Science and Tech

Science and Tech

protein diseased brain
Protein fibrils accumulate in the brain during neurodegeneration. Cryo-electron microscopy has now uncovered fibrils of an unexpected protein.
supermassive black hole
Astronomers in 2017 caught an image of a supermassive black hole in a galaxy far, far away. Doing it in our own galaxy is a huge milestone.
ape sign language
The apes taught sign language didn't understand what they were doing. They were merely "aping" their caretakers.
science
Science cannot be isolated from culture.
Faces of two people are being absorbed by their phones.
To reap the benefits of digital technologies, we must contend with their addictive designs.
sodium water react
Drop sodium in water, and a violent, even explosive reaction will occur. But quantum physics is needed to explain why.
cryovolcanoes
We have long thought that Pluto was completely frozen solid, but the discovery of cryovolcanoes challenges that assumption.
Learning another language might make you richer, sexier, and smarter. Why not try it?
ancient greeks aliens
Speculation about the existence of aliens goes all the way back at least to the Greek philosophers. Their arguments will sound familiar.
Safety through technology is no bad thing—Nietzsche himself sought doctors and medicines throughout his life—but it can become pathological.
standard model structure
The Standard Model may or may not be in trouble, but particle physics definitely needs saving. Here's what the new LHC can do.
pornography
A large study links pornography use to decreased sexual performance for men and increased sexual performance for women.
climate change human evolution
The simulation gave researchers some of the first concrete data linking climate change to human evolution and speciation.
planetary nebula
Everything that gets heated up has to, somehow, radiate that energy away. Here's what we see when that happens in the Universe.
local bubble
For a thousand light-years in all directions, there's a "bubble" that the Sun sits at the center of. Here's the story behind it.
A new wave of preventative cancer vaccines are set to begin trials.
The same technology behind the COVID-19 vaccines may enable the first damage-reversing heart attack cure.
Europa may be difficult to access. But if a recent study is correct, its subsurface ocean would be more accessible than previously thought.
A study finds prescription medications and dangerous unlisted ingredients in ordinary supplements.
A baby crib at night
SIDS deaths have decreased worldwide, but research has yet to solve this medical mystery.
math awe
Mathematics and religion both embody awe-inspiring, eternal truths.
John Templeton Foundation
science
Nature is a whole. The sciences should be, too.
Mayan ruins San Bartolo
The Mayan calendar is revered for its impeccable accuracy. Now, a recent excavation in Guatemala reveals how the system developed over time.
NEO Surveyor
Most potentially hazardous asteroids remain unidentified. NEO surveyor could change that, but only if it's funded, and soon.
gravity time
Extremely precise atomic clocks are not just of theoretical interest; they could help detect impending volcanic eruptions or melting glaciers.
humans universe
All life forms, anywhere in our Universe, are chemically connected yet completely unique.
life mars
Was there ever life on Mars? Is there life on Mars now? Did it originate there or here, on Earth? All possibilities are fascinating.