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Tropical Tree in Panama Evolves Shocking Defense, Strikes Rivals with Lightning Bolts
A few studies describe the tree as having strong internal conductivity, letting lightning current flow through without building up damaging heat like a well-insulated wire. Because they tend to grow large — up to 130 feet (40 meters)—and live for centuries, a single tonka bean tree is estimated to be struck at least five times after reaching ma...
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1 Trillion Species, 3 Billion Years: AI Helped Trace Bacteria Evolution On Earth
Bacteria consist of a single cell. They do not have bones and are not like big animals that leave clear signs in the geological record, which thankful palaeontologists can study many millions of years later.
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Two New Exoplanets Found Orbiting a Star in Draco Constellation
Astronomers have identified two exoplanets, TOI-1453 b and TOI-1453 c, orbiting a star 250 light-years away in Draco. The planets, a super-Earth and a sub-Neptune, were detected using NASA’s TESS satellite and the HARPS-N spectrograph. TOI-1453 b is a rocky planet orbiting close to its star, while TOI-1453 c is twice Earth’s size and may have a...
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Asgard Archaea May Hold the Key to the Origins of Eukaryotic Life, New Study Suggests
Asgard archaea, a group of single-celled organisms, may hold clues to the evolution of eukaryotic cells. Researchers at ETH Zurich have identified cytoskeletal proteins similar to those in eukaryotes, challenging the traditional three-domain model of life. Their findings suggest these microbes might have enabled key interactions that led to complex...
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Iguanas Travelled 5,000 Miles to Fiji on Rafts 34 Million Years Ago
Iguanas undertook a remarkable 5,000-mile journey from North America to Fiji around 34 million years ago. According to a new genetic study, these reptiles floated on rafts of vegetation, possibly due to extreme weather events. The research, published in PNAS, found that Fiji’s iguanas are closely related to North American species, contradicting e...
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Hubble Telescope Captures NGC 4536, a Starburst Galaxy with Intense Star Formation
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a striking image of NGC 4536, a starburst galaxy 50 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation. The galaxy’s sweeping spiral arms are filled with young blue star clusters and ionized hydrogen gas, indicating rapid star formation. Astronomers believe its bar-like structure channels gas toward t...
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James Webb Space Telescope Captures Hourglass Nebula LBN 483 in Stunning Detail
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured unprecedented details of LBN 483, a nebula located 650 light-years away. The striking hourglass-shaped structure results from outflows driven by a forming binary star system. JWST’s infrared imaging and ALMA’s radio observations reveal how stellar winds, jets, and magnetic fields sculpt the nebula ove...
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Ancient Europeans Retained Dark Skin, Hair and Eyes Until the Iron Age, Claims New Study
A genetic study analysing 348 ancient DNA samples reveals that most prehistoric Europeans had dark skin, hair, and eyes well into the Iron Age. Although genes for lighter pigmentation appeared around 14,000 years ago, they remained rare until about 3,000 years ago. Lighter skin may have been advantageous for vitamin D production, while lighter eyes...
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Smallest Galaxy Ever Found: Andromeda XXXV Defies Cosmic Evolution Models
Astronomers have discovered Andromeda XXXV, the smallest and faintest known galaxy, located 3 million light-years away. It challenges existing models of galaxy formation, as similar small galaxies were thought to be destroyed in the early universe. Researchers are studying how it retained conditions for star formation despite harsh cosmic environme...
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Black Hole Singularities May Not Exist, Say Scientists
A new study questions the existence of black hole singularities, suggesting refinements to Einstein’s equations using quantum gravity concepts. Researchers argue that infinite density points may not be real, replacing them with highly curved but finite regions of space-time. While direct observation remains difficult, gravitational waves and earl...
-
Neanderthal Genetic Bottleneck 110,000 Years Ago May Explain Their Decline
A study suggests that Neanderthals experienced a population bottleneck 110,000 years ago, drastically reducing their genetic diversity. CT scans of their inner ear bones revealed a sharp decline in variation, indicating a drop in population size. This event may have made Neanderthals more vulnerable to environmental and competitive pressures, contr...
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NASA’s New Missions Will Map the Sun and the Cosmos
NASA is set to launch two major missions, PUNCH and SPHEREx, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 2. PUNCH, a four-satellite system, will study the sun’s corona and space weather, while SPHEREx will create infrared maps of the cosmos to study galaxy evolution and cosmic history. These missions will contribute to a de...
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Unexpected Rotational Motion Detected in Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies of Hydra Cluster
Astronomers studying ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the Hydra cluster have observed unexpected rotational movement in nearly half of the 30 galaxies examined. Spectroscopic data from the LEWIS programme, using the MUSE instrument on the Very Large Telescope, suggests that gravitational interactions with larger galaxies may influence their formati...
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NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope Launching Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 to Explore Cosmic Evolution
NASA’s SPHEREx telescope, launching on Feb 28 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, will map the entire sky in infrared, observing 450 million galaxies and 100 million Milky Way stars. The mission aims to uncover the large-scale structure of the universe, track icy molecules in interstellar space, and study cosmic inflation. Equipped with a spectrophotometer...
-
Hubble Captures Stunning Tarantula Nebula Image, Revealing Cosmic Dust and Star Formation
A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope highlights the Tarantula Nebula’s complex structure, featuring dense cosmic dust clouds and vibrant star-forming regions. This nebula, located 160,000 light-years away, plays a vital role in understanding stellar evolution. The captured details offer insights into how cosmic dust contributes to star and...
