Lessons from evolutionary theory on alien appearance
Samuel Levin, University of Oxford Aliens could be everywhere. There are at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy alone, and at least 20% of them could be habitable. Even if a tiny…
What are the scientific explanations for alien abduction?
Ken Drinkwater, Manchester Metropolitan University and Neil Dagnall, Manchester Metropolitan University Accounts of mysterious flashing lights in the sky, spacecrafts and encounters with “real” aliens reflect high levels of public interest in UFOs…
Consciousness may have evolved to benefit society
Peter W Halligan, Cardiff University and David A Oakley, UCL Why did the experience of consciousness evolve from our underlying brain physiology? Despite being a vibrant area of neuroscience, current research on consciousness…
Fusion energy: solution or problem?
Sophie Cogan, University of York Harnessing energy from nuclear fusion – the combining of nuclei, which lie within atoms – could be instrumental in the shift towards a decarbonised global energy system. As…
Japanese scientists create artificial womb for baby sharks
Researchers at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Motobu, Japan, have developed an artificial womb capable of incubating embryos of thin-tailed lantern sharks (Etmopterus molleri) that were born prematurely, allowing them to develop to…
What Lucy fossil reveals about nudity and shame
Stacy Keltner, Kennesaw State University Fifty years ago, scientists discovered a nearly complete fossilized skull and hundreds of pieces of bone of a 3.2-million-year-old female specimen of the genus Australopithecus afarensis, often described…
If dragons were real, how would the firebreather work?
Mark Lorch, University of Hull In George R.R. Martin’s fantastical land of Westeros in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, the spectacle of dragons breathing fire captivates his audience through a…
Oldest Known Human Face Reconstructed
If you’ve ever wondered what your ancestors looked like 300,000 years ago, look no further. The face of the oldest known human has been reconstructed for the first time, revealing a man described…
Just thinking about a location activates mental maps in the brain
Anne Trafton | MIT News As you travel your usual route to work or the grocery store, your brain engages cognitive maps stored in your hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. These maps store information about paths…
In search of the world’s thinnest metal wire
Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have made a revolutionary discovery in the field of nanotechnology. They simulated thousands of one-dimensional (1-D) materials and found what may be…