Science

Penguins Don’t Mate for Life: A Myth Debunked by Science

Credit: PixabayA long-term study on little penguins in Australia has debunked the belief that these seabirds stay with one partner for life. The research uncovered a "divorce rate" nearly ten times higher than that of U.S. humans, with parenting success as the main factor behind separations.While some penguins, like Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), are...

Gaia Discovers a Swarm of Black Holes Roaming the Milky Way

Palomar 5, a seemingly calm star cluster, may hide a swarm of over 100 stellar-mass black holes. Spanning 30,000 light-years and located 80,000 light-years away, it provides clues about star cluster evolution and tidal stream formation. Unique in its loose structure and 20-degree tidal stream, Palomar 5 contrasts with typical dense globular clusters of...

NASA’s Pandora Poised to Unlock the Mysteries of Alien Atmospheres

An artist’s concept of the Pandora mission, seen here without the thermal blanketing that will protect the spacecraft, observing a star and its transiting exoplanet. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image LabSet to launch later this year, NASA’s Pandora mission promises groundbreaking advancements in our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres. By focusing on at...

Popular Sleeping Pill May Block the Brain’s Essential Cleaning Cycle

Credit: DepositphotosDuring sleep, the brain performs a "wash and rinse" routine to clear out harmful proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, new research has revealed that a widely used sleep aid might interfere with this critical process.In 2012, neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) identified a unique...

Astronomers Find Unusual Slow-Spinning Radio Source That ‘Shouldn’t Exist’

Artist's impression of ASKAP J1839-0756. (James Josephides)At the end of their lifecycles, some of the largest stars explode in massive supernovas, leaving behind dense cores called neutron stars. These remnants can emit strong radio waves from their magnetic poles.As these stars rotate, their radio beams sweep across Earth, creating periodic pulses much like a...

FDA Finally Bans Red Food Dye That Has Been Prohibited Worldwide

(ValaGrenier/Getty Images)The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday a ban on Red Dye No. 3, a controversial food coloring known to cause cancer in animals. Decades after scientific evidence first raised concerns, Red 3, as it is also known, continues to be used in nearly 3,000 food products in the United...

Silver Foam and High-Power Lasers Create the World’s Brightest X-Ray

An x-ray detector at the National Ignition Facility was used to measure the energy spectrum and intensity of x-ray bursts created in the experimentsLawrence Livermore National LaboratoryA groundbreaking innovation at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has combined high-power lasers with an ultralight silver metal foam to create the brightest X-ray source ever recorded, boasting...

Major Depression Breakthrough: Nearly 300 Previously Unknown Genes Discovered

Scientists make a huge leap forward in understanding the genetic map of depression risk. Credit: PixabayWe are closer than ever to accurately determining if a person’s biology makes them more prone to major depressive disorder. Researchers have identified 293 new gene variants linked to increased risk, a 42% increase from what was previously known.A...

Expert Reveals How Drinking a Daily Glass of Milk May Reduce Cancer Risk

Credit: PixabayA daily glass of milk might help prevent bowel cancer, according to a study by Oxford University and Cancer Research UK. The findings indicate that even a small increase in milk consumption could significantly reduce the risk of developing the disease.Bowel cancer affects 45,000 people annually in the UK, making it the fourth...

A New Giant Marine Pillbug Looks Like Darth Vader and Tastes Like Lobster

"I am your pillbug, Luke" – Bathynomus vaderi is named for the fact that its distinctive head resembles Darth Vader's flared helmetNguyen Thanh SonWhat has 14 legs, dwells on the ocean floor, and resembles Darth Vader? A newly discovered supergiant isopod species, which you can even try as a dish if you visit Vietnam.What...