Science

Breakthroughs seen in artificial eye and muscle technology
06:14 2018-03-01

Inspired by the human eye, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed an adaptive metalens that is essentially a flat, electronically controlled artificial eye. The adaptive metalens simultaneously controls for three of the major contributors to blurry images: focus, astigmatism, and image shift. The research is …

There may be alien life in our solar system: Microbes similar to those on Earth can thrive in the underground ocean on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus
04:17 2018-03-01

They say methane around the satellite’s surface could be produced by microbial life tucked just beneath its crust. The team, from Universität Wien in Vienna, Austria, said they hope their study encourages more research into potential colonies of microbes living on the moon. Enceladus harbours many of the ingredients needed for alien life, making it …

What happens to your brain in the last minutes before you die: Scientists discover that cells silence themselves in a wave of ‘spreading depression’
23:44 2018-02-28

A wave of electrical activity in our brains called ‘spreading depression’ appears to mark the final moment before death, researchers have found. Experts examining brain activity in dying patients observed a flurry of activity that appears to precede the fatal shutdown of our most vital organ. The finding suggests that consciousness may still be present …

Why you get lots more static electric shocks when it’s cold
19:45 2018-02-28

Outside, it is cold, and in lots of places across Britain, snow is falling. Or has done. Which is why you might be suffering more static electric shocks. There’s science to this. You might have noticed that you get more shocks as the temperature drops. Electric shocks can happen any time of the year, as …

Death of the king penguin: Scientists say 70% of the birds could WIPED OUT by the end of the century due to climate change
03:15 2018-02-28

King penguins could be wiped out in the near future by climate change and overfishing, new research has warned. Melting ice will strip the birds of their breeding and feeding grounds, wiping out 70 per cent of the global population before the end of the century. Only a decade ago the total king penguin population …