Scientists

Scientists say aurora, caused by head-on collisions with Earth’s magnetic field, could damage critical infrastructure

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Credit: Harrison Haines from Pexels Auroras have inspired myths and omens for millennia, but only now, with modern technology that relies on electricity, do we appreciate their true power. The same forces that cause auroras also generate currents that can damage infrastructure that carries electricity, such as pipelines. Now scientists are writing in Frontiers in … Read more

Northern Lights warning: Beware of ‘head-on’ aurora displays, scientists say

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The Northern Lights, also called aurora, are a natural light show caused by the solar wind. … [+] (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Universal Images Group via Getty Images Scientists predict that interplanetary shocks that directly impact Earth’s magnetic field could damage any infrastructure that conducts electricity, according to a … Read more

Scientists find planet with potential for life

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ice world

An exoplanet in its star’s habitable Goldilocks zone is now suspected of having a liquid water ocean and an atmosphere. The planet, called LHS 1140 b, is about 1.7 times the size of Earth and is located about 48 light-years away. This distant world, first discovered in 2017, now turns out to be a rocky … Read more

Scientists successfully create a time crystal made of giant atoms

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Experimental protocol and mean-field phase diagram. Credit: Physics (2024). DOI file: 10.1038/s41567-024-02542-9 A crystal is a system of atoms that repeats itself in space at regular intervals: at every point, the crystal looks exactly the same. In 2012, Nobel Prize winner Frank Wilczek asked the question: Could there also be a time crystal, an object … Read more

Scientists freeze microscope to reveal precise shape of ice, a first

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For the first time, researchers from Kobe University led by ONISHI Hiroshi observed the precise shape of ice at the ice-liquid interface. Due to the complexity of the task, researchers used creative solutions to observe this phenomenon, such as using antifreeze and cooling the microscope system in a cool box to make accurate measurements. They … Read more

A prehistoric innovation marked a major change in the way people dressed, scientists say

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An artist's illustration shows how prehistoric humans could have used tailored clothing for decorative purposes. - Mariana Ariza

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more. The eyed needle, a sewing instrument made from bone, antler or ivory that first appeared about 40,000 years ago in southern Siberia, could hide key clues about the fashion’s beginnings, a new study suggests. Researchers … Read more

Scientists find hydrogen sulfide outside our solar system for the first time on a planet with glass rain | CNN

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Roberto Molar Candanosa/Johns Hopkins University An illustration shows exoplanet HD 189733b, a gas giant 64 light-years away. Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more. CNN — A Jupiter-sized exoplanet has long intrigued astronomers for its scorching temperatures, howling winds, and sideways rain … Read more

Scientists reconstruct collapsed Antarctic glaciers using 1960s aerial photographs

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A series of overlapping aerial photographs depicts a snowy mountain range with rugged peaks and valleys. The images, positioned in a slight arc, showcase a vast expanse of snow, ice, and rock, suggesting a remote and cold landscape.

Antarctica’s Larsen Ice Shelf has been breaking up for decades, but the 2002 Larsen B collapse was particularly dramatic. After being stable for at least 10,000 years, a large section of the shelf broke apart, with repercussions felt across the planet. The widespread changes in Antarctica have been extensively studied and published, but contextualizing and … Read more

Textile scientists provide new insights into why some garments become smellier

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Ever notice that a polyester T-shirt stinks more than a cotton one after you work out? New research from the University of Alberta now shows why. Analysis of various fibers soaked in a solution of simulated sweat showed that cotton and viscose, cellulose fibers or vegetable fibers absorbed and then released … Read more

‘Dragon’ and ‘Tree of Life’ Hydrothermal Vents Discovered in Arctic, Scientists Thought They Were Geologically Dead

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A deep sea hydrothermal vents appears to shimmer as it bubbles out hot water

Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen hydrothermal vent system located in an unlikely place on the Arctic ocean floor. The deep-sea vents, which pump out scorching water and mysterious metals, are in an area that researchers thought was geologically dead. The newly discovered vents, named after various entities from Norse mythology, lie at a depth of … Read more