Category archives: Technology

Luthiers still use Chladni figures in the design and construction of acoustic instruments such as violins, guitars, and cellos. The technique invented by the German physicist and musician Ernst Chladni (1756–1827) shows the modes of vibration under forcing. The backplate of the instrument is covered with flour or sand, and bowed until it reached resonance […]

Evidence of ancient flood uncovered in China Scientists have uncovered evidence that the myth that an enormous flood spawned China’s Xia dynasty isn’t just legend. Geologists, historians and archaeologists worked together to determine a massive flood occurred around 1,922 B.C., around the time Emperor Yu is said to have founded civilization in China. The Washington […]

Cancer found in bone of ancient human ancestor Evidence of cancer has been found in the toe bone of an ancient human ancestor who died 1.6 million to 1.8 million years ago, suggesting the deadly disease isn’t just caused by lifestyle factors. Researchers examining the bone using 3D imaging identified a malignant osteosarcoma tumor. National […]

Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon made of hexagons. In February 2015, penta-graphene, only made of pentagons, was theoretically proposed as another two-dimensional allotrope of carbon . Apparently, it is dynamically, thermally, and mechanically stable, exhibiting a large band gap (graphene is gapless). However, an exhaustive experimental search has been inconclusive, resulting in doubts […]

Ultra-sensitive detector fails to find sign of dark matter The most sensitive search yet for dark matter has failed to turn up a signal from the elusive material believed to make up most of the universe’s mass, according to findings presented at the 11th Identification of Dark Matter Conference in the UK. The experiment pushed […]

Agriculture may have had many roots, DNA study suggests The skeletons of four ancient farmers have been found in Iran, and DNA tests indicate they have no genetic links to Aegeans, long thought to be the first farmers in Europe, which suggests that agriculture may have been developed more than once. DNA analysis of the […]

Cannabis use spread throughout Eurasia as Bronze Age dawned Ancient humans in both Asia and Europe started using cannabis as early as the end of the last ice age. Researchers say the use of cannabis intensified in East Asia around the beginning of the Bronze Age, then spread throughout Eurasia. New Scientist AI technique developed […]

The stem cell research field shocked the scientific community back in 2006 thanks to Shinya Yamanaka, who found a way to obtain pluripotent stem cells from adult somatic cells . The recipe consisted of just four genes encoding for transcription factors allowing him to reprogram mouse fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The “Yamanaka […]

Studies shed new light on Zika virus brain damage in infants Nearly 20% of babies infected with the Zika virus had normal head circumferences, which researchers said indicates a focus on microcephaly screening alone is too narrow, according to a study of about 1,500 newborns. Another study showed that brain tissues of infants with Zika […]

Imaging technique gives scientists a look inside cat mummies The atomic number imaging technique is helping researchers see inside the mummies of cats from ancient Egypt without having to remove the wrappings. Scientists hope they can use the new imaging technique to learn more about human mummies. National Geographic Chunks of land along Calif.’s San […]