Science

Bronze statues, including depictions of snakes and a child priest, have been uncovered from a hot spring at San Casciano dei Bagni in Italy, according to the Italian Ministry of Culture, as per reports. The site, located around 120 kilometres northwest of Rome, has been excavated since 2019 and is believed to have been used

Research published in Astronomy & Astrophysics has cast doubt on the supposed discovery of an intermediate-mass black hole in the star cluster Omega Centauri. Initial findings suggested a black hole with a mass equivalent to 8,200 times that of the Sun resided at the cluster’s core. However, a reanalysis indicates the high-velocity stars in this

New research on PDS 70b, a forming exoplanet located approximately 400 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus, suggests that prevailing models of planet formation may require revision. According to a study published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, astronomers found a mismatch between the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere and the surrounding protoplanetary disk from which

NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who embarked on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, will now extend their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) until March 2025. The return, initially set for February, has been postponed due to a delay in SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission, NASA confirmed on December 17. The decision was

The discovery of 4,000-year-old human remains at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset has unveiled a harrowing chapter of British prehistory. The analysis of over 3,000 bone fragments belonging to at least 37 individuals, ranging from newborns to adults, has indicated an unprecedented level of violence. The findings, published in Antiquity, revealed evidence of scalping, decapitation, defleshing,

Recent research has called into question the traditional understanding of axons, the message-sending fibres of neurons, suggesting that these structures may not always be smooth and cylindrical. A study published on December 2 in Nature Neuroscience observed that axons can resemble strings of beads rather than uniform lines. This discovery was made by researchers at

NASA’s retired InSight Mars lander was recently spotted by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in an image taken on October 23, 2024, using its High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. The image shows dust build-up on the lander’s solar panels, which now match the reddish-brown colour of the Martian surface. Reports suggest this observation continues

Two 16th-century cannons discovered at an archaeological site in Arizona are thought to be the oldest firearms found in the United States, according to a study. The weapons, identified as hackbuts or hook guns, were abandoned by Spanish forces at the site of San Geronimo III in 1541. This settlement, also referred to as Suya,

An ancient silver amulet, discovered in a third-century grave near Frankfurt, Germany, is being hailed as a groundbreaking find that reshapes perspectives on the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire. According to a study published by the Leibniz Center for Archaeology (LEIZA) on December 11, the artefact, dated between AD 230 and 270, contains

Astrobiologists are exploring innovative frameworks to study extraterrestrial life, focusing on how complex systems evolve in the universe, as per reports. With only Earth as a reference for biology, understanding life forms that might differ entirely from terrestrial organisms remains a significant challenge. Recent reports highlight that scientists are working to establish universal principles for

A humpback whale has undertaken an extraordinary migration spanning over 8,000 miles and three oceans, breaking records for the longest documented journey between breeding grounds. This exceptional voyage, reported in Royal Society Open Science, is believed to be influenced by changing oceanic conditions or evolving mating strategies, as suggested by researchers. According to Professor Darren

A galaxy nicknamed the Firefly Sparkle has been detected by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, marking a significant discovery. According to research published in Nature on December 11, this galaxy existed approximately 600 million years after the Big Bang and has a mass similar to the Milky Way at a comparable stage of development. The

Recent research, published in Nature, has raised questions about the volcanic processes occurring on Jupiter’s moon Io, particularly regarding the absence of a global magma ocean beneath its surface. Data collected by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, combined with historical information from the Galileo mission, suggest that Io’s interior is more solid than previously believed. This revelation

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, initially deployed by NASA to test the feasibility of powered flight on Mars, has been repurposed as a weather station following a crash that ended its flying capabilities, as per reports. According to updates shared during the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Washington, D.C., the helicopter

A major glacial lake outburst flood, among the largest ever recorded, has been documented in East Greenland, releasing more than 3,000 billion litres of meltwater, as per reports. The event, observed by researchers from the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute, took place between September 23 and October 11 and was caused by the sudden

An advanced NASA mission to create a three-dimensional map of the sky is set for launch in February 2025. The satellite, named Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx), will be carried aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to NASA

New research has indicated a strong connection between warm, sunny days on Mars and the occurrence of dust storms, with nearly 78 percent of storms preceded by increased solar heating, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C. The study, led by Heshani Pieris and Paul

Indian researchers have analysed a significant solar event using data from the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) onboard the Aditya-L1 mission, as per reports. As India’s first solar observation mission, Aditya-L1 observed a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on July 16, 2024, providing valuable insights into the Sun’s dynamic outer atmosphere. This event, characterised by a

A significant discovery has been made in Jerusalem by a team led by Dr. Azriel Yechezkel from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Researchers have identified 50 cave pearls within the Joweizeh Spring Tunnel, a historic waterway near Jerusalem’s Old City. Among the findings, 14 pearls contained pottery fragments, and two included plaster remains, marking the

The Hubble Space Telescope has provided its closest-ever view of a quasar, revealing unusual structures near its core. The quasar, designated 3C 273, lies billions of light-years from Earth and is one of the brightest known objects in the universe. This discovery was made possible by Hubble’s imaging spectrograph, which minimises the intense glare from