Sink drains and plumbing are generally unpleasant places, at least from a human perspective. If you’re a fungus, though, you may feel differently. In fact, one reason we’re often repulsed by sinks – along with dirty sponges and other sink paraphernalia – is precisely because they’re such great habitats for unsavory microbes. In a new …
The Hidden Things Lurking in Sink Drains Can Be Dangerous, Even Deadly Read More »
A galaxy that has taunted astronomers since they first detected a hint of its presence more than 20 years ago has finally emerged from hiding. It’s called HIPASS J1131-31, or Peekaboo, and it’s located just 22 million light-years away. And it was so hard to see because it’s teeny tiny and obscured by a bright …
‘Peekaboo’ Galaxy Emerges From Hiding, And It’s A Time Capsule Of The Universe Read More »
The exact origins of the Milky Way are shrouded in mystery. But astronomers believe that our home galaxy started out more than 13 billion years ago, and that it was much smaller than its present-day size. How did it grow so much to reach its current size? For that, we can probably thank eons of …
Scientists have identified the most ancient DNA ever discovered, and in the process revealed a complex ecosystem that existed two million years ago in modern day Greenland, according to the results of a new study published in the journal Nature. The double helix-shaped molecule Deoxyribonucleic acid (or DNA for short) is present in almost every …
Most Ancient DNA Ever Discovered Reveals a Thriving Ecosystem Lost to Time – IGN Read More »
2,500 years ago, one of space’s most beautiful features was born: the Southern Ring Nebula. The nebula was vividly imaged by the Webb Space Telescope earlier this year, and astronomers now think they know exactly how a star’s violent outburst occurred, leaving the elegant nebula in its wake. The star that bore the nebula was …
Webb Telescope Reveals a Luminous Stellar Crime Scene Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more. CNN — The exoplanet 55 Cancri e goes by several names, but the rocky world located 40 light-years from Earth is most known for its reputation as a “hell planet.” This super-Earth, so named because …
A year only lasts 17.5 hours on the ‘hell planet’ | CNN Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more. CNN — The exoplanet 55 Cancri e goes by several names, but the rocky world located 40 light-years from Earth is most known for its reputation as a “hell planet.” This super-Earth, so named because …
A year only lasts 17.5 hours on the ‘hell planet’ | CNN Read More »
On Wednesday (Dec. 7), skywatchers around the world were treated to a celestial show as the full moon eclipsed Mars in the night sky. The rare event, known as a lunar occultation, refers to one celestial body — in this case, Mars — appearing to disappear or hide behind another — in this case, the …
Rare Mars eclipse by the full moon wows stargazers with occultation (video) Read More »
An Icelandic sheepdog.Photo: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) A new study may help us understand our canine companions a bit better. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health say they’ve uncovered some of the ways that genes can influence the behaviors of certain breeds, such as dogs meant to herd livestock. For about two decades, a team led …
How Genes Drive Your Dog’s Lovable and Wacky Behavior Read More »
Photo: Joe Raedle (Getty Images) When it comes to tracking the incremental advances of AI potential, humans have an odd tendency to think in terms of board games probably haven’t played since childhood. Although there’s no shortage of examples, even recent oneshighlighting AI’s ability to utterly own the cardboard gaming space, those tests only go …
DeepMind’s AlphaCode Can Outcompete Human Coders Read More »
