Actualité scientifique en anglais

The cerebellum -- a part of the brain once recognized mainly for its role in coordinating movement -- underwent evolutionary changes that may have contributed to human culture, language and tool use, according to a new study.

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Sea turtles are known for relying on magnetic signatures to find their way across thousands of miles to the very beaches where they hatched. Now, researchers have some of the first solid evidence that sharks also rely on magnetic fields for their long-distance forays across the sea.

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A new study provides the earliest evidence to date of ancient humans significantly altering entire ecosystems with flames. The study combines archaeological evidence -- dense clusters of stone artifacts dating as far back as 92,000 years ago -- with paleoenvironmental data on the northern shores of Lake Malawi in eastern Africa to document that early humans were ecosystem engineers.

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Unlike humans, who map the world in units of distance, bats map the world in units of time. What this means is that the bat perceives an insect as being at a distance of nine milliseconds, and not one and a half meters, as was previously thought.

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Scientists have found that lightning bolts and, surprisingly, subvisible discharges that cannot be seen by cameras or the naked eye produce extreme amounts of the hydroxyl radical and hydroperoxyl radical. The hydroxyl radical is important in the atmosphere because it initiates chemical reactions and breaks down molecules like the greenhouse gas methane.

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A new study documents the newly named Bering Transitory Archipelago and then points to how, when and where the first Americans may have crossed. The authors' stepping-stones hypothesis depends on scores of islands that emerged during the last ice age as sea level fell when ocean waters were locked in glaciers and later rose when ice sheets melted.

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Scientists have shown that almost all the world's glaciers are becoming thinner and losing mass -- and that these changes are picking up pace. The team's analysis is the most comprehensive and accurate of its kind to date.

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A large study reveals the way relative brain size of mammals changed over the last 150 million years.

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A new study led by a planetary scientist uses a computer model of Mars to put forth a promising explanation onto how Mars once contained rivers and lakes: Mars could have had a thin layer of icy, high-altitude clouds that caused a greenhouse effect.

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Researchers examined 14,000 genetic differences between modern humans and our most recent ancestors at a new level of detail. They found that differences in gene activation -- not just genetic code -- could underlie evolution of the brain and vocal tract.

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Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03610-3

SARS-CoV-2 uses a multipronged strategy to impede host protein synthesis

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Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03606-z

The epidemiological impact of the NHS COVID-19 App

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Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01273-8

Sophie Dufour-Beauséjour chose an unusual way to capture an academic rite of passage, with a little help from her friends.

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Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01245-y

The latest science news, in brief.

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Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01255-w

The pandemic has spawned too many uninformative clinical trials and reviews. Reform is needed to ensure the world gets the high-quality evidence it needs.

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Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01246-x

The pandemic stress-tested the way the world produces evidence — and revealed all the flaws.

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Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03591-3

Publisher Correction: Whole-genome doubling confers unique genetic vulnerabilities on tumour cells

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Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01277-4

COVID-19: build on Belgium’s psychosocial findings

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Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01251-0

A new rodent model of COVID-19 promises an easier and quicker way to test treatments and vaccines.

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Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01263-w

Blue-flowered plants get the most scientific love; those with green or brown flowers, not so much.

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What’s better than a quasar? That’s right, two quasars. Astronomers have spotted for the first time two rare double-quasars, and the results show us the dynamic, messy consequences of galaxy formation. Every galaxy is thought to host a supermassive black hole in its center. When galaxies merge, their black holes merge along with them. During …

Continue reading "Astronomers see a Rare “Double Quasar” in a Pair of Merging Galaxies"

The post Astronomers see a Rare “Double Quasar” in a Pair of Merging Galaxies appeared first on Universe Today.

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Blue Origin has a charitable auction going and whoever makes the highest bid will win a ride to space the New Shepard rocket!

The post Blue Origin Will Finally Fly Passengers to the Edge of Space in July appeared first on Universe Today.

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Two companies, OneWeb and SpaceX, are racing to put fleets of thousands of communication satellites into orbit. In March they had their first near-miss. Avoidance maneuvers were successful, but how many more close calls will they face in the future? SpaceX has already launched over a thousand of its Starlink global broadband internet satellites, and …

Continue reading "Starlink and OneWeb Have Their First Avoidance Maneuver With Each Other’s Constellations"

The post Starlink and OneWeb Have Their First Avoidance Maneuver With Each Other’s Constellations appeared first on Universe Today.

