Science & Space: 1 of 10
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+16
The 'megascale' structures that humans could one day build
What are the biggest, boldest things that humanity could engineer? From planet lifters to space cannons, Anders Sandberg explores some of history's most ambitious visions.
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+5
NASA Curiosity rover celebrates 3,000th day on Mars with stunning panorama of planet
The glorious new image captures the 96-mile-wide Gale Crater and part of Mount Sharp, its central mountain.
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+9
The bunker builders preparing for doomsday
For some, the current crisis is a dummy run for long-term lockdown. Across the world, luxury bunkers are being built for a lucky few to survive calamity and collapse.
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+15
What we’ve lost: the species declared extinct in 2020
Dozens of frogs, fish, orchids and other species may no longer exist due to humanity’s effects on the planet
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+14
Saudi Arabia launches 170km city built in a straight line
New eco-friendly project launched by the crown prince panned on social media as 'nonsense' and 'dreamed up from a sci-fi movie'
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+11
World's oldest known cave painting found in Indonesia
Picture of wild pig made at least 45,500 years ago provides earliest evidence of human settlement in region
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+13
Do we have to age?
The biologist Andrew Steele thinks ageing is a disease that can be treated. But if we had a cure for getting old, what would that mean for us?
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+13
New traumatic brain injury test is 'game-changing,' concussion experts say
A "game-changing" new blood test from medical device company Abbott could allow doctors to diagnose traumatic brain injuries in under 15 minutes.
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+16
Disagreeing takes up a lot of brain real estate
Yale researchers have devised a way to peer into the brains of two people simultaneously while are engaged in discussion. What they found will not surprise anyone who has found themselves arguing about politics or social issues.
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+20
Who Invented the Alphabet?
New scholarship points to a paradox of historic scope: Our writing system was devised by people who couldn’t read
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+23
NASA will soon fire up the most powerful rocket ever built
This liquid fuel engine is a beast.
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+16
Plants are soaking up far less extra CO2 than we thought they would
Computer models have overestimated the boost in plant growth from increases in carbon dioxide levels, meaning plants will soak up less of the greenhouse gas than expected
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+16
Scientists discover 10 billion-year-old "super-Earth" planet
The newfound planet likely can't support life.
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+8
Scientists Make Bio-Derived, Sustainable Polymer Using Sugar from Wood
The team made sustainable polymer by using the second most abundant sugar in nature — xylose.
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+12
Biomarkers in fathers’ sperm linked to offspring autism
Biomarkers in human sperm have been identified that can indicate a propensity to father children with autism spectrum disorder. These biomarkers are epigenetic, meaning they involve changes to molecular factors that regulate genome activity such as gene expression independent of DNA sequence, and can be passed down to future generations.
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+21
NASA extends Juno, turning spacecraft into an Io, Europa, and Ganymede explorer
What's up with all those volcanoes on Io, anyway?
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+13
Astronomers measure enormous planet lurking far from its star
Scientists aren’t usually able to measure the size of gigantic planets, like Jupiter or Saturn, which are far from the stars they orbit. But a UC Riverside-led team has done it.
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18.
+8
Ocean pollutants 'have negative effect on male fertility'
Long-lived banned industrial chemicals may be threatening the fertility of male porpoises living off the UK. Polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs) were phased out decades ago, but can build up in whales, dolphins and porpoises. Scientists say harbour porpoises exposed to PCBs had shrunken testicles, suggesting an effect on sperm count and fertility.
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+15
50 countries commit to protection of 30% of Earth's land and oceans
A coalition of 50 countries has committed to protect almost a third of the planet by 2030 to halt the destruction of the natural world and slow extinctions of wildlife. The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, which includes the UK and countries from six continents, made the pledge to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and oceans before the One Planet summit in Paris on Monday, hosted by the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
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20.
+31
Boeing charged with criminal conspiracy and agrees to pay $2.5 billion to settle 737 Max probe
Boeing agreed to pay more than $2.5 billion to settle criminal conspiracy charges relating to its 737 Max planes after two deadly crashes.