An astronomical observatory, gold tongues found in mummies, a sword inscribed with the name of pharaoh Ramesses II and a 4,500 year-old attempt to treat cancer are just some of the interesting ancient Egyptian discoveries made in 2024. Here are 10 of the biggest discoveries from ancient Egypt this year. Related: Possible bust of Cleopatra […]
Black holes are terrifying, monstrous objects with immense gravity that causes them to consume everything that crosses their event horizons. Yet the physics-breaking power of the space-time ruptures is also part of their draw — sucking in scientists who want to study the role of black holes in sculpting galaxies and those searching for a […]
It may be an overused statistic, but it’s true: We know less about what lives and lurks in our oceans than we do about outer space. This year proved no exception to the rule, either. In the last year, researchers discovered long-lost shipwrecks, odd animals, and even a phenomenon known as “dark oxygen,” among many […]
3D representation of the three samples analyzed by CTS. Credit: Farnell Barqué et al., 2024. Hailstones are formed during thunderstorms, when raindrops are propelled into very cold parts of a cloud, where they freeze. Once the particles are heavy enough, gravity pulls them back towards Earth. As they plummet, they grow into hailstones, which can […]
When it came to discovering Neptune, scientists didn’t need to see to believe. The eighth planet in our solar system was detected, not with telescopes, but through math. In 1846, scientists had observed irregularities in Uranus’ orbit, as if an invisible counterweight were tugging on the planet from the far side. From these observations, researchers […]
Pluto is probably best known for being a demoted planet. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union stripped it of its original classification, after narrowing the definition of a planet to be one that clears its orbit with its gravitational heft. Pluto doesn’t meet this membership criterion because its orbit is peppered with other icy bodies […]
A new grant will help fund community outreach efforts and new technology to modernize the Mayo Clinic Brain Bank and advance research in neurodegenerative diseases.
Saturn comes second to Jupiter in many respects—in size, age, prominence of stripes—but in terms of scientific intrigue, it most certainly can hold its own. Saturn stokes scientific interest not simply as a planet, but a system. Among its appealing qualities, Saturn has a lush ring and tantalizing moons that potentially harbor life. Space scientists […]
