UAE successfully launches its first interplanetary mission to Mars

The United Arab Emirates has successfully launched its first interplanetary mission. This morning, Al Amal, or the Hope Probe, took off from Japan at 6:58 am Monday 20th July (local time), and is currently headed towards Mars.Continue ReadingCategory: … Continue reading UAE successfully launches its first interplanetary mission to Mars→

Ultra-black fish that absorb 99.5% of light found in the deep ocean

Scientists have discovered ultra-black fish that absorb almost all light that hits them, allowing them to effectively hide in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. It appears to be a more efficient method than those used by other animals, and the fi… Continue reading Ultra-black fish that absorb 99.5% of light found in the deep ocean→

Pandemic causes new delay for launch of James Webb Space Telescope

NASA and ESA have announced that the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope has been delayed once again. Thanks largely to the COVID-19 pandemic, the launch will be bumped to October 2021.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Astronomy, NASA,… Continue reading Pandemic causes new delay for launch of James Webb Space Telescope→

Tiny, wireless camera streams beetle’s-eye view of the world

Researchers at the University of Washington have created a new camera system that’s so small and light it can perch on the back of a beetle. From there, it can be wirelessly controlled to focus on different things, and stream video and photos back to a… Continue reading Tiny, wireless camera streams beetle’s-eye view of the world→

Hybrid solar converter harvests both sunlight and heat at 85% efficiency

Engineers have developed a new type of hybrid solar energy converter, which uses energy from the Sun to create both electricity and steam. The device reportedly has high efficiency and runs at low cost, allowing industry to make use of a wider spectrum… Continue reading Hybrid solar converter harvests both sunlight and heat at 85% efficiency→

Burger King makes its cows less gassy to cut greenhouse gas emissions

As tasty as cows are, their greenhouse gas emissions aren’t quite so palatable. In an attempt to clean up the agriculture industry a little, Burger King has now announced that it will start feeding its cows a new diet that can reportedly cut methane em… Continue reading Burger King makes its cows less gassy to cut greenhouse gas emissions→

Strange star somehow survives supernova, shoots off across galaxy

A supernova may seem like a pretty final fate, but now astronomers have discovered a star that apparently survived this explosive process. It wasn’t without consequence, however – the star was kicked out of a tight binary orbit and flung across the gal… Continue reading Strange star somehow survives supernova, shoots off across galaxy→

Human X chromosome completely sequenced for the first time

As close as we’ve gotten to sequencing the entire human genome, there are still a few gaps. But now geneticists have plugged a major one in a landmark new study, by sequencing the entire human X chromosome from end to end, covering more than three mill… Continue reading Human X chromosome completely sequenced for the first time→

Solar flow battery efficiently stores renewable energy in liquid form

Capturing energy from the Sun with solar panels is only half the story – that energy needs to be stored somewhere for later use. In the case of flow batteries, storage is relegated to vats of liquid. Now, an international team led by University of Wisc… Continue reading Solar flow battery efficiently stores renewable energy in liquid form→

New Harvard vaccine technique coats red blood cells in nanoparticles

Researchers at Harvard have developed a new platform for producing vaccines – and the secret ingredient is blood. The technique involves loading red blood cells with antigens that they can then use to generate a specific immune response, and tests in m… Continue reading New Harvard vaccine technique coats red blood cells in nanoparticles→