Sky gazers in UK catch northern lights again – with more to come tonight
Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England had best views, with sightings as far south as Kent Skies across the UK have been lit up again by the northern lights, with the possibility of another view on Friday night. Also known as aurora borealis, the phenomenon could be seen most clearly in Scotland, Northern Ireland and […]
Entire Earth vibrated for nine days after climate-triggered mega-tsunami
Landslide in Greenland caused unprecedented seismic event that shows impact of global heating, say scientists A landslide and mega-tsunami in Greenland in September 2023, triggered by the climate crisis, caused the entire Earth to vibrate for nine days, a scientific investigation has found. The seismic event was detected by earthquake sensors around the world but […]
Ig Nobel prize goes to team who found mammals can breathe through anuses
Scientific research on pigeon missiles and dead trout also win at awards for amusing studies with serious implications In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on […]
AI can change belief in conspiracy theories, study finds
Research challenges conventional wisdom that evidence and arguments rarely help to change believers’ minds Whether it is the mistaken idea that the moon landings never happened or the false claim that Covid jabs contain microchips, conspiracy theories abound, sometimes with dangerous consequences. Now researchers have found that such beliefs can be altered by a chat […]
Natural History Museum plans revamp to become climate ‘catalyst for change’
Four galleries to be overhauled and two more spaces to reopen, including Fixing Our Broken Planet exhibition The Natural History Museum in London has announced a major programme of transformation it says will mark “a step-change from being a catalogue of natural history to a catalyst for change” in response to the climate emergency. The […]
Scientists hopeful antidote can help protect bumblebees from pesticides
Study suggests hydrogel microparticles increase survival by 30% in bumblebees exposed to lethal doses of neonicotinoids Scientists have developed a “vaccine” for bees against pesticides – and it appears to work, according to an initial study. According to the findings, published in Nature Sustainability, hydrogel microparticles fed to bumblebees in sugar water caused a 30% […]
‘A perfect world’: billionaire’s helmet cam shows moment of first ever private spacewalk – video
The billionaire Jared Isaacman and his fellow crew members completed the first privately funded spacewalk as a livestream of the mission showed Isaacman manually opening the hatch to enter space. Upon seeing Earth, he said: ‘Back at home we all have a lot of work to do but from here, the Earth sure looks like […]
Polaris Dawn astronauts complete first commercial spacewalk
Billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX’s Sarah Gillis exit capsule in slimmed-down spacesuits hundreds of miles up Two astronauts have completed the first commercial spacewalk and tested slimmed-down spacesuits designed by SpaceX, in one of the boldest attempts yet to push the boundaries of privately funded spaceflight. Hundreds of miles above Earth and orbiting at close […]
SpaceX Polaris Dawn live: all-civilian crew conducts first privately funded spacewalk
Billionaire Jared Isaacman and fellow passenger take part in first privately-funded spacewalk My colleague points out that the elbows of the new SpaceX suit looks like a “tumble drier pipe”. This will take about 8 minutes as they empty the cabin of air. Continue reading…
Transparent skin, bird flu, and why girls’ brains aged during Covid: the week in science – podcast
Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss some of the science stories that have made headlines this week, from a new technique that uses food colouring to make skin transparent, to the first case of bird flu in a person with no known contact with sick animals, and a study looking at premature brain […]