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748 articles · page 12 of 16 · The Science front page
Archaeologists have identified a fourth-century Roman fort in Pembrokeshire, Wales, that appears to support a medieval legend that the emperor Magnus Maximus pitched camp in the Preseli Hills. Coins from the period found at the newly discovered site suggest the tale, told in the Mabinogion, was rooted in reality.
The international authority on timekeeping has voted to abolish the leap second, ending a half-century practice of periodically adding a second to clocks to keep them aligned with Earth's rotation. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) voted on Thursday to scrap the adjustment, with the change taking effect in 2027. A 'leap hour' will be used instead, added only when Earth's rotation drifts far enough from atomic time to require a full hour correction.
NASA this week posted over 800 gigabytes of science data, images and videos from its Artemis II lunar mission on a new public website, Sights & Sounds of Science. The archive includes more than 11,000 photos and videos, over 8.5 hours of audio, and crew-annotated images marking where the astronauts observed impact flashes on the Moon's far side. The release provides an unprecedented inside look at a historic space mission.
A levee built in the 1970s to protect a popular caravan park and nearby homes on Victoria’s Barwon River Estuary is showing signs of strain from repeated water exposure, with a new report warning it will be fully inundated by 2100 under current sea level rise scenarios. The state government has received $250,000 in federal funding to study the defence and design upgrades.
The northern lights could make another appearance over parts of the UK on Monday night, but heavy cloud cover is likely to deny Londoners a view of the aurora borealis, forecasters have said.
A US-based research team is now roughly halfway through an 830-mile voyage to Nikumaroro Island in the Pacific, where they hope to inspect a submerged object in the lagoon that could be the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10-E. The team, from the Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) and Purdue University, departed the capital of Kiribati on Wednesday and expects to arrive by Monday.
Scientists have detected the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded, a powerful radio pulse that originated just three billion years after the Big Bang. The signal, designated FRB 20240304B, was captured on March 4, 2024, by South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, with its host galaxy later identified by the James Webb Space Telescope.
A remarkable collection of Neanderthal wooden tools has been discovered preserved as hollow molds in limestone at the Abric Romaní rock shelter in Spain, offering an unprecedented window into the everyday lives of our ancient cousins. The find, described in Science Advances, includes 597 wooden remains spanning from 62,000 to 40,000 years ago, featuring not only spears and digging sticks but also bark trays, parts of shelters, and a club of a type previously unknown, challenging long-held views of Neanderthal sophistication.
NASA has launched a low-cost experiment that uses a departing cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station to test advanced heat shield materials, a technology that could protect future astronauts returning from the Moon and Mars.
NASA on Friday released a long-awaited request for proposals to the US commercial space industry, seeking private space stations that could replace the International Space Station as a home for astronauts in low-Earth orbit as early as 2030.
South Korea successfully deployed five satellites for its first domestically launched microsatellite constellation during the fifth flight of its homegrown Nuri rocket on Wednesday, according to Yonhap News Agency. Nine of the rocket's 10 CubeSat secondary payloads were also released as planned, but a small satellite developed by South Korean startup Quaternion failed to separate.
A California startup is preparing to switch on the first precision commercial alternative to GPS, with six of its satellites scheduled to launch this month. Xona Space Systems says its service will compete with free government navigation networks while working with existing GPS receivers.
A 16-year-old girl who was born with thalassemia has spoken of how her life has been transformed after becoming one of the first young people to receive a gene-editing treatment that freed her from the monthly blood transfusions she had endured for most of her life.
A drone-mounted LiDAR survey has uncovered three previously unrecorded ancient Indigenous shelters in Australia, the first results from a non-invasive digital archaeology project led by Dr Jacob Bongers of the University of Sydney.
A team of astronomers has traced the origin of a fast radio burst (FRB) that travelled more than 10 billion years to reach Earth, pinpointing it to a small galaxy filled with young stars in the early universe. The discovery, published in Science, represents the most distant FRB whose host galaxy has been identified.
NASA’s Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission launched Oct. 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The technology demonstration will see an Otter spacecraft – built by Starfish Space – approach up to four defunct U.S.-origin satellites and rocket bodies in low Earth orbit, showcasing autonomous navigation, inspection and propulsion technologies that could reduce orbital debris and support future in-space repairs.
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate development of safe, reliable nuclear technologies for deep-space exploration, with a goal of fielding a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030. The agreement, titled “Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion,” was signed Thursday during the Golden Age Summit in Washington and takes effect November 1.
Surgeons in Edinburgh have performed the first testicular tissue transplant in the UK, transplanting frozen tissue back into a 19-year-old patient in the hope it will begin producing sperm after chemotherapy left him infertile.
Margaret Hamilton, the computer scientist who led the team that developed the onboard flight software for NASA's Apollo 11 mission, has died at the age of 90. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), her former employer, confirmed her death on Wednesday, stating she died on 30 September. Hamilton is widely credited with popularising the term "software engineering" and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 for her contributions to space exploration.
NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station, with liftoff scheduled for 6:33 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 13 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry a Dragon spacecraft packed with more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and equipment, including the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSA) and a suite of microgravity research payloads.
Australia has unveiled its first moon rover, marking a milestone for the nation's space ambitions. The rover is slated to be part of a mission to the lunar surface by 2030, according to reports from multiple national outlets.
The Australian Museum will display a cast of Patagotitan mayorum, considered the largest dinosaur to have walked the Earth, in Sydney this summer as part of its 200th anniversary celebrations. At almost 38 metres long and an estimated 70 tonnes in life, the Cretaceous giant from Argentina's Patagonia will take up virtually the entire touring exhibition hall.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai for their discoveries of chemical reactions that can be biased to produce large excesses of one form of a molecule, a finding that sheds light on how life may have emerged from a primordial mixture of mirror-image chemicals.