-
Tropical Tree in Panama Evolves Shocking Defense, Strikes Rivals with Lightning Bolts
A few studies describe the tree as having strong internal conductivity, letting lightning current flow through without building up damaging heat like a well-insulated wire. Because they tend to grow large — up to 130 feet (40 meters)—and live for centuries, a single tonka bean tree is estimated to be struck at least five times after reaching ma...
-
1 Trillion Species, 3 Billion Years: AI Helped Trace Bacteria Evolution On Earth
Bacteria consist of a single cell. They do not have bones and are not like big animals that leave clear signs in the geological record, which thankful palaeontologists can study many millions of years later.
-
Two New Exoplanets Found Orbiting a Star in Draco Constellation
Astronomers have identified two exoplanets, TOI-1453 b and TOI-1453 c, orbiting a star 250 light-years away in Draco. The planets, a super-Earth and a sub-Neptune, were detected using NASA’s TESS satellite and the HARPS-N spectrograph. TOI-1453 b is a rocky planet orbiting close to its star, while TOI-1453 c is twice Earth’s size and may have a...
-
Asgard Archaea May Hold the Key to the Origins of Eukaryotic Life, New Study Suggests
Asgard archaea, a group of single-celled organisms, may hold clues to the evolution of eukaryotic cells. Researchers at ETH Zurich have identified cytoskeletal proteins similar to those in eukaryotes, challenging the traditional three-domain model of life. Their findings suggest these microbes might have enabled key interactions that led to complex...
-
Iguanas Travelled 5,000 Miles to Fiji on Rafts 34 Million Years Ago
Iguanas undertook a remarkable 5,000-mile journey from North America to Fiji around 34 million years ago. According to a new genetic study, these reptiles floated on rafts of vegetation, possibly due to extreme weather events. The research, published in PNAS, found that Fiji’s iguanas are closely related to North American species, contradicting e...
-
Hubble Telescope Captures NGC 4536, a Starburst Galaxy with Intense Star Formation
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a striking image of NGC 4536, a starburst galaxy 50 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation. The galaxy’s sweeping spiral arms are filled with young blue star clusters and ionized hydrogen gas, indicating rapid star formation. Astronomers believe its bar-like structure channels gas toward t...
-
James Webb Space Telescope Captures Hourglass Nebula LBN 483 in Stunning Detail
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured unprecedented details of LBN 483, a nebula located 650 light-years away. The striking hourglass-shaped structure results from outflows driven by a forming binary star system. JWST’s infrared imaging and ALMA’s radio observations reveal how stellar winds, jets, and magnetic fields sculpt the nebula ove...
-
Ancient Europeans Retained Dark Skin, Hair and Eyes Until the Iron Age, Claims New Study
A genetic study analysing 348 ancient DNA samples reveals that most prehistoric Europeans had dark skin, hair, and eyes well into the Iron Age. Although genes for lighter pigmentation appeared around 14,000 years ago, they remained rare until about 3,000 years ago. Lighter skin may have been advantageous for vitamin D production, while lighter eyes...
-
Smallest Galaxy Ever Found: Andromeda XXXV Defies Cosmic Evolution Models
Astronomers have discovered Andromeda XXXV, the smallest and faintest known galaxy, located 3 million light-years away. It challenges existing models of galaxy formation, as similar small galaxies were thought to be destroyed in the early universe. Researchers are studying how it retained conditions for star formation despite harsh cosmic environme...
-
Black Hole Singularities May Not Exist, Say Scientists
A new study questions the existence of black hole singularities, suggesting refinements to Einstein’s equations using quantum gravity concepts. Researchers argue that infinite density points may not be real, replacing them with highly curved but finite regions of space-time. While direct observation remains difficult, gravitational waves and earl...
-
Neanderthal Genetic Bottleneck 110,000 Years Ago May Explain Their Decline
A study suggests that Neanderthals experienced a population bottleneck 110,000 years ago, drastically reducing their genetic diversity. CT scans of their inner ear bones revealed a sharp decline in variation, indicating a drop in population size. This event may have made Neanderthals more vulnerable to environmental and competitive pressures, contr...
-
NASA’s New Missions Will Map the Sun and the Cosmos
NASA is set to launch two major missions, PUNCH and SPHEREx, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 2. PUNCH, a four-satellite system, will study the sun’s corona and space weather, while SPHEREx will create infrared maps of the cosmos to study galaxy evolution and cosmic history. These missions will contribute to a de...
-
Unexpected Rotational Motion Detected in Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies of Hydra Cluster
Astronomers studying ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) in the Hydra cluster have observed unexpected rotational movement in nearly half of the 30 galaxies examined. Spectroscopic data from the LEWIS programme, using the MUSE instrument on the Very Large Telescope, suggests that gravitational interactions with larger galaxies may influence their formati...
-
NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope Launching Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 to Explore Cosmic Evolution
NASA’s SPHEREx telescope, launching on Feb 28 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, will map the entire sky in infrared, observing 450 million galaxies and 100 million Milky Way stars. The mission aims to uncover the large-scale structure of the universe, track icy molecules in interstellar space, and study cosmic inflation. Equipped with a spectrophotometer...
-
Hubble Captures Stunning Tarantula Nebula Image, Revealing Cosmic Dust and Star Formation
A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope highlights the Tarantula Nebula’s complex structure, featuring dense cosmic dust clouds and vibrant star-forming regions. This nebula, located 160,000 light-years away, plays a vital role in understanding stellar evolution. The captured details offer insights into how cosmic dust contributes to star and...
