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Golden eyes: How gold nanoparticles may one day help to restore people's vision

Matter and energy from Science Daily Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 1:45pm
A team of researchers has identified a promising new approach that may one day help to restore vision in people affected by macular degeneration and other retinal disorders.
Categories: Science

Ever wonder why some meteor showers are so unpredictable?

Space and time from Science Daily Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:21pm
Why do comets and their meteoroid streams weave in and out of Earth's orbit and their orbits disperse over time? Researchers show that this is not due to the random pull of the planets, but rather the kick they receive from a moving Sun.
Categories: Science

Cosmic twist: The universe could be spinning

Space and time from Science Daily Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:21pm
A new study suggests the universe may rotate -- just extremely slowly. The finding could help solve one of astronomy's biggest puzzles.
Categories: Science

Faster way to solve complex planning problems

Matter and energy from Science Daily Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:21pm
Researchers developed a machine-learning-guided technique to solve complex, long-horizon planning problems more efficiently than some traditional approaches, while arriving at an optimal solution that better meets a user's goals.
Categories: Science

RoboBee comes in for a landing

Matter and energy from Science Daily Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:19pm
A recently created RoboBee is now outfitted with its most reliable landing gear to date, inspired by one of nature's most graceful landers: the crane fly. The team has given their flying robot a set of long, jointed legs that help ease its transition from air to ground. The robot has also received an updated controller that helps it decelerate on approach, resulting in a gentle plop-down.
Categories: Science

RoboBee comes in for a landing

Computers and Math from Science Daily Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:19pm
A recently created RoboBee is now outfitted with its most reliable landing gear to date, inspired by one of nature's most graceful landers: the crane fly. The team has given their flying robot a set of long, jointed legs that help ease its transition from air to ground. The robot has also received an updated controller that helps it decelerate on approach, resulting in a gentle plop-down.
Categories: Science

'Big surprise': Astronomers find planet in perpendicular orbit around pair of stars

Space and time from Science Daily Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:19pm
Astronomers have found a planet that orbits at an angle of 90 degrees around a rare pair of peculiar stars. This is the first time we have strong evidence for one of these 'polar planets' orbiting a stellar pair.
Categories: Science

Crystal clues on Mars point to watery and possibly life-supporting past

Space and time from Science Daily Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:19pm
A new study analyzing data from NASA's Perseverance rover has uncovered compelling evidence of multiple mineral-forming events just beneath the Martian surface -- findings that bring scientists one step closer to answering the profound question: Did life ever exist on Mars?
Categories: Science

Vegan diets have good levels of key amino acids, but there's a catch

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:00pm
It is harder for our bodies to absorb key nutrients from plant-based foods, so some vegans may be short on essential amino acids for healthy muscles and bones despite eating plenty of protein
Categories: Science

Iron Age site was a purple dye factory for centuries

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:00pm
Beginning around 3000 years ago, Tel Shiqmona in modern-day Israel was a major centre for the production of Tyrian purple, a valuable commodity produced from marine snails
Categories: Science

Ancient humans may have faced radiation risk 41,000 years ago

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:00pm
A weakening of Earth’s magnetic field known as the Laschamps event would have increased the threat of solar radiation, perhaps requiring ancient humans to invent protective measures
Categories: Science

Exoplanet found in odd perpendicular orbit to brown dwarf star pair

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:00pm
It is rare to find brown dwarf stars orbiting in pairs, and this pair has an even more unusual exoplanet companion
Categories: Science

It's Time to Build a Space Telescope Interferometer. This Could be the First Step

Universe Today Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:51am

The dream of finding life on an alien Earth-like world is hampered by a number of technical challenges. Not the least of which is that Earth is dwarfed by the size and brightness of the Sun. We might be able to discover evidence of life by studying the molecular spectra of a planet's atmosphere as it passes in front of the star, but those results might be inconclusive. The way to be certain is to observe the planet directly, but that would take a space telescope with a mirror 3–4 times that of Webb.

Categories: Science

The hairtail fish

Why Evolution is True Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:45am

Enjopy this one-minute video of a largehead hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus), the “liquid metal fish”, also called the “beltfish”.  As you can see, it’s a predator, and it’s gone some set of choppers. Its metallic color apparently camouflages it from prey. And look at that dorsal fin!

Some info from Wikipedia (their bolding):

The largehead hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) or beltfish is a member of the cutlassfish family, Trichiuridae. This common to abundant species is found in tropical and temperate oceans throughout the world. The taxonomy is not fully resolved, and the Atlantic, East Pacific and Northwest Pacific populations are also known as Atlantic cutlassfishPacific cutlassfish and Japanese cutlassfish, respectively. This predatory, elongated fish supports major fisheries.

I wish they wouldn’t hold these things so long out of the water, as it makes them suffer. And I hope even more that they didn’t kill it.

Categories: Science

How Astronomers Mapped the Interstellar Medium - And Discovered The Local Bubble

Universe Today Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:12am

How can astronomers pierce through the interstellar fog of the Milky Way – not to study distant objects, but to understand the fog itself? It just takes a little light.

Categories: Science

The race to visit the asteroid making the closest pass by Earth

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:00am
Space agencies from the US, Europe and Japan are all making plans to visit the asteroid Apophis when it makes an extremely close flyby in 2029 to learn how to deflect others like it
Categories: Science

This versatile piece of maths can help you solve all kinds of problems

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:00am
From timetable scheduling to colouring in, and even casting a play, this nifty piece of mathematics is the answer, says Katie Steckles
Categories: Science

Black Mirror returns full of delights and disappointments

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:00am
Black Mirror's new season is a mixed bag, ranging from a sublimely plotted romp to one of the worst episodes to date. And it's still playing fast and loose with its sci-fi concepts, finds Bethan Ackerley
Categories: Science

Images capture the timeless beauty of America's ancient forests

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:00am
Photographer Mitch Epstein's years-long project highlights the majesty and vulnerability of old growth forests across the US
Categories: Science

Why saying no is so hard and what we can do about it

New Scientist Feed - Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:00am
Why is saying no to other people so difficult – even when we really know we should? Sunita Sah's new book Defy has some novel ideas about the interpersonal forces holding us back
Categories: Science

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