One critical challenge for engineers is to measure distances with ever greater accuracy. In recent years, this has become possible with nanometer resolution over distances of a few meters. That means to an accuracy equivalent to about the width of a human DNA strand. Although impressive, engineers would dearly love to have that kind of accuracy over much longer distances. Now Yan-Wei Chen at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, and colleagues, have found a way to do just t ...read more

Picture an octopus that could be deadly to humans. You’re probably thinking of a large creature, and not one that is the size of your palm.But indeed, that’s the blue-ringed octopus, one of several shallow-dwelling species harboring a neurotoxin in its saliva with the capability of paralyzing muscles – an effect that could, if left unaddressed, lead to fatal consequences. There might be around 10 species of these tiny octopuses in the Hapalochlaena genus, but the more well-known examples i ...read more

When a person dies of unknown causes, modern forensic pathologists might conduct a complete or partial autopsy. In some situations, they might use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT scan) to help them see deep into the body.Although imaging technology is new for forensic pathologists, the process of conducting an autopsy to understand how a person died is an ancient practice that dates back thousands of years.What Is an Autopsy?An autopsy is an internal and external exam ...read more

Researchers in England uncovered the skeletal remains of 37 Bronze Age individuals, and further analysis indicated that not only were they violently murdered, but their remains may have also been consumed. This discovery could shed light on a darker side of early human history, according to the study published in the journal Antiquity.The remains were initially found at the Bronze Age archeological site Charterhouse Warren, Somerset, in the 1970s. Over 3,000 bones were mixed together at the bott ...read more

Start typing “dog shares...” into a search engine and instant cuteness results. In one clip, a yellow Labrador brings its toys to the fence to share with the neighbor dog.The clips are charming, but are the animals actually sharing? Is it a behavior that animals even know? Through observation, scientists have found examples of sharing in the animal world. Often, it’s based on reciprocity, which means there could be a future expectation the giver will one day be the receiver. Animals May ...read more

Beluga whales are the only whales, other than narwhals, a closely related species, that live exclusively in arctic and subarctic waters. Like many other arctic animals, belugas are white. In fact, the word ‘beluga’ comes from ‘bielo,’ the Russian word for white. But belugas aren’t born white, notes Ragen Davey, Alaska marine representative for the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife. Calves are dark gray and gradually get lighter as they age, becoming totally white upon reaching ...read more

We do all sorts of things to look and feel younger. We exercise, meditate, obsess over our sleep, get Botox, color our hair, and the list goes on and on. But perhaps the most important aspect of our anti-aging ritual is diet. Diet is the best tool for taking care of ourselves, three meals a day, everyday. And for those times when you don’t get what they need, supplements can help.Important Foods to Eat as We AgeFiber is increasingly important as we age, and a staggering 95 percent of Americans ...read more

If superflares are akin to celestial temper tantrums, then our Sun might get angry more often than previously thought, according to a report in the journal Science. A superflare, defined as a solar storm that releases over one octillion joules of energy within a short time, manifests itself in data as a short, pronounced peak in brightness. Understanding superflares’ regularity can be useful, because they can be potentially damaging. For example, a violent solar storm in 1859 knocked out the t ...read more

Scientists have spent years assembling evidence to fill out the intricate Neanderthal timeline from emergence to extinction, and the latest update has cemented a date for Neanderthal interbreeding with humans. A new pair of studies published in the journal Science sheds light on the duration of gene flow between Neanderthals and humans, confirming that it lasted from approximately 50,500 years to 43,500 years ago. The two collaborative studies — involving a team of researchers from University ...read more

When studying the outer planets of our solar system, there’s no solid ground. Literally. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all lack solid surfaces, and are actually composed of clouds of swirling gases, all with their own seasons and storms. Since 2014, the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program has observed these planets to track their strange systems of weather. The observations have shown that there are all sorts of curiosities within the planets’ churning clouds, from t ...read more