A knight in “shining armor” wielding a sword or lance is an iconic medieval image, but more advanced weapons also appeared in the Middle Ages — including guns that fired bullets. This leads to an interesting question: Could the metal suits worn by knights and other warriors block a bullet? Live Science contacted experts to … Read more
Modern humans now permanently live on every continent except Antarctica, but it wasn’t always this way. After our species, Homo sapiens, emerged in Africa at least 300,000 years ago, some eventually ventured out, trekking and voyaging across the world. So when did the first modern humans reach each of the seven continents? The accepted ideas … Read more
Astronomers have discovered an enormous black hole the size of 36 billion suns lurking within the “Cosmic Horseshoe.” The behemoth object is one of the largest black holes ever detected. First discovered in 2007, the Cosmic Horseshoe is a system of two galaxies located in the constellation Leo. Images of the system show a halo … Read more
A Norwegian robotics firm has unveiled a knitted-nylon-covered humanoid robot designed to complete household chores. “Neo Gamma,” built by robotics company 1X, is a bipedal android equipped to perform everyday tasks such as vacuuming, tidying clothes and making coffee. In a promotional video released Feb 21. On YouTube, the machine is shown serving tea, fixing … Read more
Changes in Earth’s tilt relative to the sun have governed the movements of giant ice sheets over the past 800,000 years, triggering the start and end of eight ice ages, new research suggests. The new study revealed an “amazing correlation” between Earth’s tilt and ice sheet formation, said lead author Stephen Barker. Based on these … Read more
Radiation from an exploding star may have had a profound effect on the evolution of life on Earth, a new study suggests. About 2.5 million years ago, the viruses infecting fish in Africa”s Lake Tanganyika underwent a mysterious and rapid explosion in diversity. Yet the exact cause of this change has remained a mystery. Now, … Read more
We may have been wrong about how Mars got its characteristic red hue, a new study reveals. The Red Planet owes its ruddy complexion to rusted iron minerals, dispersed across billions of years by winds, throughout the planet’s dust. Past spacecraft observations of Martian dust led scientists to believe that this rust emerged in dry … Read more
A native language, or “mother tongue,” is the first language a person learns and is usually a key part of their identity, allowing them to connect with their family and friends and to embrace their culture and heritage. But is it possible to forget your native language — for example, if you move to another … Read more
Engineering researchers have demonstrated that artificial intelligence (AI) can design complex wireless chips in hours, a feat that would have taken humans weeks to complete. Not only did the chip designs prove more efficient, the AI took a radically different approach — one that a human circuit designer would have been highly unlikely to devise. … Read more
Earth’s glaciers lost 300 billion tons (273 billion metric tons) of ice every year on average between 2000 and 2023, amounting to a 5% decline in volume since the start of the millennium, a groundbreaking new study finds. The loss equates to roughly three Olympic swimming pools’ worth of ice melting or breaking off from … Read more
