What’s the oldest weapon in the world?
Nowadays, the word “weapon” may evoke modern-day technologies such as firearms, blades and missiles. Yet archaeological evidence shows that weapons have existed for hundreds of
Category: Science
Science word of the day: Autotroph
Science word of the day: Autotroph Pronunciation: AW’-tuh-trohf What it means: Autotrophs are organisms that can feed themselves with inorganic substances such as light (for
Stages of Star Formation
This NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month shows the giant molecular cloud Orion A, an area of the sky replete with star-forming
Not a housekeeper, but a ‘vilica’: The many responsibilities of Roman-era female farm managers were overlooked by historians
Female farm managers are hidden in plain sight in ancient Roman texts, mentioned in laws, literature and grave inscriptions across five centuries. Modern historians have
‘A dangerous proposition’: How AI is warping the social fabric and the ways we collectively imagine the future
Much of the discourse around artificial intelligence (AI) focuses on grand ideas such as the rise of a hypothetical artificial general intelligence (AGI) and superintelligence
Science word of the day: Neuroplasticity
Science word of the day: Neuroplasticity Pronunciation: Nur-roh-pla-STISS’-ih-tee What it means: Neuroplasticity is the ability of the nervous system to adapt to the environment or
Who owns your bones?
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the history of unethical practices in research on human remains and the progress toward more ethical standards.
‘Fireball’ meteorite that smashed into New Jersey home contains ingredients of life from an ancient proto-planet, study finds
Scientists have discovered the building blocks of life inside a meteorite that smashed through a New Jersey home two years ago. The space rock contains
Science news this week: Gold tongues discovered in tombs, sugar found in space, a new monkey identified in the Congolian rainforest, and ancient impact crater ‘geoguessed’ by an amateur astronomer
This week’s science news reminds us how the past still speaks if we listen closely, with news of the discovery of 18 ancient Egyptian tombs
What is the roundest animal?
Animals come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from spindly stick insects to blubbery whales. Round animals are harder to come by, but
Many universities hold seized human remains. What should they do with them?
Biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson is leading an effort to prevent history from repeating.
Science news this week: Time emerges inside a mini-universe, scientists thicken Arctic ice, and mouse study hints at why we lack memories from infancy
This week’s science news was filled with big discoveries from the world of the small, led by a physicist’s creation of a mini-universe, which was
NASA’s Chandra and IXPE Study Pulsar in Lighthouse Nebula
Scientists using NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) directly measured the magnetic fields of PSR J1101−6101, a pulsar located within what is often referred to
Martin Picard’s Mitochondrial Theory of Mind
It was 9 a.m. on a Thursday, and Martin Picard was watching his blood flow from an IV in his arm through a hole in