Ultramassive black hole discovered by UK astronomers

An ultramassive black hole about 30bn times the mass of the Sun has been discovered by astronomers in the UK. Scientists at Durham University said the gargantuan black hole was one of the biggest ever found. The team described their findings, published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, as “extremely exciting”.

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'The post-antibiotic era': WHO warns of too few new drugs for deadly superbugs

Late last year, one of Dr. Vance Fowler’s patients — a man in his 60s who’d returned to North Carolina from visiting his family in Nepal — died of a bacterial infection. He’d been treated at a top U.S. hospital with access to the strongest antibiotics. But the infection, a drug-resistant strain of E. coli, surged on.

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Italy-sized chunk of Gulf of Mexico to be auctioned off by the US for oil drilling

An enormous swathe of the Gulf of Mexico, spanning an area the size of Italy, will be auctioned off for oil and gas drilling on Wednesday morning, in the latest blow to Joe Biden’s increasingly frayed reputation on dealing with the climate crisis.

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Sea levels are rising — and it's going to get worse. Here's how some communities are adapting

Thirty percent of Americans live in a community near a coastline. While those people don't have the power to unilaterally solve the underlying problem of climate change, some communities are now grappling with how to adapt.

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A Meatball from a long-extinct mammoth created by food firm

A mammoth meatball has been created by a cultivated meat company, resurrecting the flesh of the long-extinct animals. The project aims to demonstrate the potential of meat grown from cells, without the slaughter of animals, and to highlight the link between large-scale livestock production and the destruction of wildlife and the climate crisis.

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Artificial intelligence could help hunt for life on Mars and other alien worlds

A newly developed machine-learning tool could help scientists search for signs of life on Mars and other alien worlds. With the ability to collect samples from other planets severely limited, scientists currently have to rely on remote sensing methods to hunt for signs of alien life. That means any method that could help direct or refine this search would be incredibly useful.

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US Space Force wants to test how to build satellites in orbit with $1.6 million Arkisys deal

The U.S. Space Force has inked a deal to build satellites in orbit in a bid to boost space infrastructure. Under the Space Force agreement, the U.S. defense agency's innovation division SpaceWERX has awarded a $1.6 million Direct-to-Phase II SBIR contract to the California-based Arkisys Inc., in collaboration with aerospace partners Qediq Inc, Novawurks, Motive Space Systems, iBoss, and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES).

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Can a ‘Fingerprint’ of Your Brain Help Predict Disorders?

When she gets ready for bed, Ava Manning doesn’t bother wearing an eye mask or earplugs, but she takes five minutes to strap on her electroencephalography (EEG) headband. The accessory is made of plush foam and adorned with six electrodes that press comfortably against her temples, allowing Manning to peacefully sleep while the device monitors, analyzes and acts on her brain waves overnight.

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'Horrifying' Plastic Rocks Emerge in Remote Island Paradise

​There are few places on Earth as isolated as Trindade island, a volcanic outcrop a three- to four-day boat trip off the coast of Brazil.

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New research finds when small talk becomes awkward, we are more likely to blame ourselves

A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that individuals are more likely to blame themselves when casual conversations become difficult. The findings reveal that the self-serving bias you find in many other human activities seems to disappear when engaging in casual conversation. This insight may be helpful to those who experience anxiety during small talk.

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5-minute breathing exercises can improve your mood and reduce anxiety

Cyclic sighing appeared to be particularly effective among different breathing exercises and better than mindfulness meditation, a study says.

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Black buzzards are circling New York City in sightings that 'would have been unheard of' 30 years ago, ornithologists say

Andrew Farnsworth, a researcher at Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, told The New York Times more than 300 sightings have been recorded in a year.

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Bird Flu Associated with Hundreds of Seal Deaths in New England in 2022, Tufts Researchers Find

A study from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine is the first to connect highly pathogenic avian influenza to a large scale mortality event in wild mammals.

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Scientists sound the alarm as plastic waste forms rocks off coast of Brazil: ‘New and terrifying’

‘Pollution has reached geology’ says a scientist

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1st woman given stem cell transplant to cure HIV is still virus-free 5 years later

A woman who received a stem cell transplant to treat her HIV is still virus-free more than five years after the procedure and 30 months after she stopped taking HIV medication.

