The gas giant has 82 moons, surpassing the 79 known to orbit its larger neighbourSaturn has taken over from Jupiter as host to the most moons in the solar system after astronomers spotted 20 more lumps of rock orbiting the ringed planet.It brings the number of Saturnian moons to 82, surpassing the 79 that are known to orbit Jupiter, its larger, inner neighbour. Continue...
New Attenborough series aims to be as influential as Blue Planet II was on plastic wasteA new BBC natural history series narrated by Sir David Attenborough airing later this month will have a conservationist message about the impact of the climate crisis at its heart.Seven Worlds, One Planet will show “where humankind is negatively and positively impacting the health of the planet”, the...
The answer to today’s money problemEarlier today I set you the following problem. It was a tricky one, and judging from the BTL comments the solution is eagerly awaited. Let me restate the problem before we get there. It concerns a game on a grid with an infinite number of rows and columns, and starts with three coins in the top left corner of the grid, as illustrated here. Continue...
William Kaelin, Sir Peter Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza worked out how cells adapt to oxygen availabilityThree scientists have shared this year’s Nobel prize in physiology or medicine for discovering how the body responds to changes in oxygen levels, one of the most essential processes for life.William Kaelin Jr at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University in Massachusetts, Sir Peter...
Israeli company successfully cultures bovine cells on International Space StationLab-grown meat has been successfully cultured in space for the first time.The Israeli food technology startup Aleph Farms grew the meat on the International Space Station, 248 miles (399 km) away from any natural resources. Continue...
William G Kaelin, Sir Peter Ratcliffe and Gregg L Semenza share award for work on how cells adapt to oxygen availabilityReport: Nobel prize in medicine awarded to hypoxia researchers 12.30pm BST So there we have it, this year’s Nobel prize in physiology or medicine goes to a trio of scientists for their work in unpicking how cells sense and respond to changes in oxygen levels. Check out Ian...
A pecuniary puzzle Today, we are going to play a game. It takes place on a grid with an infinite number of rows and columns, and it starts with three coins in the top left corner of the grid, as illustrated here. Continue reading...
The ceaseless banter we engage in unthinkingly often goes so much deeper than exchanging shallow pleasantriesIt was the hottest day of the European heatwave and I was preparing for a dinner party in a Roelofarendsveen, a quiet Dutch village 30km south of Amsterdam.I’d cycled to the local supermarket to stock up on supplies, and as I passed through the checkout I chatted to the cashier as we...