~cosmos-magazine | Bookmarks (525)

A centuries-old technique for making cement may be the key to large-scale carbon capture, according to US chemists. The first step in making cement involves converting limestone to calcium oxide, inside a kiln heated to 1400 degrees Celsius. Calcium oxide is then mixed with sand to produce a vital ingredient for cement. Inspired by this […]

Archaeologists have found stones shaped into blades by ancient humans near the town of Al Madam in the United Arab Emirates. The 80,000-year-old remains are the oldest example of stone blade production on the Arabian Peninsula. The researchers say that the characteristic long flakes with parallel edges suggest the blades were made by Homo sapiens […]

Astronomers have peered into the atmosphere of an exoplanet some 900 light-years away and found powerful weather patterns that make the most severe storms in the Solar System seem like a calm breeze. “It feels like something out of science fiction,” says Julia Victoria Seidel, a researcher at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile […]

Humans can’t remember their time in the womb, but new research suggests it might not be so dark in there. The first foetal eye movements can be seen on 2D ultrasound at 14 weeks of gestation, but it isn’t until 31 weeks that the pupils can constrict, dilate, and detect light. So, what’s it like […]

European researchers have made the startling claim that fish can recognise individual divers. In a peer reviewed paper published today in Biology Letters, the research team from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) in Germany conducted a series of experiments while wearing a range of diving gear, finding that “fish in the wild […]

Australian plants adapted to resist and recover from fire are becoming threatened by it, as climate change worsens fire weather and drives more frequent and severe wildfires. A recent study of the striking hairpin banksia (Banksia cunninghamii), in areas of Victoria affected by the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, found the species is threatened with local […]

It’s party time all the time at the heart of the galaxy, according to new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The space observatory has taken the longest and most detailed look yet at Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, and found that it’s constantly emitting […]

The extinction of the largest dinosaurs might have aided the evolution of the small, fruit-eating ancestors of primates, according to new research. Early primates – ancestors of humans – would not have been able to flourish alongside sauropods, the largest animals to ever walk on Earth. Sauropods were dinosaurs and are known for their long […]

A new 3D computer model of the planet through time has helped answer a contentious question: How did the Earth’s ice caps form? “The study looked at the Earth’s long-term stable climate,” explains the University of Adelaide’s Andrew Merdith, lead author on the new study in Science Advances. “Over tens to hundreds of millions of […]

Grasslands in Africa are key to the lives of people as well as wildlife. New research shows that grassland restoration leads to less conflict between humans and animals. Kenya’s grasslands are home to animals including elephants, giraffes, lions, buffalo and hyenas. They are also key areas for human activity. New research published in the Frontiers […]

Scientists have created a synthetic material that forms worm-like structures and even moves like them, which could be used for various applications from drug delivery to self-healing materials. It is part of a new class of materials known as “active matter” that can show incredible life-like behaviour. Unlike inactive matter, which makes up the motionless […]

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken off at lightning speed in the past couple of years, creating disruption in many industries. Newsrooms are no exception. A new report published today finds that news audiences and journalists alike are concerned about how news organisations are – and could be – using generative AI such as chatbots, […]

Another asteroid is giving up its secrets. At the end of January NASA found that asteroid Bennu contained 10,000 organic chemicals. Now Japanese scientists studying rare samples from the asteroid 162173 Ryugu have discovered several types of salt crystals amongst the dust. The crystals help tell a story that Ryugu once belonged to a larger […]

A team of mathematicians and scientists needed x-ray tomography to confirm that wings of the fruit-sucking moth are, in fact, flat despite appearing 3D. The novel visual illusion is produced by specialised nanostructures found in select parts of the wing.  Masquerading as an inedible object is a type of camouflage with stunning examples including butterflies […]

Cosmos Magazine has partnered with Double Helix to publish a free eBook that takes kids aged 8 to 12 on a dive into the science of our oceans. The eBook includes stories about turtles, wonky holes and undersea cables, as well as experiments to do at home. The ebook is free to view or download as […]

Palaeontologists working in the Egyptian desert have uncovered a nearly complete skull of a leopard-sized predator that would have been at the top of the food chain 30 million years ago. The skull represents a new discovery from the fossil-rich Fayum Depression, which has been excavated by different palaeontologists for over 120 years. “Just as […]

In this Ultramarine podcast, we dive into the crucial issue of ocean pollution and explore real-world solutions. Let’s Science It Out hosts David Boldeman and Steven Boldeman are joined by Tom Batrouney and Ashley Hayes, two passionate advocates for marine conservation. In this episode, we uncover:🔹 The impact of plastic waste and microplastics on Sydney […]

Inspired by photographs in old reports and on social media, an expedition of botanists trekked into the remote Meliau Range in Sabah in Borneo and confirmed a new and amazing species of pitcher plant. Then, they immediately realised it’s already endangered. The newly described Nepenthes pongoides has a remarkably large pitcher, the jug-like leaf that […]

After decades, Lithium Nickel Oxide (LiNiO2) battery problems may have been solved. Degradation on repeated recharging has meant that these batteries, which offer higher energy density, and could replace expensive and hard-to-source cobalt, have never made it to commercialisation. Researchers at the University of Texas may have a solution. Much of your life is powered […]

Researchers have for the first time introduced genetic material into plants via their roots, the trials opening a potential pathway for rapid crop improvement. Professor Bernard Carroll from University of Queensland’s (UQ) School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences said nanoparticle technology could help fine-tune plant genes to increase crop yield and improve food quality. “Traditional plant breeding and […]

Nature is ripe with interactions, everywhere you look. Think of the fungal-algal partnership, we call lichen, or clownfish and sea anemones (where’s Nemo?) swapping shelter and nutrients, or coral polyps and algae forming the Great Barrier Reef. Interactions contribute to healthy ecosystems in so many ways. Corals are highly sensitive to rising temperatures, but the […]

New theoretical research shows that time can flow forwards or backwards in quantum systems, challenging our everyday perception of how time progresses. Over the centuries, scientists have tried to understand the arrow of time – the idea that time flows inevitably in one direction. How can we make sense of the seemingly unrelenting march of […]

For the first time, scientists have observed a non-primate animal using flavourings to enhance the experience of eating food. The behaviour was spotted in Goffin’s cockatoos which dunked potatoes or noodles into a bowl of blueberry-flavoured soy yoghurt. It appears the motivation for the behaviour was flavour. The observations, presented in a paper published in […]

New research has identified the extent to which human colonisation and hunting contributed to the extinction of New Zealand’s giant flightless birds, the moa. The research paper titled: “Was extinction of New Zealand’s avian megafauna an unavoidable consequence of human arrival?” was published in Science of the Total Environment. The team used fossils and detailed computer […]