Category: General

The quantum universe

Quantum physics is confusing. Fortunately, scientists have been exploring it for years and we are, finally, beginning to make some sense of it all. Here’s our guide to quantum mechanics made easy: a whistlestop tour in…

Holly is the Staff Writer for BBC Science Focus and looks after the popular Q&A section. She holds an MSc (distinction) in Geoscience (Space and Climate Physics) from UCL, and specialises in astronomy and earth sciences. Before joining Our Media,…

Humans speak more than 7,000 languages today. As different as they all seem, researchers argue in a new review that they all stem from a single linguistic family tree that emerged before our species split into distinct populations 135,000…

Could lumpy metallic rocks in the deepest, darkest reaches of the ocean be making oxygen in the absence of sunlight?

Some scientists think so, but others have challenged the claim that so-called “dark oxygen” is being produced in the lightless…

Virtual reality is getting a whole new flavor—literally. Scientists at Ohio State University have developed e-Taste, a new technology that lets users experience taste in digital environments. With it, you could actually bite into a…

For patients with severe corneal injuries, blindness has often been seen as a life sentence. But a new eye stem cell transplant may change that. Scientists at Massachusetts Eye and Ear have successfully used stem cells from a…

The UK needs more houses. Demand is outstripping supply and it’s driving up prices, making affordable housing harder to come by. That’s just one of the reasons behind the government’s intention to build 1.5 million new homes over the next…

We share about 98.8 per cent of our DNA with chimpanzees, our closest living relatives. Yet, despite this near-identical genetic blueprint, chimps have not built civilisations, waged wars or mastered the art of the TikTok dance routine. 

But…

Nuclear power provides roughly 10% of the world’s energy. Yet one of its biggest challenges is radioactive waste. While spent nuclear fuel is typically stored in underground facilities, researchers at Ohio State University (OSU)…

A “supergiant” deposit of high-quality gold ore containing an estimated 1,000 metric tons (1,100 US tons) of the precious metal was discovered in central China in late 2024, according to Chinese state media.

Valued at up to approximately 600…