This Device Promises to Mitigate Earthquake Damage in the World’s Most Vulnerable Regions
A newly patented device could protect essential infrastructure from the worst effects of earthquakes, wind storms, and even man-made forces.
Ryan Whalen
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.
Gas Prices “Around $5 Per Gallon”? Economist Warns of Rising Fuel Costs as Conflict in Iran Escalates
In the chaos of the Iran conflict, U.S. consumers may be in for sticker shock as the destruction shreds the global energy supply chain.
“Maybe We’re Martians!”: Scientists Say Some Microbes Could Survive the Violent Journey Between Planets
Asteroid impacts may catapult life from one planet to another, as new research claims that hardy bacteria can survive the ejection.
Questions Mount Over Viral Claims of Apocalyptic Iran War Briefings in the Military
A viral claim has been circulating that as many as 200 US troops were told that the war in Iran is being conducted to hasten the end times.
NASA Delays First Crewed Artemis Moon Landing to 2028: What Do Major Program Changes Mean for the Future of Space Travel?
NASA has announced massive changes to its Artemis program, including delaying the first crewed Moon landing since the Apollo program in 1972.
Source of Scandinavian Bronze Age Metals Traced to Mysterious Source Thousands of Miles Away
Six previously unknown Bronze Age mines discovered in Spain may be the missing piece in explaining ancient Scandinavian metalwork.
A Mandatory Safety Feature in Millions of Cars Can Be Used to Track Where You Drive
Researchers in Europe have revealed a potential surveillance system that is mandatory in all cars in the US built in the last 20 years.
Genetic Study Rewrites the Story of Human and Neanderthal Interbreeding, Pointing to Social Interaction, Not Just Survival
Genetic research indicates that Neanderthal and Homor Sapiens interbreeding was socially driven to an unexpected degree.
4,200-Year-Old Climate Crisis Forced the Abandonment of China’s Largest Neolithic City
An ancient climate event 4,200 years ago produced disruptions leading to the decline of major societies, offering warnings for the future.
Lightning on Mars: NASA’s MAVEN Orbiter Reveals a Strange Phenomenon on the Red Planet
Researchers have identified powerful Martian electrical discharges, similar to lightning, and strong enough to be observed from orbit.
This Tiny Dinosaur Fossil Could Offer a Missing Link That Explains the Spread of an Unusual Class of Dinosaurs
A tiny dinosaur species may be the missing link in the bird-like dinosaurs Alvarezsaurs, after the discovery of the first complete fossil.
Our Brain’s “Fear Center” May Guide Complex Learning Decisions, New Research Reveals
The brain’s primitive “fear center” may be much more than that, according to new research on the amygdala.
Apollo Lunar Samples Misled Scientists About the Moon’s Magnetic Field For Decades—Here’s the Surprising Reason Why
The Apollo missions’ strange landing zone has led to decades of incorrect assumptions about the Moon’s magnetic field strength.
40,000 Year Old Markings Reveal What Could Be a Mysterious Ancient Precursor to Writing
Researchers have discovered signs of a Paleolithic writing precursor in ancient tools and sculptures dating back 40,000 years.
Missing Geomagnetic Polarity Reversals Reveal the Secrets of Earth’s Ancient Past
Japanese researchers say they are closing in on the mystery of Earth’s “missing” geomagnetic polarity reversals, identifying where they believe scientists should look for evidence of their unusual absence.
“This is Antarctic Frontier Science”: The Deepest Antarctic Core Sample Ever Collected Reveals 23 Million Years of Remote Geological History
Researchers have drilled the deepest Antarctic sediment core ever, uncovering 23 million years of climate history beneath the ice sheet.
James Webb Space Telescope Maps Uranus’s Atmosphere and Auroras for the First Time
James Webb Space Telescope data has allowed researchers to map Uranus’s upper atmosphere in three dimensions for the first time.
Scientists Unearth a Scimitar-Crested “Hell Heron” During a Daunting Sahara Desert Expedition
A new “scimitar-crested” spinosaurid, Spinosaurus mirabilis, has been uncovered in the Sahara, marking a major new dinosaur fossil find.
‘Fire Weather Synchronicity’ is Increasing Globally, as Climate Change Strains International Fire Fighting Resources
According to researchers, worldwide fire weather synchronicity has more than doubled over a 45-year period.
Antarctica’s Mysterious Gravity Hole is Finally Explained, Revealing Why the Icy Continent Experiences Earth’s Weakest Gravity
The origins of Antarctica’s gravity hole have finally been revealed, after researchers probed beneath the ice to trace it's formation.
Saturn’s Largest Moon May Be the Remnant of an Ancient Impact, New Research Reveals
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, may have been born of the collision of two smaller moons, according to new research.
Bottling the Sun: How Researchers Created Organic Solar Storage Molecules More Efficient than Lithium-Ion Batteries
Researchers have managed to bottle the Sun, advancing renewable energy goals by enabling the storage of solar power in a novel format.
“This Was Not an Ordinary Gamma-Ray Burst”: Astronomers Have Witnessed An Extreme Cosmic Explosion Unlike Anything Ever Seen
China’s Einstein Probe has detected an event suspected to be the first recorded instance of a black hole devouring a white dwarf.
Astronomers Have Discovered an “Inside-Out” Planetary System That’s Breaking All the Rules
An inside-out planetary system around the star LHS 1903 is turning everything that astronomers know about planet formation upside down.
Danish Cemetery Study Challenges Assumptions About Leprosy Stigma in the Middle Ages
Medieval Christian burials in Denmark were likely more influenced by money than supposed outward markers of sin, according to new research.
