Ancient process for producing rare earth elements discovered – could help find desperately needed mineral deposits
Researchers may have discovered a new way to find deposits of rare earth elements essential to the technology and energy industries. Rare earth elements crystallize within the Earth’s mantle in magma masses rich in alkali metals such as sodium and potassium and carbonate minerals such as calcite and dolomite. In a new study, scientists found […]
A strange mammalian ancestor laid giant leathery eggs – which was the key to surviving the world’s worst mass extinction
Scientists have uncovered a 250-million-year-old fossilized egg, predating the age of dinosaurs, and have solved a major mystery about mammalian evolution. Researchers say the specimen, which contains a curled-up embryo from the plant-eating Lystrosaurus, is the first egg ever discovered from a mammalian ancestor and proves that the mammalian ancestor laid eggs. The eggs could […]
73 moon landings? NASA’s ‘Moon Base User’s Guide’ reveals NASA’s ‘most ambitious space project’ comes with challenges
NASA has published a Lunar Base User’s Guide detailing the many challenges NASA will need to overcome in order to complete the 73 planned moon landings and build a permanent moon base. The document, released April 6, is a nine-page bare-bones list of what NASA needs to accomplish the “nearly impossible” space mission it announced […]
Diagnostic dilemma: Woman was told she had a brain tumor, but a scan confirmed she had a brain tumor.
Patient: Female in her 40s living in the UK Symptoms: One day, a woman was reading a book when she heard an unfamiliar voice say, “Don’t be afraid. I know it’s shocking for you to hear me telling you this, but this is the easiest way I can think of. My friend and I worked […]
Close relative of Triassic alligator from New Mexico’s Ghost Ranch finally identified after nearly 80 years in museum basement
A newly identified relative of modern crocodiles chased prey during the Triassic period, about 205 million years ago, but did not move underwater, a new study has found. Like other members of the ancient crocodile family, this newly identified species had not yet entered the water. Instead, they hunted on land, much like modern foxes […]
‘I heard cries of joy’: Why Artemis II’s sighting of a meteor flash on the moon excited scientists
On April 6, while flying just a few thousand miles above the moon, the Artemis II astronauts reported seeing several bright, ephemeral flashes of light on the moon’s surface, sending mission scientists on Earth buzzing with excitement. This excitement is reason enough for scientists to plan future lunar exploration missions. These short flashes caused by […]
Physicists witnessed the needle of darkness traveling faster than the speed of light without violating the theory of relativity
For the first time, researchers have discovered that voids in the sky are moving faster than the speed of light. And they jumped the speed limit of the universe without breaking the theory of relativity. Recent studies have shown void acceleration. The researchers used recent advances in ultrafast electron microscopy to measure the voids of […]
Scotland’s Stone Age graves reveal ‘web of descent’ between male relatives
Stone Age people in northern Scotland buried related men, rather than women, together in the same graves, creating a “web of descent” at several Neolithic sites, new DNA research has revealed. In the study, published in the journal Antiquity on Tuesday (April 14), researchers analyzed DNA from 22 people taken from five graves in Caithness […]
‘Oslo patient’ likely cured of HIV after receiving stem cell transplant from brother who is genetically resistant to the virus
A 63-year-old man known as the Oslo Patient is “likely” cured of HIV after his entire immune system was remodeled through a stem cell transplant. Prior to this case, several other HIV patients who underwent similar transplants had entered long-term remission from infection. In these cases, the donated cells came from people unrelated to the […]
Preservative-resistant bacteria spread through hospital air, early research suggests
Common disinfectants used to clean the skin of hospitalized patients can remain on surfaces for hours, creating a breeding ground for bacteria to become resistant to or become resistant to chemicals that would normally kill them. When bacteria develops “resistance,” they can survive certain concentrations of chemicals more easily than other bacteria, but can usually […]