920,417 articles

The Evolutionary Origins of Psychedelics

Humans rely on a bevy of strange natural chemicals to liven up our food and drink, to endure pain, and to change our perspective. We use caffeine from coffee, tea, and yerba mate to stimulate our bodies and minds, capsaicin from red pepper flakes or isothiocyanates in horseradish or wasabi to enliven our food with spice, and codeine or morphine to endure the pain of injuries and surgeries....

The big emitters: the United States

The United States, the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has pledged to halve its emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels—but so far is failing to stay on target, analysts say.

Webb captures a prominent protostar in Perseus

This new Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope reveals intricate details of the Herbig Haro object 797 (HH 797). Herbig-Haro objects are luminous regions surrounding newborn stars (known as protostars), and are formed when stellar winds or jets of gas spewing from these newborn stars form shockwaves colliding with nearby gas and dust at high speeds.

No evidence cannabis reduces long-term illicit opioids use, study finds

Lead author says study led by University of Sydney is longest ever to have looked at relationship between the two drugsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastCannabis should not be considered an effective long-term strategy for reducing opioid use, according to a new study released amid the global shift towards...

The alien hunter: has Harvard’s Avi Loeb found proof of extraterrestrial life?

The astrophysicist and professor likes to ruffle feathers – and says his critics are merely jealous. He discusses UFOs, interstellar objects and the risks of his all-consuming searchAvi Loeb has a chip on his shoulder. For years, the Harvard astrophysicist has been trying to find aliens. He’s in the middle of trying to record the entire sky with an international network of telescopes and...

10 ways the climate crisis and nature loss are linked

The natural world is caught in a vicious cycle – extreme weather is destroying natural habitats and wildlife, yet these are crucial to fighting the climate crisisNature loss and the climate crisis are locked in a vicious cycle. These two issues are separate yet inextricably linked. As the climate crisis escalates, natural habitats are being destroyed. This in turn exacerbates the climate crisis...

‘A biodiversity catastrophe’: how the world could look in 2050 – unless we act now

The climate crisis, invasive species, overexploitation of resources and pollution could break down crucial ecosystems. We asked experts to lay out the risks and offer some solutionsThe continued destruction of nature across the planet will result in major shocks to food supplies and safe water, the disappearance of unique species and the loss of landscapes central to human culture and leisure by...

Watch tiny shrimp light up the ocean with synchronized mating display

In 2017, marine biologist James Morin was snorkeling at night in the shallow Caribbean waters off the coast of Panama when he briefly switched on his flashlight. He was shocked to see a large wave of blue light cascading across the seagrass beds below him—“bigger and more impressive than anything I’ve seen before.” The glow was emanating from a group of marine...

Walking faster linked to ‘significantly lower risk’ of developing type 2 diabetes

Until now it was unclear what walking speed was needed to reduce risk of type 2 diabetesWalking faster is linked to a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to the first global study of its kind.Type 2 diabetes is one of the world’s major health threats, with its prevalence rising sharply in the last three decades, according to the World Health Organization. Continue...


TUESDAY 28. NOVEMBER 2023