Assuming these materials were inert and safe, hospitals have for decades depended on medical plastics used in everything from sutures to catheters. Unbelievably, though, some of the worst superbugs are eating rather than merely colonizing these devices. Researchers have found a strain of the well-known hospital pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa that generates an enzyme able to ...
New research has uncovered the key players responsible for illuminating the early universe. Scientists have long debated what caused the transition from cosmic darkness to the era of reionization, when light could finally travel freely through space. Recent findings suggest that small dwarf galaxies played an important role in clearing the dense hydrogen fog that ...
The speed of light was a mystery for millennia, a fugitive constant that escaped measurement and understanding. Now among the most basic foundations of contemporary physics, it shapes our knowledge of space, time, and the very fabric of reality. Light’s speed is more than just a number; it’s a cosmic speed limit, a ruler for ...
In a marvelous twist of fate, a gigantic 302-pound loggerhead sea turtle nicknamed Pennywise survived a horrific boat strike on the Atlantic side of Florida, only to reveal an astonishing secret during her medical examination. Because of her unusual size, veterinary equipment couldn’t be used on her, so she had an atypical CT scan at ...
A groundbreaking genetic study has uncovered a Neanderthal population in France that remained completely isolated for 50,000 years. Unlike other Neanderthal groups, which often exchanged genes with neighboring populations, this group remained genetically and culturally separate. The discovery raises new questions about the role of isolation in Neanderthal extinction and challenges long-held assumptions about their ...
The universe shouldn’t exist at least, not in a form that allows life. Yet here we are, thinking, questioning, and marveling at the cosmos. The fundamental laws of physics appear fine-tuned with eerie precision. Alter any one of nature’s constant gravity, the speed of light, the mass of an electron even slightly, and stars wouldn’t ...
Hiding in neat cucumbers meant for salads, sandwiches, and sushi, a quiet menace has crept into American kitchens. Federal health officials are racing to contain a multistate Salmonella outbreak connected to cucumbers grown in Florida a déjà vu of a 2024 crisis traced to the same farm as of May 2025. The FDA and CDC ...
New research has revealed that Homo erectus in Java persisted far longer than previously believed, possibly overlapping with early Homo sapiens. Fossil evidence suggests that the species survived in Southeast Asia until at least 108,000 years ago, significantly later than previous estimates. This discovery challenges long-standing evolutionary timelines and raises new questions about interactions between ...
The biggest iceberg in the world, a frozen behemoth the size of Cornwall, is breaking into thousands of icy fragments close to South Georgia’s wildlife-rich coastlines. After almost four decades of drifting from Antarctica in 1986, this “megaberg” is finally giving way to warmer temperatures; its soaring cliffs are collapsing in a show both amazing ...
For nearly a century, an enigmatic mummy sat quietly in the collections of the University of Turin’s Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (MAET), her secrets locked beneath darkened skin. Donated before 1930 with no archaeological records, her origins were a mystery until now. A recent study has revealed something extraordinary: a series of rare facial ...
