There are problems with Artemis II’s heat shield, but NASA isn’t worried. Here’s why:
The Artemis II astronauts are returning home from a record-setting journey around the moon, but will the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield be safe to bring them home? NASA and the astronauts say yes, but not everyone agrees. The Artemis II mission, which launched on April 1, is scheduled to end with a dramatic splashdown in […]
Western states are facing a higher-than-usual wildfire threat this summer. A new map reveals which areas are most at risk.
Western states are expected to face a higher-than-usual wildfire threat this summer, according to the latest forecast released Wednesday by the National Interagency Coordination Center. The government-run center publishes monthly reports predicting fire risks for the next four months, but the change from March’s outlook is startling. The agency shows increased risk in red on […]
History of Science: Doctors Hypothesize that ‘Infectious Proteins’ Can Cause Disease, Contradicting ‘Central Tenets’ of Molecular Biology — April 9, 1982
Milestone: Identification of prion Date: April 9, 1982 Location: San Francisco People: Dr. Stanley Prusiner On April 9, 1982, doctors at the University of California, San Francisco published a paper in Science showing that an infectious protein causes a neurodegenerative disease in sheep. In doing so, he changed our understanding of how some diseases are […]
‘No one knows what it is’: researchers discover new type of cell found only during pregnancy
Scientists have published a detailed ‘atlas’ of the placenta and uterus, showing how these unique tissues grow and evolve during pregnancy to match the developing fetus. In creating this new map, scientists uncovered a previously undescribed cell subtype that appears to be unique to pregnancy. These cells are not present in the uterus outside of […]
16th-century silver coins found near the Straits of Magellan mark the ruins of a doomed Spanish colony
Archaeologists have discovered Spanish coins placed near the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile as part of a ritual performed by settlers more than 400 years ago. The coin is an important clue for archaeologists investigating the colony, as it matches extant records from 1584 of Christian rituals involving coins, which was standard practice at […]
Keratin may play an unknown role in skin diseases such as psoriasis
Keratin proteins, which form our skin, hair and nails, can confuse the immune system and cause diseases such as psoriasis and eczema when mutated, new research suggests. In a new study published Wednesday (April 8) in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers have identified a mutant form of the keratin protein that can disrupt processes […]
Diagnostic dilemma: Woman’s “biologically impossible” infection causes “worms” to come out of her nose when she sneezes
Patient: 58-year-old female resident in Greece Symptoms: A patient working outdoors on a Greek island experienced pain near the center of his face that gradually worsened. About 2-3 weeks after this pain started, she also developed a severe cough. Shortly after, she told doctors, she went to see a doctor because “bugs” came out of […]
‘In every continent where humans are present, water bankruptcy is manifesting itself’: Exiled Iranian scientist Kaveh Madani on our desperate need to preserve our most precious resource
Humans are depleting Earth’s fresh water at a dizzying rate by pumping groundwater and sucking rivers dry. Continents are losing enough water each year to meet the needs of 280 million people. And in January, a report from the United Nations warned that the world is entering an era of “global water bankruptcy,” meaning we […]
‘They are literally everywhere’: The shocking story of how forever chemicals polluted the world
“Forever chemicals” — technically known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — are remarkably useful things. They’re also among the most dangerous pollutants on the planet, says investigative journalist Mariah Blake. The many carbon-fluorine bonds in these chemicals, consisting of an alkyl chain connected to multiple fluorine atoms, are considered the strongest in organic chemistry. […]
AI ‘mirages’ mean tools used to analyze medical scans can fabricate results
Researchers have trained artificial intelligence (AI) systems to interpret the results of visual tests such as mammograms, MRIs, and tissue biopsies. As AI becomes more and more capable, some analysts have suggested that these models could replace humans in medical diagnostics. But now, new research casts doubt on the ability of current AI models to […]