A nuclear bomb could save Earth from a catastrophic asteroid impact, according to a first-of-its-kind lab study. The new experiment, conducted using the world’s most powerful laboratory radiation source, demonstrated that detonating a coordinated nuclear strike close to an asteroid would produce enough force to deflect it from a fatal collision with our planet. Yet … Read more
Plants can grow with much less light than previously thought, according to a new study on tiny water-based organisms called microalgae that has been published in Nature Communications. The German-led team of researchers lowered light sensors into Arctic water to a depth of 164 feet (50 metres) to test how low light levels must become … Read more
We have some incredibly powerful telescopes that have given us spectacular views of the cosmos and allowed us to look back to the early days of the universe. These observatories, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), are amazing feats of engineering that have required billions of dollars and decades of work. But what … Read more
Scientists have discovered that common AI models express a covert form of racism based on dialect — manifesting chiefly against speakers of African American English (AAE) In a new study published Aug. 28 in the journal Nature, scientists found evidence for the first time that common large language models including OpenAI’s GPT3.5 and GPT-4, as … Read more
Archaeologists in Norway have discovered a Viking Age treasure that had remained “untouched” for more than 1,000 years. The four silver bracelets had been buried nearly 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the ground on a mountainside in Årdal, a village in southwestern Norway, according to a translated statement from the University of Stavanger. “This is … Read more
Memories evolve throughout our lifetimes, changing as we learn and experience new things and as we recall a memory repeatedly. And then, memories degrade as we age. Previously, scientists thought that this malleability was the result of changes in the brain cells that originally encoded the memory, and they believed these cells stored just one … Read more
The human body does not age at a constant rate throughout adulthood — instead, it accelerates dramatically around ages 44 and 60, a new study finds. The new research, published Aug. 14 in the journal Nature Aging,involved measuring more than 11,000 molecules in the adult body over time, and it revealed that 81% of them … Read more
Researchers plan to accelerate the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) with a worldwide network of extremely powerful computers — starting with a new supercomputer that came online in September. Artificial intelligence (AI) spans technologies including machine learning and generative AI systems like GPT-4. The latter offer predictive reasoning based on training from a large … Read more
Microscopic wormholes may be driving the accelerated expansion of the universe, scientists say. These tiny wormholes are constantly being born from the vacuum of space due to subtle quantum effects. If confirmed through experiments and observations, the wormholes could become a valuable source of information on quantum gravity — a theoretical unification of the fundamental … Read more
Vivid clouds swirl across Jupiter’s skies like colorful brushstrokes across a painting in a new photo from NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The image, taken during the spacecraft’s 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, hones in on activity in the planet’s northern hemisphere. Juno was approximately 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops … Read more