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White dwarfs have some surprisingly strong magnetic fields, and one team of astronomers may have finally found the reason why. When they cool, they can activate a dynamo mechanism similar to what powers the Earth’s magnetic field. Some white dwarfs have magnetic fields a million times stronger than the Earth, but the origins of those …

Continue reading "How can White Dwarfs Produce Such Powerful Magnetic Fields?"

The post How can White Dwarfs Produce Such Powerful Magnetic Fields? appeared first on Universe Today.

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Ever feel like no matter how far you fly you end up in the same spot?  Ingenuity certainly does.  The helicopter that has been making dozens of headlines lately for all of the firsts it is achieving as part of its mission on Mars so far has only returned back to its original take-off point.  …

Continue reading "Ingenuity Makes a one-way Trip for the First Time, Flying to a new Landing Site"

The post Ingenuity Makes a one-way Trip for the First Time, Flying to a new Landing Site appeared first on Universe Today.

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It’s widely known by now that the “dark side” of the moon, made famous by Pink Floyd, isn’t actually dark. It gets as much sunlight as the side that is tidally locked facing Earth.  However, it is dark in one very important way – it isn’t affected by radio signals emanating from Earth itself.  What’s …

Continue reading "NASA is Getting Serious About a Radio Telescope on the Moon"

The post NASA is Getting Serious About a Radio Telescope on the Moon appeared first on Universe Today.

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The magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune are really, seriously messed up. And we don’t know why. The magnetic fields of most planets (if they even have one) are pretty straightforward. The planet spins in a certain direction, and the field roughly lines up with that direction of spin. Sure, the fields may wander a …

Continue reading "Both Uranus and Neptune Have Really Bizarre Magnetic Fields"

The post Both Uranus and Neptune Have Really Bizarre Magnetic Fields appeared first on Universe Today.

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Many planetary systems may get snuffed out before they even get a chance to form, according to new research. The culprit: nearby stars, capable of evaporating entire protoplanetary disks just when they begin to form. Stars tend to form in clusters as a single giant nebula fragments into many smaller pieces. Naturally, some stars will …

Continue reading "Young Stars can Evaporate Nearby Disks Before They can Form Planets"

The post Young Stars can Evaporate Nearby Disks Before They can Form Planets appeared first on Universe Today.

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Cosmologists love universe simulations.  Even models covering hundreds of millions of light years can be useful for understanding fundamental aspects of cosmology and the early universe.  There’s just one problem – they’re extremely computationally intensive.  A 500 million light year swath of the universe could take more than 3 weeks to simulate..  Now, scientists led …

Continue reading "A new Method Simulates the Universe 1000 Times Faster"

The post A new Method Simulates the Universe 1000 Times Faster appeared first on Universe Today.

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Bill Nelson, a former astronaut, Senator, and longtime advocate for space, was recently sworn in as the 14th Administrator of NASA

The post It’s Official, Astronaut Bill Nelson is NASA’s new Administrator appeared first on Universe Today.

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An artificial intelligence that mimics how people type on a smartphone – including making errors – could help improve the standard of on-screen keyboards in the future

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In 2018, hundreds of slabs of rubber washed up on the Brazilian coastline – they have been identified as cargo from the shipwrecked SS Rio Grande from the Second World War

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The Cerne Abbas Giant carved into an English hillside seems to date to the late Saxon period or early Medieval times, and may have been hidden by grass for centuries

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The giant squid is famously elusive, but researchers have captured the first known footage of it hunting by using a decoy jellyfish attached to a camera

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High winds are reported to have broken a glass-bottomed bridge in China, leaving a man clinging to a handrail above a 91-metre drop – but just how safe is glass as a bridge-building material?

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The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

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From cataclysmic supervolcanos on Earth to ice plumes on Enceladus, the solar system is a wildly volcanic place.  This is your guide.

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Subreactor room 305/2, which has been inaccessible since the Chernobyl meltdown 35 years ago, is emitting neutrons that point to a growing nuclear fission reaction

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Synaesthesia is a condition that creates strange connections between the senses, allowing some people to experience music and words differently

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Alleged attacks on US personnel in Cuba and Washington DC have been linked to microwave weapons, but may just be mass hysteria. Now the US is developing sensors to warn against such attacks

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The massive showcase facility offers plenty of space for social distance along with plenty of air and space travel history

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Culture Minister Monika Grütters describes the move as a "historic milestone"

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On the occasion of the lunar landing's 50th anniversary, we spoke to the former director of the National Air and Space Museum

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Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul is a scheme made famous by Charles Ponzi. Who was this crook whose name graces this scam?

