In a recent column, I wrote about black holes. A curious reader sent in a letter asking some interesting follow-up questions about topics that I didn’t really have time to delve into, more specifically about the relationship between matter and...
Did the Step Pyramid of Djoser include a hydraulic lift?Peter Brown / Alamy The construction of ancient Egypt’s oldest known pyramid may have benefited from a water elevator capable of lifting 50 to 100 tonnes of stones at a time....
Muscle cells briefly stayed with astronauts aboard the International Space StationShutterstock / Artsiom P A week in the microgravity of space ages muscle cells so that their genetic activity looks similar to Earth-bound cells that have been ageing for years....
DeepMind’s AlphaProof AI can tackle a range of mathematical problemsGoogle DeepMind An AI from Google DeepMind has achieved a silver medal score at this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the first time any AI has made it to the podium....
The Shingrix shingles vaccineZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy The latest shingles vaccine may delay or possibly even prevent the onset of dementia more effectively than an older version. Being vaccinated against shingles has been linked to dementia protection before. Now, it seems...
What We Know about Long COVID Right NowResearchers are still working to understand the complicated and debilitating condition dubbed long COVIDBy Ziyad Al-Aly & The Conversation USResearchers are gaining key insights into the ways that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can lead...
Komodo Dragons’ Nightmare Iron-Tipped Teeth Are a Reptilian FirstReptile teeth have long been considered simple and cheap because the animals replace them regularly. That isn't so, Komodo dragons showBy Meghan BartelsAn adult Komodo dragon seen at a zoo. Jürgen &...
The Legacy of Lynchings Still Hurts the Economic Prospects of Black AmericansDespite progress, the long shadow of racial violence continues to undermine economic opportunities for African Americans todayBy Sotiris KampanelisA historic marker detailing lynching in Anne Arundel County and in...
When Dogs Smell Your Stress, They Act SadDogs can smell when people are stressed, and it seems to make them feel downheartedBy Sara Novak Hailey Seelig/Getty ImagesHumans and dogs have been close companions for perhaps 30,000 years, according to anthropological...
When a humpback whale arrived in the seas off Mexico last year, the scientific world sat up in wonder. And with good reason, because the whale – aptly named Frodo – had just finished an 11,000-kilometre journey that began in...
