The idea is “risky, unproven, even unlikely to work,” according to Y Combinator. But if it did work, it could slow climate change. Imagine flooding a desert half the size of the Sahara. Using 238 trillion gallons of desalinated ocean water to do the job. Creating millions of 1-acre-square micro-reservoirs to grow enough algae to […]

The robot rover that Europe and Russia will send to Mars in 2020 will be targeted at a near-equatorial site on the Red Planet known as Oxia Planum. The area was recommended by an expert panel meeting at Leicester University. Oxia is rich in clays and other minerals that have resulted from prolonged rock interactions with […]

Bullying and harassment is such a problem in the world of chemistry that a dedicated helpline is being set up for victims, a scientific body says. The Royal Society of Chemistry says people were being denied opportunities because of “a culture of secrecy” and the ‘unchecked power of managers’. The research showed both men and women have […]

Some of the most useful and versatile materials today are the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are a class of materials demonstrating structural versatility, high porosity, fascinating optical and electronic properties, all of which makes them promising candidates for a variety of applications, including gas capture and separation, sensors, and photocatalysis. Because MOFs are so versatile […]

Sceintists are just beginning to understand the health benefits ECS. Here’s what we know so far. One of the most common questions I get about CBD is, “Why does it seem to help with so many different ailments that are completely unrelated?” The answer is simple: Because humans, like all mammals, have an endocannabinoid system (ECS). […]

The “illumination satellite” would reflect sunlight down to Earth, creating a glow about eight times brighter than the moon. It might sound like a plot cooked up by a cartoon villain, but a city in southwestern China is aiming to launch into space an artificial moon that could replace streetlights by bathing the ground in […]

“I am no longer able to participate in public life,” O’Connor wrote in a letter addressed to “friends and fellow Americans.” Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, announced Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with the beginning stages of dementia “some time ago,” and likely has Alzheimer’s disease. “As […]

Europe and Japan are set to launch their joint mission to Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun. The partners have each contributed a probe to be despatched on an Ariane rocket from French Guiana. The duo, together known as BepiColombo, are bolted to one another for the seven-year cruise to their destination, and will […]

The discovery of a 10-year-old’s body at an ancient Roman site in Italy suggests measures were taken to prevent the child, possibly infected with malaria, from rising from the dead and spreading disease to the living. The skeletal remains, uncovered by archaeologists from the University of Arizona and Stanford University, along with archaeologists from Italy, […]

At a recycling plant in Brooklyn, fat, stealthy rats were more than a match for feral cats, scientists found. New York rats are big and bad. They sit calmly on the subway tracks, ignoring discomfited commuters on the platform. They stroll through Central Park as if they owned the place. They pretty much rule the […]