Astronomers Were Baffled by the Disappearance of a Massive Star in a Nearby Galaxy—Now They Have Solved This Cosmic Cold Case
NASA’s NEOWISE has allowed astronomers to get the best and most complete view of a star collapsing into a black hole ever recorded.
Extraordinary Claim? NASA Study Says Life on Ancient Mars May Be the Best Explanation for Odd Curiosity Rover Samples
Organic compounds discovered on the Red Planet cannot be fully explained by non-biological sources, say astrobiologists.
The Search for Alien Tech Reveals a Pulsar at the Heart of the Galaxy—And It Could Help Test Einstein’s Theory of Gravity
Researchers looking for signs of extraterrestrial life instead stumbled upon a pulsar at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Stunning Hubble Image of the Egg Nebula is the Clearest Ever Captured
NASA and the ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured an incredible image of the Egg Nebula, providing astronomers with rare details.
James Webb Space Telescope Spots an Unexpected Abundance of Organic Molecules in a Distant Galactic Nucleus
New James Webb Space Telescope observations suggest that organic molecules are much more common outside our galaxy than previously believed.
“This is Really Unusual”: Astronomers Spot a Black Hole Unleashing a Jet More Powerful Than the “Death Star”
A supermassive black hole is on track to produce the longest recorded emission of energy left over from a shredded star.
Controversy Ensues Over Claims That a Group of Trees in Italy “Predicted” an Eclipse—These Scientists Are Skeptical
A controversy has ensued over whether a group of spruce trees in Northern Italy predicted a partial solar eclipse, prompting skepticism among scientists.
A Rare and Mysterious Type of Earthquake that Occurs Deep Below Earth’s Crust Has Just Been Mapped by Scientists
A rare type of deep underground earthquake occurring in the Earth’s mantle has finally been isolated and mapped by Stanford researchers.
4,700-Year-Old Discovery Reveals Clues to Cult of Ishtar’s Spread Throughout the Ancient World
Hidden beneath an ancient temple in Assur, Iraq, archaeologists have discovered key evidence of the Cult of Ishtar's origins.
“This is a Pivotal Point”: Astronomers Offer New Evidence of Dark Matter Lurking at the Heart of the Milky Way
Long-held assumptions about what lies at the center of the Milky Way could be incorrect, as new international research suggests dark matter, instead of a supermassive black hole, may reside in the heart of the galaxy.
An Explosive Black Hole “Missing Link” May Reveal Clues to Dark Matter and Particles Beyond the Standard Model
A rare black hole explosion accounts for an “impossible” neutrino detection, say UMass Amherst scientists, possibly hinting at dark matter.
Hidden Structures Deep Within the Earth’s Mantle May Be the Root of Our Planet’s Magnetic History
New research identifies how two vast, hot rock structures in the planet’s mantle produce unusual magnetic activity.
This New Optical Crystal Could Power Next-Generation Quantum and Semiconductor Tools
Chinese researchers have developed a new type of optical crystal that could help address several major supply chain bottlenecks.
Zapotec Death Owl Sculpture Reveals Ancient Mesoamerican Beliefs in Immaculately Preserved Tomb
An exceptionally well-preserved Zapotec Tomb dating to around 600 CE, recently uncovered in Mexico, vastly expands archaeologists' knowledge.
“The Distinction Didn’t Exist”: Memory Types Don’t Operate as Neuroscientists Have Long Assumed
New UK research challenges some scientists' fundamental assumptions about how memory works, relying on the entire brain.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Observes Something Unexpected at the Edge of Cosmic Dawn
The James Webb Space Telescope has observed the earliest galaxy ever recorded, only 280 million years after the Big Bang.
Scientists Have Developed a Laser-Controlled Magnet With No Heating Required
Swiss researchers have developed a new technique allowing for magnetic polarity changes using only a laser beam.
Hundreds of Anomalous Celestial Objects Hidden in Hubble Space Telescope Data Have Been Revealed with Help from AI
An ESA-developed AI system analyzing millions of Hubble images has identified more than 1,300 odd and previously overlooked cosmic objects.
James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Dark Matter as the “True Architect of the Universe”
James Webb Space Telescope data has allowed researchers to create the highest-resolution map of dark matter threads in the universe ever.
Previously Unknown Roman Villa Discovered Beneath a Welsh Park is Helping Unearth Britain’s Hidden History
A previously unknown and well-preserved ancient Roman villa complex has been discovered in Margam, Wales, using high-resolution magnetometry and ground radar.
Scientists Have Discovered a Fascinating New Way Jupiter’s Moon Europa Could Support Life
Washington State University geophysicists offer new ideas on how Jupiter’s Moon Euro could provide for life from above.
Discovery of World’s Oldest Rock Art Reveals the Path Ancient Humans Took into Ice Age Australia
The world’s oldest known rock art, dating back at least 67,800 years, has been discovered in an Indonesian cave.
Defying Longstanding Chemical Rules, Chemists Have Engineered Exotic Molecules They Say Could “Benefit Our World”
UCLA researchers have violated Bredt’s rule, a century-old principle of organic chemistry, challenging our understanding of molecular shapes.
Strange Quantum Effects Persist in Surprisingly Large Particles, New Research Reveals
University of Vienna and University of Duisburg-Essen Researchers demonstrated that quantum mechanics holds even at the macroscopic scale.
Stonehenge Discovery Reveals New Evidence of Mysterious Long Distance Transport System in Ancient Britain
A major debate over the construction of the mysterious Neolithic Stonehenge site in the UK may finally have been resolved.