Scientists map genetic switches on mosquito reproductive genes, advancing tools to fight disease

New research into how the Great Pyramid of Giza was built may offer clues about a mysterious void within Egypt’s largest monument.

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.

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

MIT engineers reveal plant seeds can “hear” the sound of rain, which awakens them from a dormant state and prompts them to begin growing.

Until a few years ago, no one had heard of bixonimania. Then, in 2024, a group of scientists posted findings online announcing the condition, which they claimed affected the eyes after computer use. However, the scientists had made it up—not just the work, but the authors’ names, affiliations, locations and funding, which was the University of Fellowship of the Ring and the Galactic Triad.