Archaeological research in Samoa has uncovered ancient structures that highlight early social stratification and land management strategies, providing a deeper insight into Polynesian cultural development. Large mound found at Saoluafata, Samoa. Credit: University of Auckland A new study led by archaeologists at the University of Auckland may have revealed the origins of hierarchical society in … Read more
A recent discovery on Mars has shed light on the possible origins of life on Earth. Researchers have found that organic material present in the sediment of ancient Martian lakebeds points to widespread carbon chemistry on the Red Planet. This discovery provides valuable insights into how the ingredients for life arrived on our planet billions … Read more
A little over a decade ago, a robotic rover on Mars finally found an answer to a burning question. It is now clear that the Red Planet does indeed have organic material buried in the sediment of its ancient lakebeds. Since then, we’ve found more and more organic molecules on Mars that are distributed in … Read more
Artist’s impression of a microlensing event caused by a black hole observed from Earth towards the Large Magellanic Cloud. The light from a background star in the GMC is diffracted by a putative primordial black hole (lens) in the Milky Way’s halo and magnified when observed from Earth. Microlensing produces very characteristic variations in the … Read more
Fifty thousand years ago, North America was home to megafauna such as mammoths and sabre-tooth tigers. Their extinction, possibly due to the arrival of humans or climate change, remains unsolved. Using ZooMS technology, researchers analyzed ancient bones from the Smithsonian Museum, highlighting the importance of preserving archaeological collections for future discoveries. USNM 23792, Mammuthus primigenius … Read more
Ricki Nash, 62, says it was a mistake not to interview him until 2017 The 1971 confession was suspended due to a retroactive law The brother of British girl Cheryl Grimmer, who was snatched from an Australian beach 54 years ago, claims police missed key clues to solving the case. Ricki Nash was the last … Read more
When people think about the risks of climate change, the idea of abrupt changes is quite frightening. Films like “The Day After Tomorrow” fuel that fear, with visions of unimaginable storms and populations fleeing to escape rapidly changing temperatures. While Hollywood clearly takes liberties with the speed and scale of disasters, several recent real-world studies … Read more
Metabolism is the “beating heart of the cell”. New research from ELSI traces the history of metabolism from primordial Earth to modern times (from left to right). The history of compound discovery over time (white line) is cyclical and almost resembles an ECG. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Francis Reddy/NASA/ESA A new study shows that … Read more