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For radioastronomers, the far side of the Moon could be the last unspoilt refuge in the Solar System. Planet Earth — and all the human-made electromagnetic noise it spews out into space — stays permanently below the horizon, so that any radio observatories positioned there would be free to observe the cosmos without interference. But […]

A newly discovered asteroid may make a perilously close approach to Earth about 20 years from now, with a roughly 1-in-600 chance that the space rock will collide directly with our planet, officials with NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office tweeted.  While that’s a higher-than-average risk level for near-Earth asteroids, it’s still a “very small chance” of […]

Introduction Where Did We Come From? Where Will We Go? by Jesse Emspak Section 1: Factors for Success 1.1   The Most Invasive Species of All         by Curtis W. Marean 1.2   The Origin of Us         by Kate Wong 1.3   When the Sea Saved Humanity         by Curtis W. Marean 1.4   The Evolution of Myths         […]

After years of debates and discussions, nations have agreed on a High Seas Treaty to protect marine biodiversity and provide oversight of international waters. It is being lauded by researchers as an important step for conservation that encourages international research collaboration without hindering science. “We’re ecstatic,” says Kristina Gjerde, who researches marine environmental law at […]

Karen Hopkin: This is Scientific American’s Science, Quickly. I’m Karen Hopkin. If you’re a new parent or have ever had any exposure to a baby, you’re no doubt familiar with this sound. [CLIP: Baby crying]    Hopkin: Now, the emotions you might experience when treated to this exhibition of infant lung capacity may vary, depending on […]

Are you scared of clowns? You are not alone. Coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns, is a widely acknowledged phenomenon. Studies indicate this fear is present among both adults and children in many different cultures. Yet it is not well understood due to a lack of focused research. While numerous possible explanations of the phobia had been put […]

Octopuses’ sucker-covered arms can act as if they contain partly independent mini brains. Each arm gathers sensory information to drive its own movements—and even those of other arms—without consulting major brain regions. “Their arms are so mobile; they’re soft, and they can bend and twist and do all sorts of things,” says Melina Hale, a […]

Projected on the massive screen behind me onstage, a herd of giraffes rushes across a sweep of savanna. With the video set to loop, the giraffes gallop endlessly, giving me time to slowly lean across the podium and ask my audience: “Did you spot the pregnant giraffes?” I am delivering a plenary lecture at the […]

A near-record amount of snow in California could ease some water restrictions after years of climate-change-fueled drought Source link

Colombian environment minister Susana Muhamad has triggered fear among researchers that she will protect, rather than reduce, a growing population of invasive hippos that threaten the country’s natural ecosystems and biodiversity. Although she did not directly mention the hippos — a contentious issue in Colombia — Muhamad said during a speech in late January that her ministry […]