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+20 +1
New Clues About ‘Ambigram’ Viruses With Strange Reversible Genes
For decades, scientists have been intrigued by tiny viruses whose genetic material can be read both forward and backward. New research begins to explain this puzzling property.
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+16 +1
Scientists successfully develop 'heat resistant' coral to fight bleaching
The team included researchers from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the University of Melbourne.
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+4 +1
Never-before-seen "black nitrogen" plugs puzzle in periodic table
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have created a form of nitrogen that’s never been seen before. Nicknamed “black nitrogen,” the new substance is crystalline, occurs in two-dimensional sheets, and could one day be useful in advanced electronics.
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+21 +1
Bill Gates calls GMOs 'perfectly healthy' — and scientists say he's right
Bill Gates has a message for those advocating against genetically modified organisms: I'm disappointed.
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+4 +1
Scientists find 'secret molecule' that allows bacteria to exhale electricity
For mouthless, lungless bacteria, breathing is a bit more complicated than it is for humans. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide; Geobacter — a ubiquitous, groundwater-dwelling genus of bacteria — swallow up organic waste and "exhale" electrons, generating a tiny electric current in the process.
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+11 +1
Interstellar object 'Oumuamua is a pancake-shaped chunk of a Pluto-like planet
The first known visitor from interstellar space, 'Oumuamua, was likely a pancake-shaped chip off a Pluto-like world, researchers say. These findings may shed light on the stuff a new class of planet, an exo-Pluto, is made of, scientists added.
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+4 +1
Review: Most human origins stories are not compatible with known fossils
In the 150 years since Charles Darwin speculated that humans originated in Africa, the number of species in the human family tree has exploded, but so has the level of dispute concerning early human evolution. A new review looks at the major discoveries in hominin origins since Darwin's works and argues that fossil apes can inform us about essential aspects of ape and human evolution, including the nature of our last common ancestor.
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+10 +1
The jaw-droppingly high, out-of-this-world carbon footprint of space tourism
The commercial race to get tourists to space is heating up between Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. On July 11, Branson ascended 80 km (49 miles) to reach the edge of space in his piloted Virgin Galactic VSS Unity spaceplane, while Bezos’ autonomous Blue Origin rocket launched today on July 20, coinciding with the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Although Bezos launched later than Branson, he set out to reach higher altitudes — about 120 km, or 74 miles.
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+14 +1
Galileo Project: scientists to search for signs of extraterrestrial technology
A team of scientists will embark on a new international research project led by Harvard University to search for evidence of extraterrestrial life by looking for advanced technology it may leave behind.
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+12 +1
Seemingly harmless plant is a carnivore with flowers that eat insects
A plant that grows in bogs along the west coast of North America has been spotted using its flowers to eat insects – until now, researchers had no idea it was carnivorous
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+29 +1
Astronomers Locate the Source of High-Energy Cosmic Rays
Roughly a century ago, scientists began to realize that some of the radiation we detect in Earth’s atmosphere is not local in origin. This eventually gave rise to the discovery of cosmic rays, high-energy protons and atomic nuclei that have been stripped of their electrons and accelerated to relativistic speeds (close to the speed of light). However, there are still several mysteries surrounding this strange (and potentially lethal) phenomenon.
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+3 +1
Tiny laser-propelled spaceships could travel to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond
Miniature spaceships the size of cellphones could fly across the solar system using sails propelled by lasers, which would allow the tiny spacecraft to reach much faster speeds — and, potentially, much more distant destinations — than conventionally powered rockets, a new study finds.
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+13 +1
Our universe was made by aliens in a lab, theorises Harvard scientist
Ever considered the notion that everything around you was cooked up by aliens in a lab? Theoretical physicist and former chair of Harvard’s astronomy department, Abraham ‘Avi’ Loeb, has proposed a wild – if unsettling – theory that our universe was intentionally created by a more advanced class of lifeform.
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+17 +1
Now you can hear what your voice would sound like on Mars
NASA has created an online tool that simulates how you’d sound on the red planet. That’s right: You can drop your own Mars bars in a round of interstellar karaoke.
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+27 +1
An upset to the standard model
Over the past 60 years, the standard model (SM) has established itself as the most successful theory of matter and fundamental interactions—to date.
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+4 +1
A mysterious intergalactic force is pushing against the Milky Way
It sounds like the premise of a bad sci-fi movie: There's some mysterious entity, beyond the boundaries of our galaxy, that is pushing against us with incredible force. We don't know exactly what it is, and we don't know how long it's been there. But we do know its name: the dipole repeller.
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+19 +1
Scientists Think They Know What Causes Mars's Planet-Encompassing Dust Storms
Seasonal dust storms are well-known on Mars, and they can sometimes cover the entire planet. The dust storms got so intense in June 2018 that they hid most of the planet's surface, prompting NASA to lose touch with Opportunity, which proved catastrophic for the world-record-breaking rover.
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+14 +1
What is the Best Radiation Shielding for the Surface of Mars?
A new study takes a look at potential methods for radiation shielding that could inform the creation of Martian habitats
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+4 +1
Europe will launch a 'lurking' probe in 2029 to watch for an interstellar comet
The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to launch a unique comet-chasing mission in 2029. The mission, called Comet Interceptor, was approved on Wednesday (June 8) at ESA's Science Programme Committee meeting. It will be a collaboration between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
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+4 +1
Ingenuity Mars helicopter bags prestigious aviation award
The team behind NASA’s plucky Ingenuity helicopter has collected another award for the aircraft’s groundbreaking achievements on Mars. The helicopter hovered into the history books in April 2021 when it became the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet. In recognition of its success, the National Aeronautic Association presented NASA’s team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on June 9. JPL tweeted several photos from the event:
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