The real history behind Moana may be tied to a devastating drought that pushed Polynesian voyagers toward wetter islands and helped reshape human settlement across the Pacific. In Disney’s Moana, a young Polynesian girl sails beyond her island’s barrier reef to save her threatened home. Scientists have now uncovered evidence that a real environmental crisis […]
A Natural “Varnish” May Explain How 37,000-Year-Old Cave Art Survived
A new technique uses UV light to reveal a natural mineral varnish that may have helped preserve Chauvet Cave’s 37,000-year-old charcoal drawings. About 37,000 years ago, Paleolithic people entered a limestone cave in southeastern France and drew the animals around them, including cave bears, cave lions, bison, and horses. An ancient rockfall later sealed away […]
Scientists Just Found a Key Ingredient for Superconductivity at Room Temperature
Researchers have discovered that a key requirement for superconductivity can persist even at room temperature. Scientists searching for a superconductor that works at room temperature have identified a potential way forward. New research from Utrecht, Leiden, and Munich shows that electrons can form the pairs needed for superconductivity even at room temperature. The findings, published […]
Scientists Discover a Hidden Weakness in One of the Deadliest Cancers
Researchers have identified another potential approach to treating pancreatic cancer, with early experiments suggesting that blocking a protein could slow tumor growth and strengthen immune defenses. Pancreatic tumors can be surrounded by tissue so dense that it compresses blood vessels, making it difficult for nutrients to reach cancer cells. Even under these conditions, the cells […]
Could Vitamin B12 Hold the Key to Treating a Rare Genetic Disorder?
A search for genes linked to lifespan uncovered an unexpected connection between RNA splicing, metabolism, and developmental disorders. A mutation linked to a rare developmental disorder appears to interfere with more than the way cells process genetic instructions. Researchers discovered that it also disrupts vitamin B12-dependent metabolism in tiny roundworms. Supplying the vitamin restored key […]
Scientists Discover That Male and Female Hearts Age in Surprisingly Different Ways
A new study reveals surprising differences in how male and female hearts age at the cellular level. The heart may age very differently from one region to another. A detailed study of mouse hearts found that molecular signs associated with chronic inflammation and tissue scarring were concentrated around the aortic valves and aortic root, rather […]
James Webb’s Mysteriously Bright Galaxies May Finally Have an Explanation
Calculations suggest powerful ultraviolet light from young stars could sweep gas out of early galaxies while leaving dense star-forming regions intact, offering a clue to their mysterious brightness. The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed something unexpected about the early universe: bright galaxies were far more common just a few hundred million years after the […]
A Planet 11 Times Bigger Than Jupiter Is Challenging What We Thought About Planet Formation
New observations of the giant exoplanet Beta Pictoris b are challenging assumptions about how and where massive planets form. New observations of Beta Pictoris b, a massive planet orbiting a young star, are challenging a method astronomers hoped could reveal where giant planets form. More precise measurements of the planet’s atmosphere have overturned an earlier […]
A Common Plastic Could Solve a Major Problem With Living on the Moon
The same plastic that keeps marathon runners warm could help future moon bases withstand extreme temperatures and years of rough treatment. Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an insulating material by stacking hundreds of thin sheets of Mylar. In laboratory tests, the stacks combined effective insulation in a vacuum with flexibility and resistance […]
Brick Kilns Became Cleaner and More Profitable, but Workers Saw No Benefits
Bangladesh’s brick kilns found a way to pollute less and earn more, but workers saw no measurable improvement in their pay or working conditions. Simple adjustments to how coal is fed and bricks are stacked helped traditional kilns burn less fuel, release less pollution, and produce better bricks. Yet a companion study found no measurable […]