New synthetic red blood cells are even better than the real thing

Researchers have created synthetic red blood cells (RBCs) that have all of the useful properties of the real thing, plus a few new tricks. These new cells could be put to work carrying oxygen or drugs through the body, sensing toxins, and other tasks.C… Continue reading New synthetic red blood cells are even better than the real thing→

Mini human livers grown from stem cells successfully implanted in rats

Imagine needing a liver transplant, and instead of waiting for a donor, a new one could be grown from your own skin cells. Scientists have now taken quite a big step towards that future, by successfully transplanting miniature human livers grown from i… Continue reading Mini human livers grown from stem cells successfully implanted in rats→

Atmospheric CO2 hits 23-million-year peak, plant fossils reveal

It’s well known that the current levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the highest they’ve been in a long time – but is that a few hundred years? Thousands? Millions? According to a new study of fossil plant matter, CO2 concentrations haven’t … Continue reading Atmospheric CO2 hits 23-million-year peak, plant fossils reveal→

Dinosaur stomach contents reveal last meal and time of death

There’s only so much we can learn about dinosaurs from their dusty old bones. But now, palaeontologists have gathered some fascinating new insights by studying the stomach contents of an incredibly well-preserved nodosaur. They can tell not just what i… Continue reading Dinosaur stomach contents reveal last meal and time of death→

Secret of squid invisibility used to turn human cells transparent

Of all the superpowers in the animal kingdom, the squid’s ability to turn invisible is one of the coolest. And now scientists at the University of California, Irvine have managed to recreate that in human cells for the first time, granting them tuneabl… Continue reading Secret of squid invisibility used to turn human cells transparent→

Never-before-seen “black nitrogen” plugs puzzle in periodic table

Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have created a form of nitrogen that’s never been seen before. Nicknamed “black nitrogen,” the new substance is crystalline, occurs in two-dimensional sheets, and could one day be useful in advanced electronics… Continue reading Never-before-seen “black nitrogen” plugs puzzle in periodic table→

Evidence of universe’s oldest state of matter lurking inside neutron stars

Astrophysicists have found evidence of a strange substance called quark matter at the heart of compact stars. Combining recent theoretical calculations with measurements of gravitational waves from neutron star collisions, the researchers found that th… Continue reading Evidence of universe’s oldest state of matter lurking inside neutron stars→

Scottish millipede fossil found to be world’s oldest known bug

Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin claim to have identified the world’s oldest bug. The specimen is a millipede ancestor found on the island of Kerrera in Scotland, and it dates back 425 million years. The team says that this finding impl… Continue reading Scottish millipede fossil found to be world’s oldest known bug→

Scottish millipede fossil found to be world’s oldest known bug

Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin claim to have identified the world’s oldest bug. The specimen is a millipede ancestor found on the island of Kerrera in Scotland, and it dates back 425 million years. The team says that this finding impl… Continue reading Scottish millipede fossil found to be world’s oldest known bug→

New theory proposes ‘Oumuamua is an interstellar hydrogen iceberg

The exact nature of the bizarre interstellar object ‘Oumuamua remains a mystery. There’s been no shortage of ideas, but now astronomers at Yale and the University of Chicago have proposed that it’s a brand new type of object: a hydrogen iceberg.Continu… Continue reading New theory proposes ‘Oumuamua is an interstellar hydrogen iceberg→