An Australian-led clinical trial has for the first time produced evidence that an experimental drug called SNT-4728 can reduce inflammation in the brains of people at high risk of developing Parkinson's disease, raising hopes of a treatment that could slow or even stop the condition before symptoms become debilitating.
No article was produced for this edition because the request did not include any source material to report from.
A plan to build a spaceport in Canterbury, near Lake Ellesmere, would allow up to a dozen launches per year of large rockets, according to an initial proposal. The plan is at an early stage and would require resource consent and environmental assessments before moving forward.
NASA's new emphasis on securing 'good deals only' from international partners is reshaping its space exploration strategy, with the agency abandoning the Lunar Gateway space station to focus entirely on building a Moon base near the south pole and competing with China for lunar resources.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to French scientist Henri B. Kagan and Japan's Kenso Soai for providing a solution to the chemical mystery of life's asymmetry, the Nobel Committee announced.
Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on September 12, 2026, tying several previous years for the 10th-lowest minimum since satellite records began, according to NASA data.
A growing body of research suggests that people who were conceived and born during Britain's post-war sugar rationing – which ended in 1953 and 1954 – have measurably better long-term health outcomes, including a lower risk of diabetes and other chronic conditions, compared with those born just after restrictions were lifted.
New Zealand faces more frequent and intense heatwaves and catastrophic glacier melts as greenhouse gas levels reach record highs, according to the Our Atmosphere and Climate 2026 report released Wednesday. The findings paint a stark picture of mounting climate pressures with wide-reaching implications for the environment, native species and communities.
A low-pressure system in the western Gulf of Mexico is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm and has a decent chance of becoming a hurricane, according to the latest forecast modeling. Such a development would be unremarkable in early October under normal circumstances, but this year it would end a record-setting stretch: no Atlantic hurricane has formed yet this season.
Until recently, dementia was regarded as a grim genetic lottery, but new World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines estimate that at least 45 per cent of dementia risk can be attributed to modifiable factors, rising to 50 per cent in Australia, according to Professor Kaarin Anstey, the only Australian on the WHO guidelines panel.
NASA's Curiosity rover has captured a panoramic view of dawn breaking over distant, wind-carved cliffs on Mars, offering scientists the most detailed look yet at geological features called yardangs that they have long awaited to see up close.
NASA is moving 7,500 contractors back into the civil service, a significant reshaping of its workforce, according to a report from Ars Technica. The publication explores the reasoning behind the change, drawing on the experience of longtime flight director Gerry Griffin to frame the discussion.
NASA has released a stunning new image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) showcasing the chaotic and vibrant activity within a nebula, where powerful jets from young stars are carving out intricate structures in the surrounding gas and dust, offering astronomers an unprecedented view of stellar formation.
Belgian-born physicist Francis Halzen has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for his decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Digital Medievalist proposes that centuries of failed attempts to decode the Voynich manuscript, the world's most mysterious medieval text, may stem from a fundamental error: researchers have been reading its pages in the wrong order.
Astronomers have identified a second-generation planet orbiting the white dwarf star HS 0209+0832, a gas giant composed of elements heavier than iron that could not have formed through conventional stellar processes. The discovery, published Monday, suggests planets can form after a star's violent red giant phase and that previously unseen material can become a planet.
Glasgow has emerged as a European leader in building small satellites, two decades after engineer Craig Clark returned home to found Clyde Space. With Europe pouring billions into space investment, the BBC asks whether the city's satellite industry can keep up.
NASA's Perseverance rover has acquired an image of light-toned boulders scattered across a hillside in a region called Lac de Charmes, beyond the western rim of Jezero Crater. The photograph, taken as part of the rover's ongoing exploration, shows the boulders standing out against the reddish-brown, dusty terrain.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for the development of optogenetics, a technique that uses light to precisely activate or silence neurons in living brains. Their work, which began with studies of light-attracted single-celled algae, has built an entire field of neuroscience research.
GP and hormone expert Dr Louise R Newson has described how a revamped daily routine of yoga, balanced eating, and disciplined rest has made her feel better at age 56 than she did in her 20s and 30s. Writing in The Age, Dr Newson emphasised that lifestyle changes, not hormone replacement therapy alone, are key to improving healthspan.
After two decades of failed trials and dashed hopes, dementia research has entered what scientists describe as a breakthrough era, with the first drugs that modify Alzheimer’s disease approved in Australia and a blood test able to detect biomarkers up to 20 years before symptoms appear. The World Alzheimer Report 2026, released late last month, declares the condition “no longer universally described as untreatable” and points to “remarkable scientific momentum” in the field.
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have identified a possible second-generation planet orbiting the white dwarf HS 0209+0832, solving a longstanding puzzle about the system's unusual chemical composition. The finding suggests the planet formed from gas and dust ejected when the star died, making it chemically distinct from planets that form alongside their host stars.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth of the United States and Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel of Germany for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, a technique that allows researchers to control nerve cell activity with light. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm announced the prize on Monday.
For years, observational studies suggested that light-to-moderate drinkers had a lower risk of dementia than non-drinkers, a pattern known as the J-shaped curve. But leading experts now say that idea has been largely discredited, with newer research pointing to no safe level of alcohol for brain health.
A fresh analysis of skulls excavated from early Egyptian tombs in the 1920s has found that over one-third bear signs of blunt force trauma, offering new support for the long‑debated practice of retainer sacrifice during the First Dynasty. The findings, published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, could shift the centuries‑old argument over whether servants and officials were killed to accompany their pharaohs into the afterlife.