Webb may have spotted “dark stars” made of annihilating dark matter

The James Webb Space Telescope has already spotted some amazing things in its first year of science operations, but if a new study holds water it might be one of the most important finds of all time. A team of astrophysicists proposes that three bright… Continue reading Webb may have spotted “dark stars” made of annihilating dark matter

“Biological camera” stores data in DNA of living bacteria

Scientists have developed a new way to tap into the incredible data storage density of DNA in a more scalable way. A “biological camera” imprints images into the DNA of living cells, tagged with barcodes to retrieve data.Continue ReadingCategory: Scien… Continue reading “Biological camera” stores data in DNA of living bacteria

The world just sweated through its hottest day and week on record

It’s not just you – it has been hot lately. According to preliminary reports of global average temperatures, last week was the hottest week on record, with the record for hottest day broken several times in a row.Continue ReadingCategory: Environment, … Continue reading The world just sweated through its hottest day and week on record

Hair cell repair protein could lead to new hearing loss treatments

Many of us are resigned to the fact that we’ll naturally lose some of our hearing as we age, but there may be a way to slow that down. Scientists at the University of Virginia (UVA) have identified a mechanism that lets hair cells repair themselves, wh… Continue reading Hair cell repair protein could lead to new hearing loss treatments

Titanium clouds glitter on shiniest exoplanet ever found

Collectors of trading cards or Pokémon are always on the hunt for super-rare shiny variants – and now astronomers have found the exoplanet equivalent. The shiniest planet ever found, LTT9779 b, is an ultra-hot, cosmic disco ball thanks to clouds made o… Continue reading Titanium clouds glitter on shiniest exoplanet ever found

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are leaking disruptive radio signals

Radio telescopes are picking up strange radio signals from an intelligent lifeform – ourselves. A new study has shown that large satellite constellations, such as SpaceX’s Starlink swarm, are unintentionally leaking signals that can interfere with vita… Continue reading SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are leaking disruptive radio signals

Earth’s solid inner core may have pockets of liquid iron

The Earth’s inner core is incredibly tricky to study, since it’s buried beneath thousands of miles of rock. New seismic studies suggest that it’s not just a solid ball of iron, as has been assumed, but might have pockets of liquid iron throughout.Conti… Continue reading Earth’s solid inner core may have pockets of liquid iron

Synthetic lifeform regains lost “fitness” in evolution experiment

How small a canvas can evolution work on? Scientists have experimented with a synthetic lifeform designed to have the simplest possible genome, and found that given the chance it can evolve lost fitness back, showing that indeed, “life finds a way.”Con… Continue reading Synthetic lifeform regains lost “fitness” in evolution experiment

Painkiller producers could pivot to paper waste instead of crude oil

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are among the world’s most common over-the-counter painkillers, but manufacturing them requires crude oil. Now, researchers at the University of Bath have developed a more sustainable method, creating the drugs out of waste pr… Continue reading Painkiller producers could pivot to paper waste instead of crude oil

Cancer breakthrough uses CRISPR to target extra chromosomes

Yale scientists have discovered a new potential treatment avenue to fight cancer. Using CRISPR gene-editing, the team eliminated extra chromosomes from cancer cells and found that they could no longer grow out of control.Continue ReadingCategory: Medic… Continue reading Cancer breakthrough uses CRISPR to target extra chromosomes