Science

Cosmic stroke of luck could solve expansion rate puzzles

The five bluish spots of light are the image of a superluminous supernova distorted and copied by a gravitational lens. The two yellowish spots...

Photo worth seeing: On the electron highway

A network of “electron highways” runs through a crystal in fine lines. It is lead halide perovskite. The material is suitable for producing cost-effective...

How red blood cells lower blood sugar levels

Red blood cells not only transport oxygen, they can also break down sugar. © Chiara Ricci-Tam The red blood cells supply our body with oxygen....

Skulls from China are the oldest Homo erectus fossils in East Asia

Fossils and reconstruction of two of the three early human skulls from Yunxian, China. © Xiaobo Feng Homo erectus is considered to be the first...

Deep sea fishing in the eye

These two deep-sea fish have an unusual hybrid of rods and cones in their retina. © Wen Sung Chung In our eyes and those of...

A Bronze Age princely tomb in Normandy

These flint arrowheads are typical grave goods of the Armorican burial mound culture for high-ranking dead. © Emmanuelle Collado/ INRAP Archaeologists have discovered a Bronze...

Oldest reptile skin prints

These 298 to 299 million year old prints show the skin structure of a prehistoric reptile. © Lorenzo Marchetti A typical feature of many reptiles...

From cult object to material: How precious metals found their way into jewelry production

Photo: Peter Hermes Furian - stock.adobe.com Before gold became coins, silver became cutlery and platinum became jewelry, precious metals stood for something else: immortality, power,...

Why the elephant trunk is so sensitive

In the sunlight, the many whiskers on the elephant's trunk can be clearly seen. © Heidelberg Zoo, Alejandro Posada/ Max Planck Institute for Intelligent...

How trees survive in dry soils

Mixed forest with beeches and Douglas firs. © Klara Mrak Climate change is increasingly changing the living conditions of trees. Rising temperatures and longer dry...

A Viking-era mass grave with a “giant”

Archaeologists uncovering the mass grave from the Viking Age. © Cambridge Archaeological Unit/David Matzliach The English city of Cambridge lies in a border area that...

Hidden insect diversity inside blades of grass

Two females of the parasitic wasp Torymus arundinis pierce rice grain galls of the gall midge Giraudiella inclusa in a reed stalk. © Tscharntke,...

How giant galaxies formed in the early cosmos

This illustration of protocluster SPT2349-56 shows interacting galaxies and gas (orange) being torn apart and heated by tidal forces. © N. Sulzenauer/ MPI for...

Honey bees fly more precisely than expected

Honey bees fly to their food sources from the hive with surprising precision. © kojihirano/ iStock Honey bees pollinate a large proportion of our crops...

Recent Articles