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"White Lies Matter" had pledged to deliver the stone chair intact if the United Daughters of the Confederacy displayed a specific banner

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The five-part PBS series chronicles the community's story through archival footage, interviews

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The sale marks the third-highest auction price achieved by a living artist

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This year's National Cherry Blossom Festival will feature a mix of in-person and online events

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The 15th-century painting, which went up for auction at Sotheby's Thursday, depicts a young Florentine man

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The Puerto Rican artist won the National Portrait Gallery's People’s Choice award for his devastating image 'Muerto Rico'

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A rooted bacterial tree is necessary to understand early evolution, but the position of the root is contested. Here, we model the evolution of 11,272 gene families to identify the root, extent of horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and the nature of the last bacterial common ancestor (LBCA). Our analyses root the tree between the major clades Terrabacteria and Gracilicutes and suggest that LBCA was a free-living flagellated, rod-shaped double-membraned organism. Contrary to recent proposals, our analyses reject a basal placement of the Candidate Phyla Radiation, which instead branches sister to Chloroflexota within Terrabacteria. While most gene families (92%) have evidence of HGT, overall, two-thirds of gene transmissions have been vertical...

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As U.S. vaccination efforts shift to get shots to the hard-to-reach, we take a look at some big questions about vaccines that still remain.

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Shape-shifting pasta could potentially cut down on packaging and save space during shipping.

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Pockets of people have railed against vaccines as long as the preventives have existed.

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With the vaccine cleared for high schoolers and many middle schoolers, focus now turns to clinical trials testing COVID-19 vaccines in younger kids.

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New devices — worn as headsets and backpacks — rely on optogenetics, in which bursts of light toggle neurons, to control mouse brain activity.

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Methanol spotted around a hot, young star probably originated in interstellar space, suggesting some chemistry for life may start before stars form.

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Applying the antibiotic amoxicillin to infected lesions halted tissue death in corals for at least 11 months after treatment.

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Scientists say a laxed attitude toward masking and social distancing plus the rise of new variants may have fueled India’s coronavirus surge.

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By sending electric current into the brain, scientists can enhance the pain-relieving placebo effect and dampen the pain-inducing nocebo effect.

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T. rex could generate incredibly strong bite forces thanks to a boomerang-shaped bone that stiffened the lower jaw, a new analysis suggests.

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Development and sea-level rise threaten this crucial habitat and natural line of defense against storm surge -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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Coroners are not typically required to have medical expertise—and that’s a problem -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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Cooperative Extension programs have a long history of teaching readiness and survival skills—and with more funding, they could help us get ready for future outbreaks -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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It is like when your cell phone keeps you awake in bed—except mosquitoes do not doom scroll when they stay up, they feast on your blood. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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Scientists probe an exceptionally explosive phenomenon -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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Debris from the 20-metric-ton booster reportedly splashed down in the Indian Ocean north of the Maldives -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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It is uncertain if a highly divided Congress will pass such a mandate -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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The blood-brain barrier deteriorates with aging, but animal studies indicate repairs can make old brains look young again -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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The Great Eastern Brood has been underground for 17 years. Here’s what the insects have been up to down there -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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The president can set a powerful example for the U.S. and the world by filling the White House grounds with America’s native plants and animals -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

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After nearly five years in space, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is on its way back to Earth with an abundance of rocks and dust from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu.

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NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson announced Monday Robert D. Cabana, who has served as director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center since 2008, will serve as associate administrator effective Monday, May 17.

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Steve Jurczyk, who served as acting NASA administrator from Jan. 20 to May 3, 2021, announced Monday he will retire on Friday, May 14, after more than three decades of service at NASA.

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NASA and Axiom Space have signed an order for the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station to take place no earlier than January 2022.

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NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson released the following statement Saturday regarding debris from the Chinese Long March 5B rocket.

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NASA has awarded a contract to Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts, to support a national campaign of community overflight tests using the agency’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology research aircraft.

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Students from Brownsville, Texas will hear from astronauts aboard the International Space Station during a call at 10:15 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 11 that will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

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NASA and Axiom Space have signed a mission order for the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station and will host a teleconference with media at 11 a.m. EDT on Monday, May 10, to discuss more details about the mission.

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NASA invites the public and the media to watch its first asteroid sample return mission begin a two-year cruise home at 4 p.m. EDT Monday, May 10, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

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NASA has awarded the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Evolution and Development (EED)-3 contract to Raytheon Company of Riverdale, Maryland.

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Careers at ESA

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Alpha

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Image:

The world’s most powerful space science telescope has opened its primary mirror for the last time on Earth.

