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A common mineral and earthquake and avalanche statistics can be used to measure the impact of hostile environmental events on materials. Such studies would provide important information about the degradation and failure of materials used for advanced solar panels, geological carbon capture and infrastructure such as buildings, roads and bridges. Muscovite is the most common […]

New research describes how sheets of carbon dioxide ice protected rivers of water flowing into a lake the size of the Mediterranean Sea on ancient Mars. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets explains how an icy, cold Mars could have had flowing water more than 3 billion years ago. “This model […]

With an experimental setup worthy of a reality game show, scientists put the balance of healthy mice to the test and discovered new insights into how they use their tails. The results could inform research into neurogenerative diseases in humans despite our tail-lessness. Laboratory mice (Mus musculus) provide valuable models for human health and disease […]

Larvae of the mosquito responsible for spreading diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika grow faster when exposed to a certain kind of bacteria, according to new research in the Journal of Applied Microbiology. The finding has important implications for improving programmes to control mosquito populations some of which involve the breeding and mass […]

Two new studies published in the past week have presented new tools to help cities across the globe adapt to the increasing threat of dangerous heat. The first, published in the journal Proceedings of the of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), offers a tool to determine how the cooling efficiency of tree cover varies […]

Researchers have found a way to turn CO2 into ethanol, using cobalt and copper. The method, which works at a lab scale, is another potential way to use carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere and industrial processes – although capturing that carbon is still a difficult task. The team has published their discovery in ACS […]

Archaeologists have identified the precursors of writing in the designs of ancient seals dating back about 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Proto-cuneiform is one of the earliest written languages, developed at the end of the fourth millennium BCE in the influential Mesopotamian city of Uruk, located in what is now southern Iraq. The script consists […]

Researchers have made a material capable of cooling substances down to -253°C – enough to liquefy hydrogen – using magnets. They say their research, published in Nature Communications, could provide a cheaper and more sustainable way to supercool hydrogen fuel for storage and transport. The researchers tapped into the “magnetocaloric effect”: applying magnetic fields to […]

As part of the Ultramarine project we are republishing some paid content for free. This long read was originally published in issue 99 of Cosmos print magazine, in July 2023. You can read more amazing long reads if you subscribe now. Compact and easily overlooked, bar-tailed godwits make the longest known nonstop flight of any animal on Earth. Drew […]

Shrub cover across southeastern Australia halved after the arrival of Indigenous populations, according to a new study. The study, published in Science, attributes the change to cultural burning practices, suggesting that these changes reduced the risk of high-intensity bushfires. Shrubs, which fill out the middle layer of a forest between grasses and trees, can be […]

Following months of campaigning ahead of the US election, political scientists are suggesting that professional campaigners may not be getting the results they expect. A study published in PNAS showsAmerican political staffers and professionals are no better than laypeople at spotting the efficacy of a political message. The researchers also found that neither group could […]

Scientists have observed an “association” between the use of 22 pesticides and prostate cancer incidents in the US, 4 of which were also potentially linked to prostate cancer mortality. The research is published in the journal Cancer and comes as debate about the safety of the use of the herbicide paraquat heats up in Australia. […]

The 12-million-year-old fossil of an extinct, giant, carnivorous bird found in Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert could be the largest member of its kind. But it was probably killed by something much bigger. Ancient South America was home to a group of birds known as “terror birds”. These ferocious, feathered hunters belong to the phorusrhacid (FOR-us-RAH-kid) family. […]

Chemistry is littered with rules that, on closer inspection, are alarmingly brittle. Researchers are calling for a 100-year-old rule to be thrown out, after they’ve made molecules that defy it. They’ve published their finding in Science. “We shouldn’t have rules like this – or if we have them, they should only exist with the constant […]

Holding a hallowed place at the top of search engine results, Wikipedia has become a profound influence on the information age. With articles written and edited by millions of volunteers around the world, it’s been hailed as “the last best place on the Internet”, and is often the first port of call for anyone learning […]

People forced to hunker down in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic have retained many of those habits – which might change the face of our cities and urban spaces. In 2023, people in the US spent about 51 minutes less time on activities outside of the house compared to before the pandemic, a new […]

An estimated 65 million people live with long COVID, many of whom experience cardiovascular issues such as chest pain and heart palpitations. A small new Australian study suggests chronic inflammation could explain these symptoms. Long COVID, also known as post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (PASC), is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as […]

A new report from a commission established by The Lancet Public Health reveals for the first time the global scale of the problem of gambling and its consequences, which are growing rapidly across the world. The Lancet shows harms of gambling are much more extensive than previously thought, with about 80 million people worldwide suffering from gambling disorder, and […]

In a week of macabre astronomy including a new study of the “dark wolf nebula”, more ghoulish observations have been reported. A pair of galaxies dubbed “blood-soaked eyes” has been analysed by NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes to better understand the physics of the colliding galaxies and their rapid star formation. The pair […]

New research has revealed the impact of climate change on a region of East Africa, with average monthly minimum temperatures increasing by more than 5°C, frequent droughts, and erratic wet conditions. The changing climate will impact on tourism, biodiversity and human habitability. Interactions between climate change and oceanic and atmospheric oscillations have impacted weather patterns […]

The world is striving to reach net-zero emissions as we try to ward off dangerous global warming. But will getting to net-zero actually avert climate instability, as many assume? Our new study examined that question. Alarmingly, we found reaching net-zero in the next few decades will not bring an immediate end to the global heating […]

Like all domesticated animals, cattle are descendants of wild animals which have changed genetically over thousands of years. New research published in Nature sheds light on the complex history of modern cows by analysing the DNA of their ancient ancestor the aurochs. Aurochs (Bos primigenius) once roamed all over Asia, Europe and northern Africa. They […]

Significant acceleration in the upper-ocean circulation of the equatorial Pacific Ocean over the past 30 years is impacting global weather patterns, according to a new study. The acceleration is driven by strengthening atmospheric winds. The oceanic currents are becoming stronger and shallower. Among the effects are increased frequency and intensity of El Niño and La […]

Can monkeys randomly hitting keys on a typewriter type out the complete works of Shakespeare? Alas, it is not to be. This is according to a statistical study published in the journal Franklin Open by 2 researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The Infinite Monkey Theorem is a thought experiment used to explain […]