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Science
Physics, climate, planetary science, and the research that shapes how we understand the universe and our place in it.
Brain scans found that mothers looking at their own dogs activated some of the same attachment networks as when they looked at their own children — evidence that the bond between humans and pets is biologically real
The human kidney filters roughly 180 litres of plasma a day — and a sustained high-protein load measurably raises the pressure inside every one of its million nephrons
A new study of seventeen tyrannosaur skeletons suggests T. rex took roughly forty years to reach its full size — meaning the most famous predator in history spent most of its life as something other than the giant we picture
The rocks at the very summit of Mount Everest are limestone formed on an ancient ocean floor, and fossils of trilobites, sea lilies, and tiny crustaceans have been found in samples collected just six metres below the top of the highest point on Earth
Scott Kelly spent 340 days aboard the ISS, and his telomeres—the protective caps on chromosomes that generally shorten with age—unexpectedly grew longer in orbit. Most shortened again within two days of landing, ultimately leaving him with many more critically short telomeres than before the mission, alongside separate signs of lasting chromosome damage.
A typical AI-focused data centre consumes as much electricity as 100,000 homes; that demand has helped trigger a race to put computing clusters into orbit, where companies argue that near-continuous sunlight could eliminate the utility bill — though the solar arrays, launches and cooling hardware would still cost millions.
Mountain gorillas build immense muscle on leaves and stems — and the gut microbes that help power them produce the same short-chain fatty acids your own body absorbs
In August 2012, Voyager 1 recorded a sudden surge in galactic cosmic rays while the surrounding magnetic field barely changed direction—an unexpected combination that revealed the boundary of interstellar space was more complicated than scientists had predicted.
NASA is keeping Voyager 1 alive by switching off instruments and heaters one by one—but it cannot let the spacecraft become so cold that its fuel lines freeze. If those lines fail, Voyager could lose the thrusters that keep its antenna aimed at Earth, permanently silencing the most distant human-made object.
Scientists painted black cows with white stripes to test whether zebra markings deter biting flies — and the painted cows drew 50 per cent fewer flies, adding weight to the theory that zebras evolved their colouring not for camouflage or heat, but as a living insect repellent
