibiotics – and it’s made two already→