News
Sun-like star’s nine-month eclipse exposes a violent planetary past
1+ hour, 29+ min ago (1190+ words) This artist's illustration depicts a large disk of planetary debris, surrounded by a thick cloud of dust and gas, as it passes in front of a star. (CREDIT: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld & M. Zamani) "Stars like the Sun…...
Scientists shrink a lab-grade spectrometer down to the size of a grain of sand
5+ hour, 29+ min ago (542+ words) For decades, bulky spectrometers have been the main tools for understanding how things are made of chemicals (a thing called composition). Spectrometers are a type of lab equipment that uses prisms or gratings to break down light into its component…...
Noninvasive brain scanning could restore movement after spinal cord injury
9+ hour, 29+ min ago (666+ words) Signals recorded by an EEG device could be routed to a spinal cord stimulator, allowing paralyzed patients to regain more precise control over their limbs. (CREDIT: Laura Toni) An individual may become completely paralyzed because of any number of accidents…...
Fossilized dinosaur vomit reveals new pterosaur species in Brazil
11+ hour, 29+ min ago (780+ words) In the foreground, two Bakiribu waridza feed in a lake environment while, in the background, Irritator pursues other specimens. (CREDIT: Julio Lacerda) "This was very unexpected, because fossils from the Araripe region have been studied for decades and almost 30 types…...
Memory shapes your conscious experience of the past, present and future
13+ hour, 45+ min ago (740+ words) The same brain systems used to remember the past also shape conscious experience of the present and expectations of the future. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) The researchers come from different fields, but they reached similar conclusions independently. Once they compared ideas, the…...
New research links quantum collapse to time and gravity
1+ day, 2+ hour ago (847+ words) New physics research links quantum collapse models to gravity and finds tiny limits on clock precision. (CREDIT: AI-generated image / The Brighter Side of News) Quantum mechanics has always carried a quiet tension. At its core, the theory allows particles to…...
Scientists use ultrafast laser to flip materials into a different electronic state
1+ day, 5+ hour ago (1018+ words) A Michigan State team focused terahertz light onto a microscope tip to nudge surface atoms in WTe2, briefly changing its electronic behavior. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) A burst of invisible light can do more than illuminate a surface. In a new study, Michigan…...
Scientists turn earthquake sensors into dangerous space debris trackers
1+ day, 11+ hour ago (669+ words) Scientists show earthquake sensors can track falling space debris in real time, improving safety and recovery efforts. (CREDIT: ESA) "There are an increasing number of re-entries occurring daily," says Fernando. "In 2010, there were numerous satellites re-entering the atmosphere every day,…...
500,000-year-old elephant bone tool reveals advanced planning and skill in early human ancestors
2+ day, 2+ hour ago (947+ words) Handaxe from the Boxgrove paleosol horizon (locality Q2/GTP 17). (CREDIT: Science Advances) This discovery supports the notion that early hominins utilized elephant bones for more than just food. They were used as tools in the process of creating stone tools through…...
Artificial intelligence can now beat average humans in creativity, study finds
2+ day, 5+ hour ago (823+ words) A major study finds AI can outperform average humans on creativity tests, but top human creators still lead. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) Creativity has long been treated as a defining human trait. It shapes art, science, and problem solving, and it helps…...