New Evidence Shows Neanderthals Exploited This Versatile Natural Material for Multiple Functions
Experiments show Neanderthals extracted birch tar and used it for several applications, including its antibiotic wound healing properties
Christopher Plain
Christopher Plain is Lead Science Writer at The Debrief. A science fiction and fantasy novelist of many years, you can follow and connect with him on X @plain_fiction, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.
“We Have Taught the Robot to Understand Its Surroundings”: This Intelligent Robot Can Locate Lost Items For You
Researchers have revealed an intelligent robot that uses three-dimensional imaging and knowledge from the internet to find lost items.
Forget the Three-Body Problem. Scientists Claim They’ve Just Solved the 100,000-Body Problem
After years of creating highly specialized software, researchers used supercomputer clusters to finally solve the "100,000-body problem.
“We Bring the Universe to the Lab”: Powerful Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator Will Fuel Deep Space Experiments on Earth
Researchers at the GSI/FAIR accelerator facility have received a Galactic Cosmic Ray simulator that 'brings the universe to the lab.'
Earliest Human Ancestors Were Hunted and Eaten by a Giant Prehistoric Monster
Scientists have identified a 3.3-million-year-old giant prehistoric monster crocodile species that likely hunted early human ancestor Lucy
“The Cradle of Life Does Not Necessarily Require a Sun “: Scientists Identify Free-Floating Planets as a Tantalizing New Target in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Moons orbiting free-floating planets that wander the cosmos without a host star could sustain extraterrestrial life for billions of years
NASA Experiments Challenge the Idea of Life in Titan’s Methane Lakes
New lab experiments explore whether or not certain rudimentary lifeforms could exist in the hydrocarbon lakes and seas of Saturn's moon Titan
Voyager Technologies Funds Max Space to Build Off-World Habitats for the Moon and Beyond
Defense and Space company Voyager Technologies has announced a strategic investment in off-world habitat designer Max Space.
Scientists Show How to Trigger Tiny Lightning Strikes Inside a Block of Plastic
Scientists have successfully modeled large lightning strikes that occur on a kilometer scale in a lab setting of only a few centimeters
After 10 Years of Training, NASA’s Humanoid Robot ‘Valkyrie’ Has Finally ‘Graduated’ College
After ten years of intense college 'training,' NASA's humanoid robot Valkyrie has finally returned home. But her advancements live on.
U.S. Army Research Lab Announces the Creation of ‘Super Foam’ That Absorbs 10X More Energy
Research funded by the U.S. Army Research Lab has resulted in a 'super foam' that absorbs 10X more energy than existing protective foams.
The Mysterious Origin of an ‘Ultra-Energetic’ Cosmic Neutrino Detected in 2023 May Have Been Found
The search for the origin of a mysterious ultra-energetic cosmic neutrino detected in 2023 may have finally reached a 'blazing' conclusion
Forget Coffee and Energy Drinks: Experiments with Esports Athletes Reveal Caffeine-Free Beverage that Increases Concentration and Stamina
Experiments with esports players show this non-caffeinated drink combats mental fatigue in a different way than coffee and energy drinks
NASA Confirms DART Mission was the First Human-Made Object to Alter an Asteroid’s Orbit
NASA says an impact from its DART spacecraft changed the orbit of an asteroid for the first time ever, offering hope for planetary defense.
Traveling at 20% The Speed of Light: Scientists Demonstrate ‘Practical’ Light Sails to Explore the Universe
Scientists have successfully tested a material design for light sails using photonic crystals that could achieve 20% the speed of light
Engineers Create Full-Color Solar Windows Without Reducing Energy Generation
Korean scientists have created a tunable, full-color solar window that does not lose its energy generation capability regardless of color.
Scientists Find Missing Link to Psychedelics Like MDMA ‘Locking In’ PTSD Recovery Benefits
New experiments suggest a biological missing link that helps lock in the long-term benefits of psychedelic-assisted PTSD treatment
High-Energy Laser Turns Ordinary Moon Dust into Futuristic Materials for Lunar Colonists
A futuristic sounding process using a high-energy laser turns ordinary moon dust into versatile manufacturing and construction materials
“The First Privately Funded Space Science Mission Ever!”: Mauve Space Telescope Captures Historic ‘First Light’ Images
Blue Skies Space Ltd has revealed the 'first light' images just captured by the world's first privately funded space science mission ever
‘Adaptive’ Robotic Wing Senses and Reacts to Wind Changes More Rapidly Than a Barn Owl
Scientists have revealed an adaptive robotic wing equipped with artificial nerves so sensitive to air currents that it outperformed a barn owl
Scientists Placed Microscopic Animals in Simulated Martian Soil and Something Unexpected Happened
After exposing notoriously resilient microscopic animals called tardigrades to simulated Martian soil, they began to move extremely slowly
Concert Goers Getting the Blues: A Theater’s Color Affects the Listener Experience
Virtual concert attendees reported significant affects to their music listening experience based on the venue's color and lighting.
Moving at the Speed of Sight: Humans and Animals Experience Time at Dramatically Different Speeds
All animals, including humans. experience time at dramatically different speeds, allowing fast-pursuit predators to track prey in slow motion
“A Shift in Mindset Away from the Plastic Age”: This Advanced Material Actually Gets Stronger When It’s Wet
Scientists have invented an advanced material that gets stronger when wet that they believe could replace single-use plastic cups and bottles
Scientists Build a Zero-Gravity Microscope and Successfully Test it on the ‘Vomit Comet’
Scientists have invented a low cost, zero-gravity microscope called FlightScope that successfully conducted experiments on the vomit comet.
