Astronomers have spotted an unusually distant star-forming galaxy, the light of which took a whopping 13 billion years to reach Earth. Perhaps most incredibly, however, the galaxy was observed directly, without the help of a celestial phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.This galaxy is called MAMBO-9, and it was actually detected 10 years ago with the Max-Planck Millimeter Bolometer (MAMBO)...
Archaeologists in Indonesia have stumbled upon an extraordinarily old cave painting which appears to depict human-like figures in pursuit of wild pigs and buffaloes. It’s quite possibly the oldest portrayal of a hunting scene in the archaeological record, but the vague nature of the artwork leaves it open to interpretation. New research published today in Nature describes the discovery...
New research shows that post-menopausal orca grandmothers maintain an important role in their pods by boosting the survival rates of their grand-calves.Orca calves without postmenopausal grandmothers experience higher rates of mortality than other calves, especially when food is hard to come by, according to new research published earlier this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The...
Ancient insects similar to modern lice parasitized dinosaurs by feasting on their feathers, as evidenced by a pair of fascinating new amber fossils.Modern birds are sometimes infested by feather-chewing and feather-feeding lice, and as new research published today in Nature Communications shows, their Mesozoic predecessors had a similar problem. The new paper, led by paleontologist Dong Ren from the...
In today’s “the U.S. healthcare system is utterly broken” news, a study has found evidence that some people are buying fish antibiotics online to use on themselves—presumably because they’re cheaper than visiting the doctor to get a proper prescription. Researchers from the University of South Carolina examined online reviews from nine websites selling 24 kinds of fish antibiotics. Out...
Astronomers have spotted an unusually distant star-forming galaxy, the light of which took a whopping 13 billion years to reach Earth. Perhaps most incredibly, however, the galaxy was observed directly, without the help of a celestial phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.This galaxy is called MAMBO-9, and it was actually detected 10 years ago with the Max-Planck Millimeter Bolometer (MAMBO)...
Climate change is taking a toll on the ocean, and people are racing to save the seas . But a new study shows exactly who’s to blame for their crash. And no, it’s not consumers. It’s major fossil fuel producers: BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell.The study, published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Research Letters, takes a look...
There’s a new Green Deal in town that aims to decarbonise the economy. Yes, that’s decarbonise with an ‘s.’ Because this Green Deal is the EU’s.The European Commission rolled out the Green Deal—not to be confused with the Green New Deal —which is billed a “new growth strategy for our economy, people, and planet,” on Wednesday. It includes 50 policy...
Seafloor mapping has revealed craters beneath the Pacific Ocean from nuclear weapons testing, scientists report.From 1946 to 1958, the United States dropped 23 atomic bombs over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, including the famous Operation Crossroads and Castle Bravo tests. A team based at the University of Delaware used sonar to survey how these tests have permanently altered...
Cannabis has become more popular across the U.S. in recent years, but new research this month shows that one group has especially gravitated to it: people living with depression. And it’s not clear whether that’s a good thing. The study, published in the journal Addiction, looked at over 10 years of data from a nationally representative, government-run annual survey...
Archaeologists in Indonesia have stumbled upon an extraordinarily old cave painting which appears to depict human-like figures in pursuit of wild pigs and buffaloes. It’s quite possibly the oldest portrayal of a hunting scene in the archaeological record, but the vague nature of the artwork leaves it open to interpretation. New research published today in Nature describes the discovery...
Every time Greta Thunberg speaks , I have to fight tears. The 16-year-old Swedish climate activist stood on the main stage at the international climate talks ongoing in Madrid Wednesday and didn’t go on about personal stories or struggles. Instead, she stuck to the science—and still managed to make me choke up.“We no longer have time to leave out the...
New research shows that post-menopausal orca grandmothers maintain an important role in their pods by boosting the survival rates of their grand-calves.Orca calves without postmenopausal grandmothers experience higher rates of mortality than other calves, especially when food is hard to come by, according to new research published earlier this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The...
Today, the New York City Council passed one of the country’s most comprehensive bird-safe glass laws yet.The law, Proposed Initiative 1482B, requires any new construction and certain renovations to use bird-safe materials designed to prevent bird-strike deaths. Advocates for the bill hope it will lead the way for similar laws in other communities. “New York City is setting an...