Physicists push quantum limits by turning superfluid into supersolid and back again for the first time
Scientists simply observed a strange phase of matter transform into an even stranger phase. For the first time, they witnessed a superfluid transform into a supersolid. I wasn’t even sure this transition was possible. In a study published January 28 in the journal Nature, researchers observed groups of excitons (quasiparticles that combine electrons and electron […]
The dramatic death of comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) caught on camera — Space Photos of the Week
simple facts What is it: Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) Location: 220 million miles away in the constellation of Pisces Share date: January 28, 2026 Just as the mythical Icarus flew too close to the sun and had his feathers and wax wings melt, comets are often affected by orbiting too close to our star. That […]
Did the ancient Greeks let women compete in the Olympics?
Ancient Olympians were famous for their strength and agility, but were there any women among these athletes, and were there other sporting opportunities in which ancient Greek women could compete? The Ancient Olympic Games involved people from all over Greece, and sometimes from all over Greece, and lasted from about 776 BC to 393 AD. […]
‘Maybe they’re waiting for something that only happens thousands of years later’: The hidden life ‘sleeping’ deep beneath Earth for millions of years
Beneath Earth’s surface lies a kingdom of undiscovered microscopic life. These “intraterrestrials” survive in some of the harshest conditions on the planet — and scientists are hunting for these microbes. In this excerpt from “Intraterrestrials: Discovering the Strangest Life on Earth” (Princeton University Press, 2025), author Karen G. Lloyd, a microbial biogeochemist at the University […]
History of Science: “Father of Modern Genetics” Describes Experiments with Peas That Prove Heredity is Transmitted in Discrete Units – February 8, 1865
Milestone: Discovering the principle of inheritance Dates: February 8 and March 8, 1865 Location: Brno, now Czech Republic People: Gregor Mendel On a cold February day, the Augustinian monk described his experiments in breeding garden varieties of plants, which gave rise to the modern field of genetics. Gregor Mendel was an Austrian priest who spent […]
Anglo-Saxon children found buried with warrior equipment in Britain – perhaps as a nod to ‘the men these children might have become’
Four early Anglo-Saxon swords, discovered during a recent archaeological excavation I participated in, each tell a story about how weapons were viewed at the time. There was also the surprising discovery of a child buried with a spear and shield. Was the kid an underage fighter? Or were weapons for them more than just instruments […]
‘Second eyes’: AI-assisted breast cancer screening can detect more cancers earlier, groundbreaking trial finds
A first-of-its-kind trial demonstrates that AI-assisted mammography can improve outcomes for breast cancer patients, especially those with advanced disease. Although many people have only recently begun using artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily lives, the use of this technology in healthcare began about a decade ago, particularly in the field of image-based diagnostics. Researchers have […]
‘There’s no reason to ban us from playing’: Analysis debunks the idea that transgender women have an inherent physical advantage in sports
The most comprehensive analysis of its kind to date shows that transgender women who receive hormone therapy exhibit physical fitness comparable to cisgender women. The review, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine on Tuesday (February 3), examined 52 published studies that assessed body composition, muscle strength and aerobic capacity in approximately 6,500 individuals, […]
Clean energy is booming with or without President Trump.
On the way to President Donald Trump’s mission to eliminate renewable energy, a funny thing happened. The use of solar and wind energy is rapidly increasing, especially globally and in the United States. According to an analysis by Ember Energy Research, solar and wind power generation increased by 109% worldwide last year, making these renewables […]
This week’s science news: Anomalies inside Earth, the Artemis II leak and how psychedelics can help treat PTSD
This week’s science news was full of surprising discoveries hidden deep within the Earth, including a potential answer to the age-old mystery of how Colorado River tributaries seem to defy gravity. The Green River, which begins in Wyoming and joins the Colorado River in Utah, carved a path through the Uinta Mountains rather than bypassing […]