First fossil pangolin tracks discovered in South Africa: A team of scientists who study vertebrate fossil tracks and traces on South Africa’s southern Cape coast have identified the world’s first fossil pangolin trackway, with the help of Indigenous Master Trackers from Namibia. Ichnologists Charles Helm, Clive Thompson and Jan De Vynck tell the story. What …
1.5 million-year-old bone tools discovered in Tanzania rewrite the history of human evolution: The ancestors of humans started making tools about 3.3 million years ago. First they made them out of stone, then they switched to bone as a raw material. Until recently, the earliest clear evidence of bone tool making was from sites in …
Plastic-eating insect discovered in Kenya: There’s been an exciting new discovery in the fight against plastic pollution: mealworm larvae that are capable of consuming polystyrene. They join the ranks of a small group of insects that have been found to be capable of breaking the polluting plastic down, though this is the first time that …
How we discovered that Uranus and Neptune are actually nearly identical in colour: This is how we are used to seeing Uranus and Neptune, respectively. But the colours aren't accurate. NASA/ JPL/ PlanetS In many images of the two outer gas giants of the Solar System, Neptune typically looks rich blue while Uranus comes across …
Africans discovered dinosaur fossils long before the term ‘palaeontology’ existed: Credit for discovering the first dinosaur bones usually goes to British gentlemen for their finds between the 17th and 19th centuries in England. Robert Plot, an English natural history scholar, was the first of these to describe a dinosaur bone, in his 1676 book The …
mRNA COVID vaccines make ‘unintended proteins’ – we’ve discovered how to fix this problem: MRNA, a type of genetic material that provides the instructions your cells need in order to make proteins, used to be a term mainly used by scientists. But since COVID arrived many of us are now familiar with it thanks to …
Libyan desert’s yellow glass: how we discovered the origin of these rare and mysterious shards: The pieces of Libyan desert glass that formed the basis of the study. Author provided The Great Sand Sea Desert stretches over an area of 72,000km² linking Egypt and Libya. If you find yourself in a particular part of the …
Frontotemporal dementia: we discovered a brain fold that may delay onset of symptoms: Bruce Willis's frontotemporal diagnosis was revealed earlier this year. Featureflash Photo Agency/ Shutterstock Few people had probably heard of frontotemporal dementia until earlier this year, when the family of actor Bruce Willis announced the 68-year-old had been diagnosed with the condition. Frontotemporal …
Only 1% of chemical compounds have been discovered – here’s how we search for others that could change the world: Garsya/Shutterstock The universe is flooded with billions of chemicals, each a tiny pinprick of potential. And we’ve only identified 1% of them. Scientists believe undiscovered chemical compounds could help remove greenhouse gases, or trigger a …
New species of cobra-like snake discovered – but it may already be extinct: Hemachatus nyangensis in Nyanga National Park, Zimbabwe Donald Broadley, Author provided Around the world, natural history museums hold a treasure trove of knowledge about Earth’s animals. But much of the precious information is sealed off to genetic scientists because formalin, the chemical …
How to prove you’ve discovered alien life – new research: In 2021, scientists thought they had discovered phosphine in the clouds of Venus. NASA In the past few decades, several phenomena have led to excited speculation in the scientific community that they might indeed be indications that there is extraterrestrial life. It will no doubt …
Microplastics discovered in the body tissues of whales, dolphins and seals – sparking concerns for human health too: A Risso's dolphin entangled in fishing line. Andrew Sutton/Shutterstock Marine mammals – animals including whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, sea otters, dugongs and manatees – are threatened by an array of human activities. Species such as the …
Trees discovered at record-breaking altitudes highlight why we should restore Scotland’s mountain woodland: The Scottish Highlands are celebrated for wide-open views of spectacular glens (valleys) and rugged peaks. After centuries of landscape change, particularly deforestation caused by humans, it is easy to forget how well trees can thrive there. But new discoveries of small trees …
We’ve discovered how diamonds make their way to the surface and it may tell us where to find them: Bjoern Wylezich / Shutterstock “A diamond is forever.” That iconic slogan, coined for a highly successful advertising campaign in the 1940s, sold the gemstones as a symbol of eternal commitment and unity. But our new research, …
An element essential to life discovered on one of Saturn’s moons, raising hopes of finding alien microbes: Ice particles, with just a trace of phosphates, venting from near Enceladus's south pole, as imaged by Cassini in 2010. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Enceladus is the tiny moon of Saturn that seems to have it all. Its icy …
Thousands of unknown viruses discovered in baby poo – why this is not necessarily a bad thing: An international team of scientists who spent five years studying the poo of 647 Danish babies found something astonishing. The nappy samples contained 10,000 species of virus – ten times the number of bacterial species in the same …
How we discovered the true origins of a pint of lager – new research: Researchers have uncovered the likely genesis of the yeast used to make lager. DavidedeAngelini / Shutterstock Despite a surge in interest in craft beers and ales, lager continues to dominate global sales, with more than 150 billion litres consumed around the …
How we discovered flamingos form cliques, just like humans: Brendt A Petersen/Shutterstock As social animals we have an innate understanding of the joy a good friendship can bring. So it’s unsurprising humans delight in seeing such closeness between animals. We can see ourselves reflected in the behaviour of cuddling chimpanzees, but a new wave of …