As part of the international James Webb Space Telescope’s final tests, the 6.5 meter (21 feet 4 inch) mirror was commanded to fully expand and lock itself into place, just like it would in space. The conclusion of this test represents the team’s final checkpoint in a long series of tests designed to ensure Webb’s 18 hexagonal mirrors are prepared for a long journey in space, and a life of profound discovery. After this, all of Webb’s many movable parts will have confirmed in testing that they can perform their intended operations after being exposed to the expected launch environment.

Making the testing conditions close to ...

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Week in images: 03 - 07 May 2021

Discover our week through the lens

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Video: 00:06:56

To celebrate the premiere of Coldplay's latest single 'Higher Power’, the band linked up for an extraterrestrial video chat with French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who is currently on a six-month mission on board the International Space Station. A specially recorded performance of Higher Power - featuring dancing alien holograms - was beamed up to Thomas, who gave the track its very first play on board the Station. The song’s premiere followed a conversation which took in similarities between life on tour and life on the Space Station, how planet Earth looks from space and its fragility; and how Thomas listens to music in microgravity.

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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Morbihan – a French department in the south of Brittany.

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Image: First Ariane 6 fairing at Europe’s Spaceport

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The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, has come ‘home’ to ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands to undergo an extreme environment test in Europe’s largest thermal vacuum chamber to prepare for its journey to the outer Solar System.

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An X-ray telescope designed to search for supermassive black holes could be built using a novel 3D-printing technique called plasma metal deposition.

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Though offshore turbines aren't without their challenges.

The post Offshore wind has huge potential. Here’s how it could change the US. appeared first on Popular Science.

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Pixabay

Pollen season can be ruff for everyone.

The post Your dog gets allergies for the same reasons you do appeared first on Popular Science.

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Matthew Manuel, Unsplash

Does your feline friend get catty about sleeping arrangements? Give your companion one of the best cat beds.

The post Best cat beds: Fulfill your cat’s dreams of comfortable slumber appeared first on Popular Science.

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Alex Green / Pexels

It's a frustrating but natural phase of development.

The post How to help your kids get over picky eating appeared first on Popular Science.

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Mohammad Javad Shoaee/MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR THE SCIENCE OF HUMAN HISTORY

The three-year-old was buried with deliberate care.

The post The earliest known human burial in Africa was a carefully laid down child appeared first on Popular Science.

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Stack Commerce

Learn valuable advice about your pooch's overall health and well being.

The post Use this discounted DNA kit to test your dog, find out its breed appeared first on Popular Science.

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Puja Changoiwala/Undark

With cases skyrocketing and health resources scarce, Saphale in Maharashtra faces a bleak season of loss and hardship.

The post This village’s story shows just how unprepared rural India is for the latest COVID surge appeared first on Popular Science.

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studiostok via deposit photos

Other animals see many more than we do.

The post Ask Us Anything: Why can’t we see more colors? appeared first on Popular Science.

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Stack Commerce

From laptops to iPads, these are top-of-the-line products at hugely discounted prices.

The post Get some great deals on pre-owned and refurbished Apple products appeared first on Popular Science.

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Kindel Media from Pexels

One serving of cannabis likely has a higher greenhouse gas footprint than a beer or cigarette.

The post Is growing weed sustainable? The answer is complicated. appeared first on Popular Science.

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Ancient humans began to draw symbols on caves at least 45,500 years ago, according to a surprising finding on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

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An exceptionally warm spring has led to the early arrival of cherry blossoms in Japan, causing researchers to draw patterns between local temperature increases and global warming.

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Scientists say the technology behind the COVID-19 vaccines could change medicine and lead to new treatments against diseases like malaria, cancer and HIV.

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Many people report having spiritual experiences and psychological shifts while practicing intense and forceful breathing. But experts say this type of hyperventilating can pose mental and physical risks.

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Did volcanic aerosols inspire the artist's new direction?

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Researchers are formulating unconventional solutions for tree diseases that harm beloved foods like oranges and chocolate. These include a potential RNA therapy, similar to certain COVID-19 vaccines.

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Once an evolutionary benefit that helped keep our ancestors alive, cortisol, the hormone that triggers our fight-or-flight response, may now be doing more harm than good. 

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Calculating the most influential scientific equations is no easy task. But these five certainly rank in the top tier.

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Once critically endangered, Vancouver Island marmots are now teaching each other how to recover.

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One minute, Albert was feeling fine. The next he was overcome by cramps and nausea. Then came the blood.

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