‘We have not yet reached the limit of human longevity,’ research suggests
For more than a century and a half, life expectancy has steadily increased in the richest countries. In the 20th century, remarkable increases in life expectancy have been noted, correlating with declines in infectious diseases and advances in cardiovascular medicine. But for several years, experts have been puzzled by one question: when does this clever […]
“Thermodynamic computers” can mimic AI neural networks – using orders of magnitude less energy to generate images
Scientists have built a “thermodynamic computer” that can generate images from random disturbances, or noise, in data. In doing so, they mimicked the generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities of neural networks, collections of machine learning algorithms modeled after the brain. Above absolute zero, the world becomes noisy with energy fluctuations called thermal noise. These fluctuations […]
Scientists propose new plan to ‘capture’ Comet 3I/ATLAS, but we need to act quickly
The arrival of 3I/ATLAS in our solar system has led to several proposals for rendezvous missions to study it up close. As the third interstellar object (ISO) ever detected, the wealth of information provided by direct study will be groundbreaking in many ways. However, the architecture of a mission to intercept an interstellar comet poses […]
A 2,000-year-old skull reveals ancient Vietnamese people permanently blackened their teeth – a stylish habit that continues today
In some parts of Vietnam, shiny black teeth have been considered a high standard of beauty since at least the late 1800s. But now archaeologists have traced the practice back 2,000 years and discovered that ancient humans used abundant iron resources to dye pearly whites black. In a study published January 22 in the journal […]
“Proof by blackmail”: AI confidently solves “impossible” math problems. But will that convince the world’s top mathematicians?
The 2025 Secret Conference brought together the world’s leading mathematicians to test OpenAI’s latest large-scale language model, o4-mini. Experts at the conference were surprised at how the model’s responses sounded like real mathematicians when performing complex proofs. Ken Ono, a professor of number theory at the University of Virginia, said at the time: “I’ve never […]
Boeing Starliner mission failure was the highest-ranking accident that put stranded astronauts at risk, says report
NASA has placed Boeing’s failed 2024 Starliner capsule test flight in the same category as the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters and the Apollo 13 mission, according to a new report released by the agency. The space agency has classified the failed flight, which left two NASA astronauts unexpectedly stranded in space for nine months […]
Archaeologists in a ‘race against time’ uncover Roman footprints on Scottish coastline before being washed away by the tide
A couple walking their dog along a cliff-faced Scottish coast after a heavy storm discovered a series of unusual tracks in the damp ground that looked like ancient human or animal footprints. Their discovery sparked an archaeological race against time to document and study the prints before they disappeared into the waves. “It’s very rare […]
95 million years ago, Spinosaurus had a scimitar-shaped head crest and walked the rivers of the Sahara like a ‘hell’s heron’
About 95 million years ago, a spinosaurus dinosaur with a tall blade-like crest on its head and a large sail on its back lived in what is now Niger, a new study has found. The newly discovered species, which researchers named Spinosaurus mirabilis (Latin for “amazing spinosaurus”), lived far inland along rivers — a finding […]
Controversial research claims solar flares may be causing earthquakes
Solar flares often disrupt Earth’s upper atmosphere and help produce spectacular aurora borealis. Now, scientists suggest that the same burst of solar energy could also affect earthquakes. When solar flares erupt toward our planet, they can subtly rearrange the charged particles in Earth’s ionosphere, a region of the upper atmosphere filled with electrically charged gases. […]
Saturn’s largest moon may actually be two moons in one, contributing to the birth of the planet’s iconic rings.
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, may be made up of two different moons that collided hundreds of millions of years ago, new research suggests. Confirmation of this epic collision could also help solve long-standing mysteries surrounding the gas giant, such as how its iconic ring formed. Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system […]