Tag: science news

Primates often gave birth to twins 60M years ago: new research

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Primates often gave birth to twins 60M years ago: new research

Many cultures associate twins with health and vitality, while others see them as a philosophical reminder of the duality of life and death, good and evil.  | Photo Credit: Tesla Monson/The Conversation Twins have been rare in human history and for that reason can seem special. Many cultures associate twins with health and vitality, while others see them…

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New AI model ‘GenCast’ can beat the best traditional weather forecasts

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New AI model ‘GenCast’ can beat the best traditional weather forecasts

A new machine-learning weather prediction model called GenCast can outperform the best traditional forecasting systems in at least some situations, according to a new paper. | Photo Credit: NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Jacques Descloitres A new machine-learning weather prediction model called GenCast can outperform the best traditional forecasting systems in at least some situations, according…

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Firefly Sparkle galaxy offers a taste of the infant Milky Way

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Firefly Sparkle galaxy offers a taste of the infant Milky Way

An illustration depicting a reconstruction of what the Firefly Sparkle galaxy looked like about 600 million years after the Big Bang if it was not stretched and distorted by a natural effect known as gravitational lensing. This concept is based on images and data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. | Photo Credit: Reuters NASA’s…

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Pacific Islands wait for Trump, wary of climate and China stance

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Pacific Islands wait for Trump, wary of climate and China stance

Pacific Island nation leaders pose for a group photograph with U.S. President Joe Biden during a summit at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 25, 2023. | Photo Credit: Reuters Pacific island nations at the centre of a strategic rivalry between the U.S. and China that brought infrastructure and funding hope President-elect Donald Trump…

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Science for all newsletter Scientists cause one beam of light to cast a shadow against another

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Science for all newsletter Scientists cause one beam of light to cast a shadow against another

(This article forms a part of the Science for All newsletter that takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Subscribe now!) When some object stands in the path of light, the object casts a shadow behind it. It’s the place the light can’t reach because of the object. The question is…

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Webb telescope confirms the universe is expanding at an unexpected rate

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Webb telescope confirms the universe is expanding at an unexpected rate

Spiral galaxy NGC 628, located 32 million light-years away from Earth, is seen in an undated image from the James Webb Space Telescope. | Photo Credit: Reuters Fresh corroboration of the perplexing observation that the universe is expanding more rapidly than expected has scientists pondering the cause – perhaps some unknown factor involving the mysterious…

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4-billion-year-old crystal offers oldest evidence of water on Mars

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4-billion-year-old crystal offers oldest evidence of water on Mars

Water is ubiquitous on Earth – about 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by the stuff. Water is in the air, on the surface and inside rocks. Geologic evidence suggests water has been stable on Earth since about 4.3 billion years ago. The history of water on early Mars is less certain. Determining when water first appeared,…

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Can science’s peer-review system guarantee academic rigour?

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Can science’s peer-review system guarantee academic rigour?

Reviewers, who often remain anonymous, go unrewarded and unrecognised, even though their work is an essential part of research communication.  | Photo Credit: The Hindu Peer review is a central feature of academic work. It’s the process through which research ends up published in an academic journal: independent experts scrutinise the work of another researcher…

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Hand-held ‘electric labs’ can rapidly identify pathogens

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Hand-held ‘electric labs’ can rapidly identify pathogens

Microfluidics makes use of tiny channels to speed up analyses of biomolecules such as DNA and proteins.  | Photo Credit: Thom Leach/Getty Images When you think of electric fields, you likely think of electricity – the stuff that makes modern life possible by powering everything from household appliances to cellphones. Researchers have been studying the…

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A beetle named Hitler: The case to change offensive animal, plant names

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A beetle named Hitler: The case to change offensive animal, plant names

Taxonomy is the science of describing, classifying and naming organisms. It organises the vast diversity of life on Earth. Species are grouped based on shared characteristics, providing a system that allows scientists to understand and communicate about the natural world. Naming species is no simple task: a scientist doesn’t just assign a name and call…

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