Gallium plus magnetism equals something straight out of Terminator 2 Shape-shifting liquid metal robots might not be limited to science fiction anymore. Miniature machines can switch from solid to liquid and back again to squeeze into tight spaces and perform tasks like soldering a circuit board, researchers report January 25Continue Reading
A female Tasmanian tiger that died in 1936, not a male named Benjamin, was actually the last surviving member of this extinct species. The female’s remains had been hidden in museum storage. It has long been believed that Benjamin, a male Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), was the last surviving memberContinue Reading
Useful, cost-effective nuclear fusion remains a distant dream, despite a small step in the right direction from the government’s NIF reactor. Scientists have just announced a breakthrough in nuclear fusion ignition: For the first time the heart of a powerful fusion reactor has briefly generated more energy than was putContinue Reading
A small study links weighted-blanket use at bedtime to increased melatonin production. Using a weighted blanket at bedtime may boost the body’s production of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, a small study suggests. However, at this point, it’s unclear why the hefty blankets might increase melatonin levels and whether this significantlyContinue Reading
Not only did ankylosaurs like “Zuul” use their tails as weapons against potential predators, but they also used them to battle their peers. Equipped with massive tails studded with spikes, ankylosaurs were heavily armored herbivores that could do real damage in a fight. Paleontologists once thought that these tank-like dinosaursContinue Reading
The planet 55 Cancri e, also known as the “hell planet,” appears to have been dragged closer to its sun’s equator due to a gravitational anomaly. Scientists studying a distant “hell planet” where clouds rain lava, the oceans are molten and the core is filled with diamonds have found thatContinue Reading
A woman’s unusual vomiting episodes may be linked to an autoimmune disorder. A young woman experienced spontaneous vomiting attacks during which she would sometimes retch more than 30 times a day and heave up to 1.6 gallons (6 liters) over the full course of an episode. It turns out, theContinue Reading
The “most complicated therapy ever” tailors bespoke, genome-edited immune cells to attack tumors A small clinical trial has shown that researchers can use CRISPR gene editing to alter immune cells so that they will recognize mutated proteins specific to a person’s tumours. Those cells can then be safely set looseContinue Reading
Greek astronomer Hipparchus is thought to be the first to attempt to precisely map the stars Fragments of a star catalog from the second century B.C. have turned up in a manuscript that had been erased and written over centuries later. A new analysis of the religious manuscript shows thatContinue Reading
Your questions answered about what RSV is, how it spreads, what vaccines are on the way and who is most at risk As flu season picks up and experts weigh concerns about another possible COVID surge, children’s hospitals are already filling with patients with another viral threat: respiratory syncytial virus,Continue Reading