Much like the intricate and beautiful webs spiders create in waking life, their minds may spin dreams. New research led by behavioral ecologist Daniela Roessler at the University of Konstanz in Germany shows that jumping spiders (evarcha arcuata) experience a sleep-like state with muscle twitches and rapid-eye-movements (REM) similar to those observed in dreaming humans. […]
Gazing up at the night sky has a tendency to put life in perspective. But how about gazing deep into the primordial universe? The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — the largest and most powerful telescope in the world — launched on December 25, 2021 and traveled nearly 1 million miles over almost 30 days […]
Scientists have created a blood test that can predict people’s risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure, or death related to those conditions over a four-year period. The test could save lives and prevent serious medical emergencies by helping doctors see if current drugs are working and whether patients might need additional or alternative […]
In a major achievement in the world of anti-aging science, researchers recently figured out a way to make human skin cells act three decades younger in a lab through genetic rejuvenation. The discovery could lead to serious advancements in wound recovery and other medical realms, including the treatment of genetic diseases. A key inspiration for […]
Florida knows hurricanes. The Sunshine State has been hit by some of the strongest to ever make landfall in the United States, and it’s home to the International Hurricane Research Center and the Extreme Events Institute, both located at Florida International University (FIU). There, researchers are mimicking tropical cyclones using the Wall of Wind (WOW), […]
While you sun, swim, and snorkel in the ocean this summer, scientists are working deep beneath the surface to protect some of its most precious marine life from becoming bycatch. Gillnets are the tool of choice for catching many species, from salmon to cod to tuna. But these mesh fishing nets are nearly invisible in […]
A poster on the office wall of UFO-seeking hero Fox Mulder in The X-Files famously declared that the truth is out there. NASA has decided to take its first official steps toward determining what that truth may be. This fall, an independent NASA-commissioned team will embark upon a study of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), or […]
If you think pinning down the position of a black hole sounds complicated, you can imagine how much harder it is to identify one moving 100,000 miles per hour — which makes astronomers’ recent feat so impressive. For the first time ever, data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has allowed scientists to record the mass […]