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Hibernation, a closely studied option for extended space travel

Interstellar, Avatar, Alien, and 2001: A Space Odyssey... Four masterpieces of cinema, each made in a different decade, all use the same premise: human hibernation. It is a choice ingredient of films depicting future exploration of the cosmos – for most of us, the stuff of sci-fi. However, Angelique Van Ombergen, head of life sciences at the European Space Agency (ESA), makes it clear: "While for many people hibernation is science fiction, our approach is truly scientific."

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A scientific salad for astronauts in deep space

The ingredients were chosen for their nutritional value, as well as how easy they’ll be to grow with the limited room and resources available on a spacecraft.

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Rolls-Royce secures funds to develop nuclear reactor for moon base

Microreactor programme will develop technology to provide power for humans living and working on moon

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Scientists offer evidence that Venus is volcanically active

Venus appears to have volcanic activity, according to a new research paper that offers strong evidence to answer the lingering question about whether Earth's sister planet currently has eruptions and lava flows.

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Will AIs Take All Our Jobs and End Human History—or Not? Well, It’s Complicated…

Stephen Wolfram explores some of the science, technology and philosophy of what we can expect from AIs. From how ChatGPT works to the cycle of technology, to the concept of progress and preparing for an AI world.

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NASA and Axiom Space unveil new spacesuit for Artemis III moon mission

NASA and the Houston-based aerospace company Axiom Space gave CBS News an early look at the spacesuit that astronauts will wear on the Artemis III mission — the first lunar landing of the NASA program returning astronauts to the moon. The suit was officially unveiled at an event in Houston on Wednesday.

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NASA picks Axiom Space for its third astronaut mission to the ISS

NASA has chosen Axiom Space's proposal yet again for the third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The two parties have already signed a mission order, and they're hoping to launch sometime in November 2023 and beyond from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A more specific date will be announced later, since it will depend on the timing of other flights to the ISS, as well as on in-orbit activity planning.

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NASA wants new 'deorbit tug' to bring space station down in 2030

NASA aims to develop a spacecraft capable of steering the International Space Station (ISS) to a controlled destruction in Earth's atmosphere when its time in orbit is up. We first learned about this plan on Thursday (March 9), when the White House released its 2024 federal budget request. NASA's $27.2 billion allocation included $180 million "to initiate development of a new space tug" that could safely deorbit the ISS over the open ocean after its operational life ends in 2030, as well as potentially perform other activities.

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Space Force pauses GPS satellite orders due to excess inventory

Space Force pauses GPS satellite orders due to excess inventory

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I Asked an Algorithm to Optimize My Life. Here's What Happened

I spend all day making decisions, and they’re not always good ones. Could an algorithm do a better job of deciding what’s best for me?

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A Human Migration to Space is NOT so Inevitable, says New Research

A new study looks at what it takes to survive beyond Earth, raising serious questions about whether or not human migrations to space is "Inevitable."

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Grey hair and wrinkles at an early age led researchers to new treatment for rare cancer

Sarcomas are cancer tumours found in e.g. the bones, muscles or fatty tissue. It is a rare type of cancer seen in only one per cent of cancer patients. It is complex and difficult to treat. However, a new study may have found a new treatment that can help the sickest sarcoma patients.

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These companies want to go beyond batteries to store energy

Physical energy storage could be a cheap and long-lasting way to stabilize the grid.

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Astronaut crew splashes down near Florida, ending five-month stay in space

The four astronauts who make up the Crew-5 team aboard the International Space Station returned home from a five-month stay in space Saturday, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.

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First vaccine for honeybees could save billions

Bees play a pivotal role in US agriculture but are dying at alarming rates.

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Plastic pollution in oceans has reached 'unprecedented' levels in 15 years

Plastic pollution in the world's oceans has reached "unprecedented levels" over the past 15 years, a new study has found, calling for a legally binding international treaty to stop the harmful waste.

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Breathwork may improve mood and change physiological states more effectively than mindfulness meditation

A new report published in Cell Reports Medicine has found that individuals who use assigned breathwork techniques experienced greater improvements in mood and lowered respiratory rates as compared to those practicing mindfulness meditation.

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Astra investigating 'potential illegal short selling' as delisting deadline looms

Spacecraft engine manufacturer and small rocket builder Astra announced on Friday that the company is investigating “potential illegal short selling” among shareholders of its common stock. The company said it hired financial software firm ShareIntel to assist with its review of “suspicious, aberrant or unusual trading activity.”

