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Science

Scientists 3-D Print a Tiny Heart From Human Cells

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3D Heart - Live Science

It has four chambers, blood vessels and it beats — sort of. In a first, scientists have 3D printed a heart using human tissue. Though the heart is much smaller than a human’s (it’s only the size of a rabbit’s), and there’s still a long way to go until it functions like a normal heart, the proof-of-concept experiment could eventually lead to personalized organs or tissues that could be used in the human body, according to a study published Monday (April 15) in the journal Advanced Science. To print the heart, researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel began by taking … Read more

Anthropologists Find Ancient Humans Smaller than “Hobbits”

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Cave - pixabay

The ancient bones and teeth of a previously unknown human relative — one that was even smaller than the so-called Hobbit — have been discovered deep in a cave on an island in the Philippines. The newfound species is named Homo luzonensis in honor of Luzon, the island where the mysterious beings lived during the late Pleistocene epoch, more than 50,000 years ago. At less than 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall, H. luzonensis is the second known dwarf human on record, the first being Homo floresiensis, also known as the Hobbit, whose remains were found on the Indonesian island of … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Hexagon

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Floating cities. When I first saw the phrase, I was thinking something more space-like. Great, domed orbital platforms nestled in the yellowish hue of Venus’ atmosphere. Maybe serenely sitting above the great storms of Jupiter or Saturn. A way of living off in the middle distance of the future. These cities are reality on the cusp of fruition, but not in the clouds of our gas giants or even in orbit around our own planet. Think a little closer to the ground. Or water, as it were. A group of innovators have presented the U.N. Habitat Council with a plausible, … Read more

Humans Cause Most Dramatic Climate Change in 3 Million Years

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glacier - pixabay

The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is likely higher than it has been anytime in the past 3 million years. This rise in the level of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, could bring temperatures not seen over that entire timespan, according to new research. The study researchers used computer modeling to examine the changes in climate during the Quaternary period, which started around 2.59 million years ago and continues into today. Over that period, Earth has undergone a number of changes, but none so rapid as those seen today, said study author Matteo Willeit, a postdoctoral climate … Read more

SCIENCE: AI Is Creepy-Good at predicting Early Death

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ai - pixabay

Medical researchers have unlocked an unsettling ability in artificial intelligence (AI): predicting a person’s early death. Scientists recently trained an AI system to evaluate a decade of general health data submitted by more than half a million people in the United Kingdom. Then, they tasked the AI with predicting if individuals were at risk of dying prematurely — in other words, sooner than the average life expectancy — from chronic disease, they reported in a new study. The predictions of early death that were made by AI algorithms were “significantly more accurate” than predictions delivered by a model that did … Read more

SPACE: Could Carbon Monoxide Be a Sign Of Life?

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Scientists hunting for signs of alien life shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss carbon monoxide (CO), a new study suggests. The substance is highly poisonous to people and most other animal life here on Earth because it latches firmly onto hemoglobin, preventing this blood protein from carrying vital oxygen in the required quantities. And the gas hasn’t typically rated as a promising “biosignature” that astrobiologists should target in the search for ET. Indeed, many researchers regard CO as an anti-biosignature, because it’s a readily available source of carbon and energy that life-forms should theoretically gobble up. So, finding lots of … Read more

SCIENCE: A Giant Solar Storm Could Knock Out Earth’s Electic Grid

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A gigantic solar storm hit Earth about 2,600 years ago, one about 10 times stronger than any solar storm recorded in the modern day, a new study finds. These findings suggest that such explosions recur regularly in Earth’s history, and could wreak havoc if they were to hit now, given how dependent the world has become on electricity. The sun can bombard Earth with explosions of highly energetic particles known as solar proton events. These “proton storms” can endanger people and electronics both in space and in the air. In addition, when a proton storm hits Earth’s magnetosphere — the … Read more

SCIENCE: Decapitated Worms Can Regrow Their Brains

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worm - pixabay

For some worm species, decapitation is no big deal — they just grow a new head. But far from this superpower being an ancient skill, a recent study suggests that this ability is a relatively recent adaptation, at least evolutionarily speaking. Regeneration is unusual in animals, but the species that can do it are sprinkled throughout the animal kingdom, and include sea stars, hydras, fish, frogs, salamanders and spiders, as well as worms. Regrowing body parts was long thought to be an ancient trait, with diverse animals tracing the ability to a distant shared ancestor that likely emerged hundreds of … Read more

Baby T-Rex Was Adorable and Fluffy

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It may be hard to imagine towering Tyrannosaurus rex as tiny, but the toothy Cretaceous giant didn’t spring from an egg fully grown. In fact, T. rex hatchlings were about the size of very skinny turkeys, with “arms” that were longer in proportion to their tiny bodies than in adults. And each baby T. rex was covered in a coat of downy feathers. What’s more, T. rex‘s feathers likely grew along the animal’s head and tail into adulthood, according to new reconstructions that represent the most accurate models of the dinosaur to date. These and many more T. rex surprises abound in T. rex: The Ultimate Predator, a new … Read more

SCIENCE: Twelve Year Old Builds a Fusion reactor

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fusion - pixabay

A 12-year-old kid from Tennessee created a nuclear reaction in his family’s playroom in January 2018, according The Guardian. That makes him the youngest known person to have done so. The Open Source Fusor Research Consortium (a group of nuclear hobbyists) recognized Jackson Oswalt’s achievement on Feb. 2, according to a report by commercial appeal, a USA Today affiliate. Oswalt, now 14, built a machine that generates a plasma in which nuclear fusion occurs — not splitting an atom, but rather crushing atoms together to form heavier atoms. So to answer the obvious question: Yes, nuclear reactions are things you … Read more