Written by: Christina Pulluck Posted on: November 3, 2024Could Billion-Year-Old Rocks Be the Missing Link to Proving Dark Matter Exists?
For decades, dark matter has been like the ghost at the cosmic party—everyone’s pretty sure it’s there, but nobody can actually see it. Despite all our fancy telescopes and particle accelerators, we haven’t detected a single speck of this mysterious “stuff” directly. But now, researchers…
Written by: Dean Prust Posted on: December 7, 2019Monkeys outperform humans when it comes to cognitive flexibility
When it comes to exploring new options for solving a problem, Capuchin and Rhesus monkeys show more cognitive flexibility than humans, say US scientists. Explanations. Humans live in complex environments and inevitably have to rely on incomplete information to make decisions. The logical shortcuts they…
Written by: Dean Prust Posted on: December 5, 2019We are all mutants, but some more than others
All babies are born with genetic mutations different from those of their parents, but some have more than others, show the work of American geneticists. At birth, newborns typically have 70 new genetic mutations compared to their parents. Landmarks The human genome is made up…
Written by: Mitch Evans Posted on: December 4, 2019The “mechanics” of how bacteria divide explained in new study
Before a bacterium divides, there is an accumulation of mechanical stress in the cell wall, at the very place where it will separate, found Swiss scientists. Bacteria are among the first forms of life to appear on the surface of the Earth. There are thousands…
Written by: Zelda Wiggins Posted on: November 9, 2019Birch pitch used as glue for at least 50,000 years
The oldest glue in the world, birch pitch, has been used for at least 50,000 years, by prehistoric tribes, according to a new study. Made from heat treatment of bark, this plant tar is considered the oldest known synthetic material. In fact, birch bark tar…