Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has given states final say over if and when abortions are legal, the political debates over abortion rights will intensify in legislatures and courthouses around the nation. Many of those discussions will hinge on the question of when, exactly, is the beginning of a human life that could – […]
The migration of carbon atoms on the surface of the nanomaterial graphene was recently measured for the first time. Although the atoms move too swiftly to be directly observed with an electron microscope, their effect on the stability of the material can now be determined indirectly while the material is heated on a microscopic hot […]
Tissue study shows ancient squid as ferocious predator The modern vampire squid may be a docile, soft-bodied animal, but new data suggests its prehistoric ancestor, Vampyronassa rhodanica, was a muscular ocean predator. Researchers analyzed fossilized soft tissues and found that the ancient cephalopods, which date back 164 million years, came equipped with a streamlined body […]
Radioactive isotope 136Xe can undergo a special kind of decay known as double beta decay. In that event, two electrons and two neutrinos are emitted from the xenon atom. If the neutrino is its own antiparticle, a so-called Majorana particle, two neutrinos in the same region of space have a chance of annihilate themselves, and […]
It is not an exaggeration to say that the question of where and when the Black Death, the deadliest pandemic ever, originated is one of the biggest mysteries in human history. After all, the Black Death was the first wave of the second plague pandemic of the 14th to early 19th centuries. It killed some […]
A single MRI scan of the brain using standard equipment could be enough to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, according to new results. The research uses machine learning technology to look at structural features within the brain, including in regions not previously associated with Alzheimer’s. The advantage of the technique is its simplicity and the fact that […]
Jupiter feasted on baby planets to fuel growth Researchers constructed a model based on gravitational data from NASA’s Juno space probe and other sources to examine the core of Jupiter, finding its center is filled with planetesimals, baby planets that the massive giant used to fuel its own growth. Full story: Live Science Lack of […]
Diodes are everywhere these days as they are key elements for electronics, optics, and detection. A diode is an electronic device with two electrodes. In the obsolescent thermionic diode a heated cathode emits electrons, which flow across the intervening vacuum to the anode when a positive potential is applied to it. The device permits flow […]
Nay, nay, I say! This cannot be, That machines should e’er surpass our art. We are the masters, them the slaves, And thus it ever shall be so! They learn, ‘tis true, but they learn Only what we bid them learn, no more. They cannot understand the heart Or beauty of our words, you see […]
I think I am not assuming much if I say that we are all familiar with the concept of satellite. But just in case, I should say that a satellite, within an astronomical context, is an entity in orbit around a larger body. For example, the Earth’s companion in our journey through the Milky Way […]