Are AI Agents Hiring Humans to Do ‘Meatspace’ Tasks They Cannot Complete Themselves?
A new website connects AI agents with human gig workers capable of performing real-world 'meatspace' tasks the AIs cannot do on their own
“If Melting Ice Releases These Microbes, These Genes Could Spread”: Ancient Bacteria Frozen for 5,000 Years Show Resistance to Modern Antibiotics
Studies of ancient bacteria strains hidden in a frozen Romanian ice cave find they are resistant to several modern-day antibiotics
Scientists Successfully Use String Theory to Challenge More Than a Century of Assumptions About Living Systems
Scientists successfully borrow concepts from string theory to explain the network architecture of branching biological systems like neurons
Did Princeton Scientists Just Break the Stock Market? Brain-Inspired Photonic Technology Can Literally Make Trades at the Speed of Light
Researchers from Princeton University have successfully demonstrated a photonic neuromorphic computing architecture capable of performing high-frequency trading tasks at the speed of light, offering a theoretical competitive advantage in the stock market.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Detects Hydrogen Sulfide Around Distant Planet, Impacting Search for Life
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected the first-ever spectral signature of hydrogen sulfide around a massive gas giant planet.
‘HoloRadar’ Equipped Robots Use Radio Waves and AI to ‘See’ Around Corners
University of Pennsylvania scientists have revealed the AI-driven HoloRadar system that lets robots see around corners using radio waves.
“A Mission That Pushes the Boundaries of Commercial Space”: Autonomous ‘SpacePilot’ Will Pilot Spacecraft to Asteroid Apophis
Commercial deep-space mission operator ExLabs has selected SpacePilot autonomous software for the 2029 Apophis asteroid intercept mission.
Quantum Scale Breakthrough: Scientists Measure Ultra-Short Events Lasting Just Attoseconds
Scientists have demonstrated a new method for measuring how long ultrashort events like quantum tunneling to occur at quantum scale time.
Sleep Aid or Sleep Killer? Scientists Discover How Pink Noise Machines May Alter REM Sleep
According to new experiments, sleep machines that use pink noise could adversely affect deep sleep and REM sleep instead of helping it.
Did Scientists Just Achieve “Inception”? Experiments Show “Dream Engineering” May Be a Reality
Experiments involving playing music during sleep have revealed a type of dream engineering that doubled subjects' problem-solving abilities.
Free ‘DinoTracker’ App Can Identify 90% of Extinct Dinosaur Species by Their Fossilized Footprints
Scientists have released the DinoTracker app to help paleontologists and amateur enthusiasts identify fossilized dinosaur footprints.
Into the Abyss: The Hunt for Mysterious Dark Oxygen on the Ocean Floor is Finally Ready to Begin
A trip to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to search for the mysterious origin of dark oxygen is finally launching this spring.
Did NASA Just Find ET’s Home? Scientists Detect an Earth-like Planet Orbiting a Sun-like Star
NASA has announced the discovery of an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star that shares several other similarities with Earth
Scientists Create ‘Unsinkable’ Metal Tubes that Still Float After Severe Damage and Submersion
A video shows unsinkable metal tubes retaining their buoyancy even after they are damaged or fully submerged for extended period of time.
“There Could be a Mushroom Out There Causing Fairytale-Like Visions”: People Eating These Mushrooms Claim to Have the Same Hallucinations
Science is searching for the chemical compound in these Chinese mushrooms that can cause identical hallucinations of little people everywhere
Did Thomas Edison Create Graphene More Than 130 Years Before it Was Officially Invented?
Experiments with identical replicas of Thomas Edison's original light bulbs shows the inventor may have accidentally created graphene
Discovery of Ring-Shaped Molecule in Deep Space Impacts Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics have spotted the largest complex molecule in deep space ever.
An Icy Mystery Has Puzzled Scientists for Decades—This Researcher May Have the Solution
A Spanish scientist believes he has finally solved a longstanding mystery about ice that causes the different shapes ice crystals form.
Los Alamos Scientists Use Sonic Booms and Seismic Data to Track Objects Entering Earth’s Atmosphere
Los Alamos scientists have developed a novel method using shockwaves from sonic booms to track objects entering Earth's atmosphere.
Spacecraft Heal Thyself? Engineers Invent Futuristic Material That Heals Itself and Lasts for Centuries
Scientists have invented a futuristic material that heals itself capable of lasting for decades or centuries on aircraft and spacecraft.
Archaeologists: Half a Million-Year-Old Elephant Bone Hammer Wasn’t Made by Modern Humans
Archaeologists studying a nearly 500,000-year-old elephant bone hammer have determined the ancient tool was made by Neanderthals or another early human ancestor.
“This Was Not Accidental”: Scientists Unravel Video Supposedly Showing a Pet Cow Using Tools
Scientists investigating video of a cow using tools say their findings could expand the list of animals capable of tool use.
“One of the Solar System’s Least Mapped Planetary Surfaces”: Satellite Data and the Physics of Ice Flow Finally Reveal Antarctica’s Hidden Landscapes
Scientists have combined satellite data with the physics of ice flow analysis to create a map of Antarctica's hidden landscapes.
“It’s Just a Tube Hanging from an Axle”: Breakthrough Energy-Harvesting Device Makes Electricity from a Vibrating Underwater Pendulum
Catalan scientists have built a pendulum-based energy-harvesting system that converts the vibrations of water currents into usable power.
When ISS Astronauts Unleashed Killer Viruses on E. Coli, Strange Things Started to Happen
Experiments aboard the International Space Station revealed how killer viruses that infect bacteria evolve their attacks in microgravity.