Floating solar panels helped cut diesel use and also created a haven for salmon. (Picture source: Mowi.com) A salmon farm off the coast of Chile has found an unexpected benefit after replacing diesel generators with floating solar panels. While the project was launched to cut emissions and reduce fuel use, the new system also created…
According to JAXA, the entire flight lasted about 40 seconds. Japan has taken a significant step towards developing reusable rocket technology after its space agency successfully carried out the first lift-off and landing test of a prototype rocket, an area currently led by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the prototype lifted…
Carl Friedrich Gauss (Image: Wikipedia) Most people assume that if an idea sounds complicated, it must also be profound. Carl Friedrich Gauss, one of the greatest mathematicians in history, was not convinced. “When a philosopher says something that is true then it is trivial,” he observed. “When he says something that is not trivial then…
Imagine placing a flat piece of plastic on a warm surface and watching it fold itself into a fully functional robot without human hands, motors or complex assembly. It may sound like science fiction, but researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) demonstrated exactly that with a tiny, origami-inspired robot designed to assemble itself…
Brazil is dealing with one of its worst dengue fever outbreaks in years, and scientists are trying something unusual to bring the numbers down. Instead of just relying on vaccines and mosquito spray, health teams are releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into several cities, hoping these lab-bred insects will help shrink the population of disease-spreading mosquitoes…
Most new dinosaur species are announced after researchers uncover multiple bones or even an entire skeleton. The discovery of Uragasaurus kalasinensis proves that this is not always necessary. Scientists have identified the giant long-necked dinosaur from a single, exceptionally well-preserved vertebra found in northeastern Thailand. Despite the limited fossil material, the bone preserved a unique…
PC: W. M. Keck Observatory For decades, dark matter has been treated as the unseen framework around which galaxies take shape. Even the smallest galaxies are generally thought to be wrapped inside vast halos of it, with the invisible material outweighing the stars by a wide margin. That assumption has been challenged before by two…
Few natural experiences are as universally loved as the earthy scent that rises after the first drops of rain hit dry ground. Petrichor, what most people describe as the smell of fresh rain, but the rain itself has almost no scent. Instead, what your nose detects is a remarkable chemical called geosmin, produced by soil-dwelling…
The pink light visible in recent timelapse footage from the International Space Station is not a camera effect or a reflection from Earth. Instead, it comes from a small plant-growing facility tucked inside the station’s Columbus laboratory, where astronauts have been tending crops as part of an ongoing experiment into how plants behave beyond our…
This endangered British butterfly has 20% less genetic diversity, study finds The British swallowtail butterfly is the UK’s only native swallowtail and largest native butterfly. It may look similar to other swallowtails found across Europe, but its DNA tells a different story.A new study has found that the British swallowtail, also known as Papilio machaon…
