Frontier Science

A huge 11,000-carat ruby has been discovered in Myanmar, state media reported Friday, one of the largest ever found in the country renowned for its precious gemstones.

Recent twin study suggests genetics may play a major role in IQ, education, and long-term socioeconomic success.

Happy 100th birthday to the most excellent Sir David Attenborough! Thanks Kat! Quote of the Day The fact remains that man has an unprecedented control over the world and everything in it. And so, whether he likes it or not, what happens next is very largely up to him. Sir David Attenborough

The bacterium Segatella copri is one of the most common inhabitants of the human gut. In their latest study, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have discovered that some strains of this bacterial species possess genetic bonus material that makes them more oxygen-tolerant. The presence of the molecular regulator OxyR is crucial for this.

The strange quantum nature of time moves one step closer to being untangled, thanks to new research on optical ion clocks.

Thanks to ‘Midnight Review Presents’ for your support of the Grail! Thanks Kat! Quote of the Day Opinions have caused more ills than the plague or earthquakes on this little globe of ours. Voltaire

Scientists at Keele University have created the first detailed map of the genetic “switches” that control reproduction in disease-carrying insects such as Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito species most responsible for malaria transmission, paving the way for more effective methods of genetically controlling these insects.

A strange, newly observed humpback whale behavior has left scientists perplexed, according to a new research study.

Last week news headlines from outlets across the globe announced that a mundane explanation had been found for haunted houses: infrasound (ie. sounds of a frequency beneath the typical threshold of conscious human hearing, which roughly spans 20Hz to 20KHz). The titles of these articles were convincing: “Study: Infrasound likely a key factor in alleged hauntings” (Ars Technica); “Haunted by Ghosts? New Study Provides a Surprising Explanation” (Gizmodo); “Spooky feelings in old houses may be caused by boiler sounds, study […]

There are tens of thousands of near-Earth objects (NEOs) that represent some of the most easily accessible resources in the solar system. Planning trajectories to rendezvous with these miniature worlds is notoriously difficult, and requires a massive amount of computational power to calculate. But a new paper from astrodynamicist Alessandro Beolchi of Khalifa University of Science and Technology and his co-authors offers a much less computationally intensive way to find these trajectories, and has the added bonus of finding much less energy-intensive paths to boot.