WEIRD SCIENCE
A wild new hypothesis links supernovae to a pivotal moment in human evolution. By Passant Rabie – Among the many things that gave ancient humans an evolutionary edge over other primate species is the ability to walk upright. But exactly why our ancestors …
Life may be easy to recognize, but it’s notoriously difficult to define. By Samantha Rolfe – Life is pretty easy to recognize. It moves, it grows, it eats, it excretes, it reproduces. Simple. In biology, researchers often use the acronym “MRSGREN” to describe …
A new study has found that the brain remains conscious for a few minutes after death. Brain scans – The brain stays conscious for a few minutes after death, according to new research. Researchers have discovered that brain function continues after the …
A new device shows promising results in its ability to convert CO2 and water into useful fuels. By Matt Davis – Photo by Maros Misove on Unsplash. Artificial photosynthesis devices have long been touted as a way to remove carbon dioxide from the …
One of America’s biggest sources of trash could become clean energy. By Thor Benson – Americans waste a lot of food. As a country, we throw away over 150,000 tons of food every single day. Up to 40 percent of our food is …
New research tracks a rocky, interstellar object’s ability to transport life to another planet. By Passant Rabie – Around 4 billion years ago, Earth was under attack. The planet’s surface was bombarded by asteroid after asteroid and a whole host of other interstellar …
Using time-tested techniques, scientists are figuring out how to measure artificial organ growth. Very carefully. By David Grossman – What if a child with a failing organ could, instead of waiting on a donor list, simply have their new liver or heart grown …
Increasing temperatures and populations threaten a precious element and pose a serious problem. What can we do about protecting our most vital resource? By Tim Smedley – The next time you open a can of soft drink, consider where the water inside it …
Some puzzling studies appear to show that tiny airborne particles may contribute to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Should we be concerned? By David Robson – Take a deep breath, and exhale. Depending on where you live, that life-giving lungful of air might …
The air we breathe could be changing our behavior in ways we are only just beginning to understand. By Melissa Hogenboom / Images by Emmanuel Lafont – * This story is featured in BBC Future’s “Best of 2019” collection. Discover more of our picks. …
