The asteroid that recently dominated the headlines, 3I/ATLAS, may be between 10 and 12 billion years old, a new analysis of the isotopic composition of the comet has shown. This so-called “invader” in our planetary system is only the third object reported to enter our cosmic environment from beyond. If these predictions of new comet … Read more
Summary: We have known for a long time that alcohol changes the way the brain works, but new research has discovered a surprising direct mechanism: alcohol does not only affect brain chemistry – its breakdown products (metabolites) directly control genes. The study shows that these epigenetic “rewrites” occur throughout the entire brain after long-term exposure, … Read more
If you live in England, you may have just got a new food waste caddy. Councils must now collect your separated food waste and turn it into fuel, compost or compost. So you can live comfortably knowing that your provisions for potatoes and stale bread will be put to good use instead of going to … Read more
James Webb Telescope (JWST) discovered small galaxies with black holes that are not well understood. These black holes, located in galaxies with masses much smaller than those traditionally associated with supermassive black holes (SMBHs), challenge long-held beliefs about how galaxies and their central black holes evolve. The discovery of these “extreme” black holes pushes the … Read more
For more than two decades, textbooks and science fairs have been telling the same story that the universe is not only expanding, but accelerating. Now a new wave of data is quietly shaking up that picture and giving new life to a mysterious ending called the Big Crunch, where everything in the universe finally collapses … Read more
“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may receive commissions or other income from these links.” Here’s what you’ll learn by reading this story: Today, scientists do not find “laws” but rather perfect theories, they always know that there is more to learn. A new study shows why the centuries-old “laws” need to be changed, as the 300-year-old … Read more
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you want an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Do multiverses exist? If so, what do they look like? How do you get there without wasting time? – Emily, age 9, Pune, Maharashtra, India The concept of multiverse – … Read more
Researchers say a new theory to deal with the Big Bang could change the way physicists think about the early history of the universe. A team from the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics has taken a different approach to analyzing the origin of the universe from previous efforts, with a … Read more
Stuart Penkett’s discovery of the chemical processes that cause acid rain changed our understanding of atmospheric pollution and what was needed to deal with it. Penkett, who has died aged 87, and his colleagues at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) in Harwell, Berkshire, published a landmark paper in 1979 in the journal Atmospheric Environment, … Read more
Learn more about how microwaves have changed the way we communicate and helped us understand the origins of the universe. The Pope is watching. This had a better job. Such thoughts probably crossed Guglielmo Marconi’s mind in 1932 as he set up a special antenna in the Vatican gardens while His Holiness Pope Pius XI … Read more