A looming ‘insect apocalypse’ could endanger global food supplies. Can we stop it before it’s too late?
Imagine driving down a highway in the summer. The windows are down, the music is loud, and the wind is whipping through your hair. Now picture your car’s windshield. You might expect to see a handful of splats from unfortunate bugs. But 30 years ago, there would have been significantly more buggy skid marks plastered […]
Turning off AI’s ability to lie makes it easier for AI to claim it’s conscious, a creepy study finds
Large-scale language models (LLMs) are more likely to report being self-aware when prompted to think about themselves if their ability to lie is inhibited, according to new research. In experiments with artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as GPT, Claude, and Gemini, researchers found that models that were discouraged from lying were more likely to describe […]
Scientists discover new lion’s roar
Scientists have discovered a new type of lion roar: the mesoroar. This is shorter and lower pitched than the animal’s iconic full-throated roar. The researchers found that these intermediate roars always followed the full-throat roar. The discovery reveals that lion roars are more complex than previously thought, said study lead author Jonathan Growcott, a doctoral […]
Early research reveals that killing ‘zombie cells’ in blood vessels may be the key to diabetes treatment
‘Zombified’ cells in blood vessels may play a key role in the development of age-related metabolic diseases such as diabetes, a new study has found. And killing these zombie cells could be a promising approach for future treatments. Cells normally respond to stress by becoming senescent, a state in which cells remain in the body […]
A 2,000-year-old skull found in a Celtic fort was likely a ‘war trophy’ displayed by the conquering Romans
Archaeologists have discovered a human skull on the wall of a 2,000-year-old fortress in Spain. Study of their skulls revealed that local soldiers were brutally murdered by Roman troops, then beheaded and placed their heads on the walls of the fort as a warning to others. In the 1st century B.C., Rome waged war against […]
‘Frankly, I don’t know if the CDC will survive’: Former CDC official talks about CDC’s collapse under RFK administration
Every four to eight years, expert scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) see priorities and efforts shift as a new presidential administration takes office. This is an expected and normal process, and the agency is well equipped to respond. But what happened this year at the CDC is unprecedented, former CDC […]
Comet 3I/ATLAS Gallery: See images of NASA’s much-anticipated interstellar visitor
NASA has released a treasure trove of 3I/ATLAS images of comets, giving us our closest look yet at an interstellar visitor. The U.S. government shutdown, which lasted from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, delayed the release of much-anticipated images, including snapshots taken by instruments around Mars and the Sun over the past few months. Live […]
Scientists placed moss on the outside of the International Space Station for nine months and then continued to grow it on Earth
Scientists have found that moss spores can survive long-duration space travel. The spores spent nine months outside the International Space Station (ISS) before returning to Earth, where more than 80% of the spores were still able to reproduce. The discovery deepens our understanding of how plant species survive in extreme conditions, the researchers said in […]
Viking-era woman found buried with scallop shell over mouth, baffling archaeologists
ノルウェー中部の金属探知機が最近、バイキング時代の金属ブローチを発見した。 But when he led archaeologists to the site, they discovered much more. It was a burial with evidence of unusual rituals never seen before. ノルウェー科学技術大学大学博物館の技術主任でプロジェクトリーダーのレイモンド・ソバージュ氏は、「墓には女性と思われる人物が埋葬されており、9世紀に遡る典型的なバイキング時代の衣装や宝石類を身に着けて埋葬されている」と翻訳声明で述べた。 “The most striking feature is the two scallop shells placed near the mouth of the deceased, a practice previously unknown in pre-Christian graves in Norway.” The burial was discovered […]
‘3I/ATLAS is a comet’: NASA finally releases new 3I/ATLAS images and addresses alien rumors
NASA has finally released a cache of previously unreleased images of comet 3I/ATLAS, emphasizing that the interstellar visitor is a natural object. Comet 3I/ATLAS has become a celestial celebrity since its discovery in July. One reason for this is the constant speculation that it could be an alien spacecraft. Most astronomers are confident that this […]