Science & Technology

‘Of course it’s not ethical’: shock at gene-edited baby claims 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- November 28, 2018
Chinese geneticist He Jiankui’s claim to have altered embryos prompts outcry from scientists

By David Aragorn
It looks like an anchovy fillet but this ancient creature helps us understand how DNA works 0
- Ancient Archeology, From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- November 26, 2018
Today a large international consortium of researchers published a complex but important study looking at how DNA works in animals. The research focused on a marine organism, a creature called amphioxus (also known as “the lancelet”), to explore some of the steps that took place as animals evolved from invertebrates (animals without a backbone) to more complex back-boned vertebrates, including us humans.

Ozren Bogdanovic is one of the lead authors of the study.

By David Aragorn
A Material to Save the World?0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- November 24, 2018
Metal-organic frameworks are compounds that are set to solve some tough challenges: producing water in the desert, removing greenhouse gases from the air and storing dangerous gases more safely.

By David Aragorn
This HAL 9000-Inspired AI Simulation Kept Its Virtual Astronauts Alive 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology, Space
- November 23, 2018
The supercomputer HAL 9000 in the science-fiction masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey” is best remembered for the chilling way it killed astronauts. Now, scientists are working on a HAL-like artificial intelligence to help astronauts without murdering them, and their prototype successfully controlled a simulated planetary base for hours.

By David Aragorn
Nuclear ‘knots’ could unravel the mysteries of atoms 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- November 22, 2018
Structures called skyrmions might overcome hurdles in nuclear physics calculations

By David Aragorn
A ‘samurai’ swordsmith is designing a space probe 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology, Space
- November 22, 2018
The ‘tamahagane’ steel used in traditional weapons may be the perfect material to cut through asteroids.

By David Aragorn
Scientists discovered an energetic “cosmic serpent” in our galaxy 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- November 22, 2018
In ancient-Egyptian mythology, Apep was the serpent god of darkness, destruction, and chaos. In contemporary astronomy, Apep is the nickname for a massive, just-discovered star system surrounded by serpentine dust swirls and officially known as 2XMM J160050.7-514245.

By David Aragorn
The World’s Oldest Analog Computer, Antikythera Mechanism, Is Now Complete 0
- Ancient Archeology, From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- November 21, 2018
Scientists believe that the Antikythera mechanism is the world’s oldest analog computer, and, luckily, it is now complete as the researchers found the missing component on Aegean seabed.

By David Aragorn
At Last, Physicists Understand Where Matter’s Mass Comes From 0
- From Around the Web, Science & Technology
- November 16, 2018
The answer has nothing at all to do with the Higgs boson.

By David Aragorn
Satellite Data Has Revealed Relics of Lost Continents Hiding Under Antarctica 0
- Ancient Archeology, From Around the Web, Science & Technology, Space
- November 12, 2018
Of all our planet’s continents, we know the least about the icy landmass of Antarctica. Now, scientists have used satellite imagery to peer into Earth’s tectonics, revealing the hidden structures of Antarctica as part of their work.

By David Aragorn