The iconic cactus plant is veering into trouble say researchers. The most serious problem is illegal smuggling. Despite the international ban on uncontrolled trade in cacti, policing the smuggling faces many problems and semi-professional hunters continue to uproot plants to order, stealing from National Parks, Indian Reservations, but more significantly from the wild. In southern […]

Every physical theory has constants in it. The gravitational constant is remarkably uncertain. When we first began formulating physical laws, we did so empirically: through experiments. Drop a ball off a tower, like Galileo may have done, and you can measure both how far it falls and how long it takes to hit the ground. […]

As Election Day nears, state and local officials should take a serious look at what can realistically be achieved before setting future recycling goals. Election Day is little more than two months away. While waste and recycling haven’t been big issues in this election, I expect to see more than the normal number of recycling […]

The plastic bag fee could be rising to 10p – with all shops in England having to charge. Since October 2015, customers have had to pay at least 5p for each single-use bag, with all retailers employing more than 250 people made to take part in the scheme. But now it might be extended to […]

Cholera cases in Yemen have been slashed by a new system that predicts where outbreaks will occur. Last year, there were more than 50,000 new cases in just one week – this year, the numbers plummeted to about 2,500. The system has enabled aid workers to focus efforts on prevention several weeks in advance of […]

It is the first time that extensive tests have been carried out on an intact prehistoric mummy, consolidating the researchers’ previous findings that embalming was taking place 1,500 years earlier than previously accepted. Dating from c.3700-3500 BC, the mummy has been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Turin since 1901, but unlike the majority of […]

Looking back at historic space weather may help us understand what’s coming next. Space weather can disrupt electronics, aviation and satellite systems, and communications. This depends on solar activity, but as this is different for each solar cycle, the overall likelihood of space weather events are difficult to forecast. “…there is an underlying pattern to […]

Do you feel particularly tired lately? Good news, the universe lets you relax and take a nap. If you’re concerned about what to do during this partial solar eclipse, we consulted the zodiac signs and have come up with a list of 7 things you should avoid doing. Don’t put too much on your plate […]

Astronomers discovered that pairs of small colliding galaxies can feed their larger neighbors with gas, thereby nourishing star formation in other galaxies. Astronomers have uncovered that small galactic mergers can play an important part in fueling larger galaxies with gas, providing them with precious material that goes into the making of stars. The finding belongs […]

SALT LAKE CITY — Astronomers spotted a mysterious radio signal floating through space, and they’re unsure what it means. Patrick Boyle from Canada’s McGill University posted an observationon The Astronomer’s Telegram, an accredited website where astronomers can post their observations, that said a radio telescope called the Canadian Hydrogen Mapping Intensity Experiment (CHIME) saw a mysterious fast […]