Earth’s earliest mass extinction uncovered in fossil record

Scientists believe that the Earth is currently in the midst of its sixth major extinction event, but a new study suggests that’s not the case – it may actually be the seventh. Scientists have found evidence of a previously unknown mass extinction event… Continue reading Earth’s earliest mass extinction uncovered in fossil record

Scientists grow mini eyes in lab dishes to study blindness

Scientists have grown mini eyes from human cells in the lab. These eye organoids provide good models of the real thing to help scientists study diseases that cause blindness and potentially find treatments.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: organoi… Continue reading Scientists grow mini eyes in lab dishes to study blindness

Induced “hibernation” state protects organs during heart surgery in mice

Japanese researchers have demonstrated that inducing a kind of hibernation state could be a new way to protect organs from damage when blood circulation is stopped during surgery. The technique slows down the metabolism and has been found to work well … Continue reading Induced “hibernation” state protects organs during heart surgery in mice

Quettabytes and ronnagrams: Extreme numbers get new official names

For the first time in more than 30 years, new terms have been officially added to the International System of Units (SI). The four new prefixes – ronna, quetta, ronto and quecto – describe very large and very small numbers that until now didn’t have th… Continue reading Quettabytes and ronnagrams: Extreme numbers get new official names

First drug that delays onset of type 1 diabetes approved by FDA

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first drug that can delay the onset of type 1 diabetes. A recent trial has shown that the drug, named teplizumab, can give patients several extra disease-free years.Continue ReadingCategory: Me… Continue reading First drug that delays onset of type 1 diabetes approved by FDA

Scientists discover giant turtle the size of a VW Beetle in Spain

Paleontologists have discovered the fossil remains of one of the largest turtles that ever lived. Measuring about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, it roamed the seas of Europe during the age of the dinosaurs.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTa… Continue reading Scientists discover giant turtle the size of a VW Beetle in Spain

Giant cosmic map charts from here to the edge of the observable universe

Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created an interactive map of the universe, charting the positions and colors of 200,000 galaxies stretching from here to the very edge of the observable universe.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags… Continue reading Giant cosmic map charts from here to the edge of the observable universe

LightSail 2 mission reaches fiery end after 3-year solar sailing demo

After more than three years circling the Earth, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 mission has come to an end following a fiery reentry. The satellite was an important tech demo for the idea of solar sailing, which could eventually propel spacecraft t… Continue reading LightSail 2 mission reaches fiery end after 3-year solar sailing demo

“SuperGPS” ditches satellites for radio towers for cm-scale tracking

GPS has been a crucial technology for decades, but it does have its limitations, particularly in urban areas where signals can get noisy. Now, engineers in the Netherlands have developed “SuperGPS” – a hybrid positioning system that combines wireless a… Continue reading “SuperGPS” ditches satellites for radio towers for cm-scale tracking

How rain and rocks keep Earth habitable through wild climate changes

Our current climate catastrophe is far from Earth’s first, but for billions of years life has continued to plod along through these ups and downs. MIT scientists have now analyzed 66 million years of climate data and uncovered a stabilizing mechanism t… Continue reading How rain and rocks keep Earth habitable through wild climate changes