Archaeological secrets from thousands of years ago in northeast Africa have been unearthed thanks to modern-day scientific innovations. A process known as chemical imaging recently revealed “hidden mysteries” about ancient Egyptian paintings located in tomb chapels close to the Nile River — and portable devices made it possible to analyze the 3,000-year-old art on-site in […]
Scientists have identified the common denominator behind three different processes that all boost brain function. Injections of the anti-aging hormone klotho, infusions of young blood, and exercise have each been shown to promote cognitive rejuvenation in older mice, but until now, researchers didn’t know precisely why. On August 16, three teams — two from the […]
Linguistically, an infant’s “goo goo, gaga” may not command the same respect as, say, a Shakespearean soliloquy, but the study of how babies talk could shed light on our understanding of language learning in adults. At UCLA’s Language Acquisition Lab, director Megha Sundara and a team of colleagues investigate all things baby babble: when and […]
It’s often said that we’re “learning by experience” when we try new things, practice skills, and make mistakes. In other words, our memories of past experiences can shape our perceptions of ourselves, the world, and even the future. Though we can all probably think of examples that back up this phenomenon, how this works in […]
Summertime is in full swing, and for many, that means the sweet arrival of s’mores season: the perfect treat for beach bonfires, nights spent camping beneath the stars, or capping off backyard barbecues. S’mores, a favorite campfire snack, combine gooey marshmallows, melted chocolate, and crunchy graham crackers. Everyone has their own preferences for what makes […]
For over a hundred years, scientists have believed that the connections between the 86 billion neurons in the human brain — think of an electric spark traveling along a spiderweb — form the basis for our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Up until now, little importance has been placed on the actual shape of the brain, […]
Multiple studies have determined that sleep plays an active role in our ability to form memories and recall information, something anyone who’s stayed up all night before an exam can attest to. But the mechanics of that connection have yet to be definitively proven. Now, researchers have provided the first physiological evidence of how the […]
There’s electricity in the air over at the University of Massachusetts Amherst — both the literal and metaphorical varieties. A team of engineers at the institution have discovered a method of successfully harvesting energy from air humidity in a predictable and continuous manner, and they say the technology can be scaled up and applied broadly. […]
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui, Hawaii, is the largest and most powerful solar telescope on the planet, and the recent images it captured surely live up to those superlatives. The National Science Foundation released a set of eight new pictures last week, showing our sun in “unprecedented detail.” The shots provide a […]
In a scientific first, astronomers observed a star swallowing a planet as part of its dying process. The researchers first spotted the outburst, which took place about 12,000 light-years away from Earth, in 2020, but it took several years for them to figure out what it was: a star running out of fuel, swelling to […]
Ellen Xu, a 17-year-old from San Diego, created an award-winning algorithm that uses smartphone photographs to help diagnose Kawasaki disease — a leading cause of acquired heart disease in the U.S. that primarily affects children younger than age 5. It’s a disease that’s personal to Xu; her younger sister, Kate, was diagnosed with Kawasaki when […]
A new study has established a correlation between preschool-educated children and numerous positive educational outcomes, including a boost in high school graduation and college attendance, and a decrease in problematic behavioral issues. The study, led by MIT economist Parag Pathak and published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, followed the academic paths of over 4,000 […]