Research confirms that humans, not glaciers, brought stones to Stonehenge
Humans, not glaciers, carried Stonehenge’s megaliths across Britain and to their current location in southern England, a new study has confirmed. Scientists have believed for decades that the iconic stones of this 5,000-year-old monument came from present-day Wales and as far away as Scotland, but there is still debate as to how the stones ended […]
Some of the oldest harpoons ever discovered reveal that Brazil’s indigenous people were hunting whales 5,000 years ago
Harpoons made from the bones of humpback and southern right whales indicate that indigenous peoples in what is now Brazil were hunting whales 5,000 years ago. The discovery, which includes 118 whale bones and crafted artifacts, reveals that prehistoric whaling was not limited to people in temperate or polar climates in the northern hemisphere, according […]
‘A real revolution’: The James Webb telescope is upending our understanding of the biggest, oldest black holes in the universe
Colossal monsters lurk in the centers of all galaxies. Known as supermassive black holes, these gravitational beasts can have millions to billions of times more mass than the sun. For decades, astronomers have wondered where these behemoths came from and how they got so huge. Early on, physicists thought that supermassive black holes formed like […]
‘Earthquake on a Chip’ uses ‘phonon’ lasers to improve efficiency of mobile devices
Engineers have developed a device that generates small earthquake-like vibrations on the surface of the chip. They say it could one day be used for signal processing inside everyday electronic devices, paving the way for smaller, faster and more efficient wireless devices. In a new study published in the journal Nature on January 14, the […]
Chocolate Hills: Color-changing mounds in the Philippines that inspired the legend of the mud-throwing giant
simple facts Name: Chocolate Hills Location: Bohol Island, Philippines Coordinates: 9.8297, 124.1396 Why we don’t believe it: The hills change color with the seasons, giving rise to legends that giants formed them out of mud. The Chocolate Hills are a geological formation of 1,776 limestone grass-covered mounds located in the Philippines. The landscape is lush […]
New images suggest an ocean the size of the North Pole that once covered half of Mars
New evidence of ancient rivers suggests Mars may have been a “blue planet” thanks to oceans that span the entire northern hemisphere. Cameras on multiple Mars rovers have apparently captured the dusty remains of a river delta, as described in a study published January 7 in the journal NPJ Space Exploration. A team led by […]
Stem cell-derived ‘pain sponges’ could absorb pain signals before they reach the brain
The experimental treatment uses specialized neurons derived from stem cells to “absorb” triggers of pain and inflammation in arthritic knees of mice. The experiments in laboratory mice suggest that this treatment could help people with chronic pain caused by diseases such as osteoarthritis, for example. Researchers say a “pain sponge” could help patients stop relying […]
Arctic blasts probably won’t cause trees to explode in the cold. But if the trees grow too fast, here’s what happens.
The extreme cold from the incoming winter blast could cause some trees to “explode,” a viral social media post claims, but don’t expect them to start blowing away like cars in an action movie. “Trees are likely to explode across the Midwest and northern Plains on Friday and Saturday as temperatures are expected to drop […]
5,500-year-old human bones discovered in Colombia hold the earliest evidence that syphilis came from the Americas
The world’s oldest evidence of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis and several chronic skin infections, has been discovered in 5,500-year-old human bones buried in a rock shelter in Colombia. However, genetic evidence suggests that the person was infected with a previously unknown strain of syphilis, further complicating the already complex picture of syphilis […]
Wegovy now comes in pill form — here’s what you need to know
A pill version of the popular weight management drug Wegovy has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is now available through various pharmacies and telemedicine services in the United States. The drug has been available by prescription as a once-weekly injection in the U.S. since 2021. Like the injection, Wegoby’s new […]