Rock daisies quickly conquered deserts — but the rest of the plants aren’t likely to adapt to an increasingly arid world
Today's plants are likely poorly equipped to withstand rising aridity unless they come preadapted.
8,000-year-old skeletons in Portugal could be world’s oldest mummies
The discovery of forgotten photos is helping archaeologists piece together prehistoric burial practices.
Prehistoric workshop loaded with hundreds of 1.2 million-year-old obsidian tools found in Africa
The Stone Age tool manufacturing workshop produced standardized handaxes, showing our earliest ancestors were much more forward thinking than we...
Scientists find long-lost ingredients in ancient Egyptian mummification
Residues from 2,500-year-old ceramic vessels still contain the ingredients used by craftsmen to embalm the dead.
Brain scan of dying man shows ‘life flashing before their eyes’
The findings could finally explain, at least partly, mysterious near-death experiences some people have.
There’s a museum in Japan that honors rocks which resemble human faces
Among them, you'll find ET or even Jesus.
Scientists are mapping all the matter in the universe to learn how it all began
Untangling the origin of the universe may be as simple as retracing your steps.
Carbon recycling system could slash steelmaking emissions by 90%
Steel is the world's most important engineering and construction material. But manufacturing it is extremely polluting.
You’re probably terrible at judging ‘trustworthy’ faces in strangers
Trust keeps the fabric of society from tearing. But can you judge trust from appearance alone?
![This image by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) features the central region of the Chameleon I dark molecular cloud, which resides 630 light years away. The cold, wispy cloud material (blue, centre) is illuminated in the infrared by the glow of the young, outflowing protostar Ced 110 IRS 4 (orange, upper left). The light from numerous background stars, seen as orange dots behind the cloud, can be used to detect ices in the cloud, which absorb the starlight passing through them. An international team of astronomers has reported the discovery of diverse ices in the darkest, coldest regions of a molecular cloud measured to date by studying this region. This result allows astronomers to examine the simple icy molecules that will be incorporated into future exoplanets, while opening a new window on the origin of more complex molecules that are the first step in the creation of the building blocks of life. [Image Description: A large, dark cloud is contained within the frame. In its top half it is textured like smoke and has wispy gaps, while at the bottom and at the sides it fades gradually out of view. On the left are several orange stars: three each with six large spikes, and one behind the cloud which colours it pale blue and orange. Many tiny stars are visible, and the background is black.]](https://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/weic2303a-350x250.jpg)
James Webb finds the coldest ice in the universe, packed with life-nurturing molecules
The discovery of ice in the darkest, coldest regions of a molecular cloud opens a new window into the origin...
Google shows off ChatGPT-like bot that turns hums and text into music
AI is yet again redrawing the boundaries of what we call 'art'.
This drone can both fly and swim. It can also hitch a ride by piggybacking other moving objects
The amphibious drone was inspired by the kingfisher and the suckerfish.
Does the ‘Superhero’ pose actually make people feel more confident?
A lot of bold claims have been made about the psychological impact of standing tall with a puffed chest and...
What is osmosis: a critical principle in biology
Osmosis -- the natural movement of water into a solution through a semipermeable membrane -- is central to all of...
What is Borax and is it safe?
Borax is a versatile mineral that has been used for centuries for a variety of purposes, from cleaning to preserving...
How many birds are there in the world?
There are about six times more wild birds than humans on planet Earth.
This hairy ‘Wolverine’ frog breaks its own bones to extend cat-like claws
In Cameroon, some frogs are nothing like the benign variety we're used to.
Combining cannabis with prescription drugs could be a bad idea. Here’s why
It could amplify the negative side effects and inhibit the positive effects of prescription drugs.
How caterpillars gruesomely transform into butterflies
From humble beginnings as caterpillars, these insects undergo a remarkable metamorphosis that turns them into one of nature's most elegant...
What is Mitochondrial DNA and Mitochondrial Inheritance
Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother, and there's a lot we can learn starting from this basic fact.