Most biologists will answer confidently when asked ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?” but the answer may depend on what type of egg you’re talking about. You’ve heard the age-old riddle: “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?” Taken metaphorically, it’s a meditation on the futility ofContinue Reading
Five species of previously unknown snakes with stunning eyes were discovered in jungle trees, and one was named after Leonardo DiCaprio. But mining threatens them all. Slithering among shrubs in the foothill forests of Panama, there is a snake the color of burnt embers, with round eyes like glowing coals.Continue Reading
The inflammatory illness may affect nearly 1 in 4,000 older men in the United States A mysterious new disease may be to blame for severe, unexplained inflammation in older men. Now, researchers have their first good look at who the disease strikes, and how often. VEXAS syndrome, an illness discoveredContinue Reading
The omicron offshoot’s ability to easily infect cells may be helping it spread rapidly in places The omicron variant’s family tree has grown substantially over the last year. The brood now encompasses a subvariant soup with alphanumeric names such as BA.2, BA.5 and BF.7. The U.S. Centers for Disease ControlContinue Reading
On Earth, these gases are almost always produced only by organisms SEATTLE: Attention alien hunters: If you want to find life on distant planets, try looking for signs of toxic chemical cleanup. Gases that organisms produce as they tidy up their environments could provide clear signs of life on planetsContinue Reading
Scientists want to use Webb to see the beginning of the universe. How is that possible? On July 12, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) made history by releasing its debut image: a jewel-filled photo that’s been touted as the deepest photo of the universe ever taken. Besides looking fartherContinue Reading
Acquaintances, more than close friends, show the strength of “weak ties” when it comes to employment If you want a new job, don’t just rely on friends or family. According to one of the most influential theories in social science, you’re more likely to nab a new position throughContinue Reading
New COVID booster vaccines built for the latest variants are here and should be more effective. But there are still some unknowns A new generation of COVID booster shots are now available to most people 12 years of age and older in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration authorizedContinue Reading
Heat waves broke temperature records around the world this past summer, but it will still be one of the coolest summers of the next few decades Extreme heat has been a constant in the news this past summer: In July a punishing heat wave in Europe pushed temperatures across partsContinue Reading
Engineers at the company DeepMind built a machine-learning system based on research on how babies’ brain works, and it did better on certain tasks than its conventional counterparts. Christopher Intagliata: Artificial intelligence systems have bested humans at chess, poker, Jeopardy, Go, and countless other games. But machines still aren’t thatContinue Reading
