Science & Technology

Scientists have found a way to levitate objects with light 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- April 2, 2019
Turns out the key to making things lighter than air is…light!

By David Aragorn
Scientists discover genetic mutation that helps block pain and improve healing 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- April 2, 2019
Jo Cameron smells her smouldering flesh before realising she has even been burnt and scoffs down chilli peppers with ease — and now doctors believe the 71-year-old could hold the key to new treatments for chronic injuries, after discovering she feels virtually no pain.

By David Aragorn
‘Head transplant’ surgeons claim progress 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- April 2, 2019
Two controversial surgeons aiming to transplant a human head have reported spinal surgery success in animals.

By David Aragorn
‘The Matrix’ Turns 20 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- April 1, 2019
March 31, 1999 saw the release of The Matrix, the sci-fi action film directed by the Wachowskis that went on to massive financial and critical success, spawning sequels and a host of other related media. The Onion looks back at big moments in the franchise on its 20-year anniversary.

By David Aragorn
The biggest revolution in gene editing: Crispr-Cas9 explained 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- March 30, 2019
Prof Jennifer Doudna, one the pioneers of Crispr-Cas9 gene editing, explains how this revolutionary discovery enables precise changes to our DNA, which can be used to correct mutations that cause genetic diseases and eradicate them from a germ line.

By David Aragorn
Physicists Create Stable ‘Supercrystals’0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- March 28, 2019
Stimulation with ultrafast light pulses can realize and manipulate states of matter with emergent structural, electronic and magnetic phenomena. According to a new study, published in the journal Nature Materials, an ultrafast laser pulse plus ‘frustration’ resulted in a new state of matter — a ‘supercrystal.’

By David Aragorn
NASA-Funded Research Creates DNA-like Molecule to Aid Search for Alien Life 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- March 28, 2019
In a research breakthrough funded by NASA, scientists have synthesized a molecular system that, like DNA, can store and transmit information. This unprecedented feat suggests there could be an alternative to DNA-based life, as we know it on Earth – a genetic system for life that may be possible on other worlds.

By David Aragorn
Dash of Meson, Pinch of Baryon: Scientists Find Recipe for Ultrarare Pentaquarks 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- March 27, 2019
More than three years after discovering a never-before-seen subatomic particle, physicists now know how these particles — called pentaquarks — are put together.

By David Aragorn
New neurons for life? Old people can still make fresh brain cells, study finds 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- March 27, 2019
One of the thorniest debates in neuroscience is whether people can make new neurons after their brains stop developing in adolescence—a process known as neurogenesis. Now, a new study finds that even people long past middle age can make fresh brain cells, and that past studies that failed to spot these newcomers may have used flawed methods.

By David Aragorn
Schrödinger’s kittens: New thought experiment breaks quantum theory 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- March 26, 2019
A twist on the famous Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment could undermine quantum physics – or provide a path to a deeper understanding of how the world works

By David Aragorn