Japan’s SLIM moon lander surprisingly survived a second lunar night
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon spacecraft has sent back images after surviving its second lunar night – generally these periods are so cold they destroy spacecraft electronics ⌘ Read more
Could bone marrow transplants transmit Alzheimer’s disease?
The mainstream view is that Alzheimer’s starts in the brain, but researchers were able to transfer the condition in mice by injections of bone marrow ⌘ Read more
Chair for gamers boosts player performance and prevents muscular aches
Gamers seemed to be more comfortable after playing in a specialist gaming chair compared with a standard office chair ⌘ Read more
Mars may have captured and split a comet to create its two moons
How the Red Planet acquired its two moons, Phobos and Deimos, is unknown – they could have formed after something collided with the planet, or started out as asteroids – but now there is a hint of a cometary origin ⌘ Read more
Early galaxy seen by JWST contains giant young stars and supernovae
The light signature from GLASS-z12, one of the most distant galaxies we have ever seen, suggests some of its stars have already exploded as supernovae ⌘ Read more
Spreading rock dust on farms boosts crop yields and captures CO2
We already have evidence that rock dust can remove carbon dioxide from the air – now there are signs that spreading the dust on farm fields also enhances crop growth ⌘ Read more
NASA’s Artemis astronauts will try to grow plants on the moon
Three experiments have been selected to fly to the moon alongside NASA’s Artemis III astronauts, all designed to help with future long-term stays on the moon and eventually Mars ⌘ Read more
Antibody therapy makes the immune systems of old mice young again
A novel antibody therapy makes the immune system of old mice appear younger, allowing the animals to better fend off infections and reduce inflammation ⌘ Read more
We’ve glimpsed something that behaves like a particle of gravity
Gravitons, the particles thought to carry gravity, have never been seen in space – but something very similar has been detected in a semiconductor ⌘ Read more
Is every species necessary or can we let some die out?
There are thousands of species at risk of extinction, and we can’t save them all – how do conservationists think about which ones to focus on? ⌘ Read more
How mastering the art of being alone can boost your mental health
We are finally getting to grips with why solitude is so important. Here’s how to use your alone time to get the biggest boost to your health and relationships ⌘ Read more
Implantable battery is charged up by the body’s oxygen supply
Many medical implants run on batteries that need to be recharged, but what if you could do so just by breathing? ⌘ Read more
Eclipse 2024: When is it and where can I see it?
North America will have a total solar eclipse on 8 April – here is where, when and how to view it safely ⌘ Read more
New view of our galaxy’s black hole reveals a swirling magnetic field
The black hole at the centre of our galaxy, known as Sagittarius A*, has been captured in polarised light to reveal its magnetic field ⌘ Read more
Most accurate clock ever can tick for 40 billion years without error
The record for the most accurate clock has been broken in an experiment with strontium atoms almost as cold as absolute zero, and it is twice as accurate as any predecessor ⌘ Read more
AI chatbots are improving at an even faster rate than computer chips
The large language models behind AI chatbots are developing so rapidly that after eight months, a model only needs half the computing power to hit the same benchmark score - which is much faster than the rate at which computer chips improve ⌘ Read more
Horses used in therapy often avoid people if they are given a choice
Horses show signs of stress if people touch them while they are tethered, but they appear much less anxious if they are able to walk away ⌘ Read more
Some bamboo toilet paper contains only tiny amounts of bamboo
Toilet paper made from bamboo is supposed to be more eco-friendly than traditional paper made from virgin wood pulp. But new tests suggest some products contain as little as 3 per cent bamboo ⌘ Read more
Not getting enough sleep may make you feel years older
Insufficient sleep seems to result in people feeling older than they are, with a higher “subjective age” previously being linked to depression ⌘ Read more
Unexploded bombs from the second world war are getting more dangerous
An explosive found inside many bombs and shells used during the first and second world wars is becoming more likely to explode in response to impacts ⌘ Read more
Bird flu detected in US dairy cows – here’s what you need to know
The US Department of Agriculture has detected bird flu in dairy cows from Texas and Kansas – the first time the virus has been found in cattle ⌘ Read more
How to make an eclipse viewer
Some basic equipment can help you safely enjoy the eclipse on 8 April – here’s how to easily make what you need ⌘ Read more
Flavour-predicting AI can tell brewers how to make beer taste better
An AI model trained on chemical and perceptual data on 250 Belgian beers can predict the flavour profile of a brew – and how to make it tastier ⌘ Read more
The physicist searching for quantum gravity in gravitational rainbows
Claudia de Rham thinks that gravitons, hypothetical particles thought to carry gravity, have mass. If she’s right, we can expect to see “rainbows” in ripples in space-time ⌘ Read more
AI forecaster can predict the future better than humans
An AI forecaster based on the language model GPT-4 can predict the outcome of future events more accurately than single humans. In some cases, it can even outperform the “wisdom of crowds” ⌘ Read more