The clock is ticking for the binary star T Coronae Borealis, as it’s only a matter of time before it explodes in a blaze of light that will be visible here on Earth. Although astronomers aren’t sure exactly when this spectacle will unfold, they say the binary star — given the fiery nickname, the Blaze Star — is likely to ignite later in 2025. The Explosive Cycle of T CrBT Coronae Borealis (T CrB) is a nova located about 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Borealis ( ...read more

After so many years of learning how microbes work, researchers are now digitally recreating their inner workings to tackle challenges ranging from climate change to space colonization.In my work as a computational biologist, I research ways to get microbes to produce more useful chemicals, such as fuels and bioplastics, that can be used in the energy, agricultural, or pharmaceutical industries. Traditionally, researchers have to conduct several trial-and-error experiments on Petri dishes in orde ...read more

"New Year, new me," is a cliche, and yet, each year we set New Year's resolutions. Recent research says that most of us elect to make New Year’s resolutions each year, like exercising more or eating better, even if the resolution may not last past January.According to a new survey from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult, nearly half of all adults in the U.S. will start a new diet as part of their New Year’s resolutions. The findings indicate that the diets the ...read more

A worker digging up clay in an English limestone quarry discovered a “dinosaur highway” made up of 200 tracks dating back 166 million years. The Oxfordshire footprints include a mix of footprints from both herbivores and at least one carnivore. Most dinosaur toes pointed northward.So just who were these creatures, where were they heading and why were they going there?At least four sets of tracks were likely made by the long-necked herbivores Cetiosaurus, a dinosaur that grew to nearly 60 fee ...read more

In a brilliant development, scientists have discerned the origins of a fast radio burst borne from the magnetic surroundings of a dead neutron star. Its sighting can be traced to a curved glint of light originating from a faraway galaxy. New research from a study in Nature on this luminous phenomenon has issued an updated perspective on fast radio bursts — short-lived explosions of radio waves that release an abundance of energy. Fast Radio Burst 20221022AA fast radio burst (FRB), thought to ...read more

Rangers at Yellowstone National Park are often asked to predict when the next massive volcanic eruption will occur there.A team of USGS scientists, who surveyed the park’s underground magma reservoirs, recently confirmed the standard response, “probably not any time soon.” But they have pointed out that the area where such activity is likely to occur has shifted, according to a report in the journal Nature.Reservoirs of Molton RockIt’s not like there’s been a pattern of frequent, massi ...read more

The sun had a big year in 2024. First, April brought a total solar eclipse that provided a wide swath of the continental U.S. with nearly four minutes of hushed totality. It also gave sun-gazers a chance to observe the outer layers of the sun’s atmosphere, which are normally obscured.Then, on May 10–11, the aurora borealis seemed to appear everywhere, all at once. Reports came from North Texas, Arizona, even Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee — nearly the entire U.S. — that the night sky ha ...read more

Bats are often synonymous with a dark and stormy night mostly for their association with vampires, the fact that they’re nocturnal, and thanks to media like Scooby-Doo. While bats may add an extra layer of eerie to nighttime, their presence in bad weather may actually be due to a migratory advancement. A new study in the journal Science explains how certain bats may use warm storm fronts to aid in cross-continental migration. Bats and Storm Surfing Bat migration is notoriously difficult to ...read more

When most people think of Neanderthals, they picture a classic caveman caricature — brutish and backward, a relic of the distant past. But this image doesn’t tell the whole story.These Ice Age inhabitants of Europe and parts of Asia were skilled hunters, toolmakers, and caregivers. And their legacy persists — not just in the archaeological record, but in our very genes. Some modern-day people have 2 percent Neanderthal DNA, according to Prof. Chris Stringer, a leading human evolution resea ...read more

#MuseumSelfie Day is the perfect blend of art, culture, history—and selfies! Mark your calendars now for January 15, 2025.Mar Dixon, a leader in social media and the cultural sector, created #MuseumSelfie Day in 2014 as part of her quest to make museums fun for everyone – thus changing the image of museums from stodgy and boring institutions, to places that anyone can enjoy. This simple concept – taking a fun selfie in a museum – has become a global movement, with people, museums, news o ...read more