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‘Space resilience’ highlighted in Biden’s proposed defense budget

The Biden administration on March 9 unveiled its proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2024 that includes $842 billion for the Defense Department — an incease of $26 billion or 3.2 percent above what Congress enacted in 2023.

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Biden budget seeks $27.2 billion for NASA, with increases for moon and Mars programs

President Joe Biden is seeking to increase the budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to $27.2 billion next year, according to a proposed 2024 budget released Thursday. The request represents a 7% increase from NASA’s budget in fiscal year 2023, with more funds allocated for the space agency’s Artemis lunar program.

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Men across the globe may be profoundly affected by a core belief about manhood, according to study of 62 nations

Men tend to die earlier in life in countries where the belief that manhood is “hard won and easily lost” is more widespread, according to new research published in Psychology of Men & Masculinity. The findings provide evidence that a basic belief about of what it means to be a man could have significant consequences around the world. ...

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Bushfire smoke eats up the ozone protecting us from dangerous radiation. The damage will increase as the world heats up

Over 30 years ago, the world banned CFC chemicals to save the ozone layer. But now, climate-fuelled bushfire smoke is putting it at renewed risk

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Physicists Claim Creation of a Superconductor at Near-Ambient Conditions

Few discoveries in science would revolutionize technology as much as a material that achieves superconductivity at room temperature, under relatively mild pressures.

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Japan's new flagship H3 rocket launch fails, ordered to self-destruct

Japan's new flagship H3 rocket lifts off for the first time but is ordered to self-destruct minutes later after its second-stage engine fails to ignite: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

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Japan destroys new rocket in space after second-stage engine failure

Japan said it had destroyed a new medium-lift rocket it launched into space on Tuesday after the vehicle's second-stage engine failed to ignite, in a blow to its efforts to expand access to space and remain competitive in a launch market roiled by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

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How high-altitude balloons help unlock the cosmos

The recent episodes of jet fighters shooting down spy balloons has everyone talking about how they can be used for surveillance. But if anyone had bothered to ask an astronomer, they would know we’ve been attaching telescopes to balloons for decades — and the technique even represents the latest cutting edge in NASA research.

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Aging Is Linked to More Activity in Short Genes Than in Long Genes

A detailed examination of gene activity in various organisms, including humans, reveals a new hallmark of the aging process

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Researchers Create Plastic Straws from Potato Starch

As the war on plastic straws rages on, researchers in Korea have created a bioplastic alternative that is made out of potato starch and citric acid. In a paper paper published in ACS Omega, the team says that these new straws are stronger than plastic and more durable than paper.

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New study disputes the birth order theory that later-born are "born to rebel"

Those born later in a family may not be "born to rebel," as posited by some researchers. A new study published in Personality and Individual Differences found later-born individuals are not more likely to have tattoos, and although they do test higher in measures of risk-taking and sensation seeking, they did not demonstrate a higher need for uniqueness.

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Is it a millipede, or a rock? The ‘evidence’ we’ve already found life on Mars

Group of academics say they have identified fossilised sponges, corals, worm eggs, algae and more on planet's surface

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Scientists have mapped a secret hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza

The corridor is 30 feet long and likely slopes upward. Where it leads is still a mystery.

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Attractive women wield more power in their households, study finds

A study conducted in China indicates that the physical attractiveness of a woman significantly increases her bargaining power within her household. Income, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships were identified as possible channels through which physical attractiveness affects a woman’s power within her household. The study was published in Frontiers in Psychology.

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Human augmentation with robotic body parts is at hand, say scientists

Whether it is managing childcare, operating on a patient or cooking a Sunday dinner, there are many occasions when an extra pair of arms would come in, well, handy. Now researchers say such human augmentation could be on the horizon, suggesting additional robotic body parts could be designed to boost our capabilities.

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After flying four astronauts into orbit, SpaceX makes its 101st straight landing

A Falcon 9 rocket blasted into the starry sky above Florida early on Thursday morning, sending four astronauts safely on their way into low-Earth orbit. This mission, flown by SpaceX for NASA, will deliver the astronauts to the International Space Station after a 24.5-hour flight to synch up with the orbiting laboratory. During this time, under nominal operations, Dragon will fly entirely autonomously.

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Giant flying bug found at Arkansas Walmart turns out to be "super-rare" Jurassic-era insect

The giant bug was found during a trip to Walmart in 2012: "I put it in my hand and did the rest of my shopping with it between my fingers. I got home...and promptly forgot about it for almost a decade."

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