New Atlas

Science Audio available

New antidote for box jellyfish sting isn't entirely new

Ben Coxworth April 30, 2019

The box jellyfish is the world's most venomous creature, with a sting from its trailing tentacles causing intense pain, necrosis of the skin, and in some cases death by cardiac arrest. Now, however, scientists have found an antidote for such stings – and it's an existing cholesterol-lowering drug.

The scientists utilized venom from Chironex fleckeri, the larger and more deadly of the two box ...

Biology Audio available

Scientists witness lizard lay eggs and give live birth in same litter

Michael Irving April 2, 2019

Normally, animals reproduce by either laying eggs or giving birth to live young, but an Australian species of lizard can apparently do both in the same pregnancy. Scientists witnessed a three-toed skink lay three eggs before giving birth to a live baby, which has never been observed before.

Scientists have witnessed a female three-toed skink laying eggs and giving live birth in the same ...

Space Audio available

Rotating pulse rocket may find use in space launches

David Szondy March 25, 2019

Combustion experts from the University of Sydney are working on a revolutionary new rocket engine that can not only breath air while in the atmosphere, but can burn incoming air at supersonic speeds, promising to make space launches cheaper and more efficient.

Unlike this Atlas rocket launching the Mercury-Atlas 2 mission in 1961, the RDE can act both ...

Science Audio available

Giant bee species, feared extinct, found alive and well in Indonesia

Michael Irving February 21, 2019

Some studies suggest the world is entering a sixth major extinction event. But now, in a rare piece of good news from that field, researchers from Australia, Canada and the US have rediscovered Wallace’s giant bee, an insect that hasn’t been seen in almost 40 years.

Wallace's giant bee, the largest known bee species in the world, is four times larger than ...

Biology Audio available

Birth of world's first gene-edited babies triggers ethical outcry

Michael Irving November 26, 2018

The world’s first gene-edited human babies have been born in China. Professor Jiankui He claims that by removing a specific gene from the embryos using CRISPR-Cas9, the twin girls would have a natural immunity to HIV. But scientists question the safety, effectiveness and morality of the procedure.

The world's first gene-edited human babies have reportedly been born in China

Space Audio available

Star spotted on the brink of a gamma ray burst – and it's alarmingly close to Earth

Michael Irving November 19, 2018

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic events in the universe, second only to the Big Bang itself. We don’t usually get any warning, but now astronomers have spotted the telltale signs of a star system that could blow its lid any moment – and it’s far too close to Earth for comfort.

A composite near- and mid-infrared image of Apep, a star system that has been identified as ...

Science

Asexual, all-female termite colonies found to do just fine without males

Michael Irving September 25, 2018

Most species of termites reproduce the old fashioned way. But nature, always looking for more efficient ways to do things, may be in the process of removing unnecessary steps in the process – males. Researchers have now found colonies with no male termites at all, and they seem to be thriving.

Researchers have found colonies of asexual termites that contain no males at all

Environment

Great Barrier Reef has "died" five times already – but this might be the last straw

Michael Irving May 28, 2018

As the fate of the Great Barrier Reef remains uncertain, a new study has examined the health of the reef over the last 30,000 years, and found that it has suffered five “death events” in the past – but its current woes could be the last straw.

A new study has found that the Great Barrier Reef has persisted through five major "death ...

Physics

Simulations suggest multiverse is either teeming with life – or doesn't exist

Michael Irving May 14, 2018

Our universe seems to contain a suspiciously perfect amount of "dark energy" to sustain life. But new research suggests that life is still possible even with far more dark energy than we have, and the results have some big implications for the multiverse theory.

New simulations suggest life could be more common throughout the multiverse – or perhaps show that ...

Space

Massive stellar survey to help locate our Sun's solar siblings

Anthony Wood April 18, 2018

An international team of astronomers has released survey data detailing the chemical fingerprints of over 340,000 stars. The observations could be used to identify stellar bodies that formed alongside our Sun billions of years ago.

Image of the Sun taken by ESA's Proba-2 satellite