Scientists may have solved a long-standing mystery surrounding the ice giant Uranus and its faint radiation belts. It’s possible that the belts’ faintness is related to the planet’s oddly tilted and lopsided magnetic field, which could be causing “traffic jams” for particles racing across the world. The mystery dates back to Voyager 2’s visit to … Read more
A series of mirrors and prisms reflect and focus lasers to perform the reaction. Credit: The University of Texas at Austin A global research team led by Texas Engineers has developed a way to irradiate the molecules in plastic and other materials with a laser, breaking them down into tiny particles for future reuse. The … Read more
The rate at which the universe is expanding is accelerating across the cosmos, driven by a mysterious force known as dark energy. However, new research suggests that this may not be the case at the edges of black holes. Rather than suggesting that dark energy does not act at the boundaries of black holes, this … Read more
The rate at which the universe is expanding is accelerating across the cosmos, driven by a mysterious force known as dark energy. However, new research suggests that this may not be the case at the edges of black holes. Rather than suggesting that dark energy does not act at the boundaries of black holes, this … Read more
Angle down icon An icon in the shape of a downward pointing corner. A fragment of the 2,200-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to be the oldest surviving mechanical calculating device, is on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Associated Press/Thanassis Stavrakis Researchers believe they have solved the 2,200-year-old mystery of the Antikythera Mechanism. The … Read more
Scientists have captured the first ever early stage of embryo formation, which could help solve the ‘mystery’ of how birth defects develop in humans. Australian researchers watched in amazement as the cells of a quail embryo crawled around a protein-based support structure, organising themselves into the earliest form of the heart and the first stage … Read more
What do the early stages of pregnancy look like? Embryonic development has been studied extensively, but most of our knowledge about the earliest stages of a growing baby comes from stationary snapshots. However, understanding the dynamic processes that occur during these early stages can help us learn more about how congenital birth defects develop and … Read more
Do you feel dizzy? (Photo: University of Bristol) Who doesn’t love a good puzzle? Well, probably everyone who tries this one, dubbed by the scientists behind it as the “world’s most astonishingly difficult” maze. The maze, an enchanting pattern of curves and points, is inspired by a knight moving across a chessboard – and by … Read more
Here are two facts about math that are often not advertised: First, there are some problems that are simply unsolvable. It’s not that you’re personally not smart enough, or that you’re using the wrong method to find out; the question, conjecture or concept will simply never be solved by anyone. And second, inspiration for high-level … Read more
A recent study from the ARC Center of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics suggests that neutron stars could play a crucial role in understanding dark matter. The study found that when dark matter particles collide into neutron stars, they can quickly heat these stars, potentially making them observable with future astronomical technologies. This rapid … Read more