Science

Virgin Galactic prepares for another attempt to reach space

Virgin Galactic is looking to shrug off a failed flight in mid-December, with plans for another attempt to reach space using its SpaceShipTwo spacecraft in around a fortnight’s time as it pursues its vision of carrying private passengers into space.

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Injections of drug-loaded sticky nanoparticles could shrink skin cancer

Researchers at Yale University have shown how skin cancer could one day be treated with a simple injection. The team found that they could shrink tumors by injecting them with adhesive nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapy drugs.

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US Army-funded research results in self-propelled materials

Inspired by the way plants like Venus flytraps can snap closed and reset themselves, scientists have developed materials that alter their shape in the blink of the eye to propelling themselves forward using their own energy and their environment.

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Alzheimer’s scientists uncover “seeding” process of toxic protein tangles

Researchers have shed new light on the murky origins of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, which could eventually lead to new treatments. The team uncovered a mechanism for how toxic tangles of tau proteins leak into healthy brain cells.

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Axiom Space announces crew for first all-private orbital mission

A year after it was selected to supply the first private module for the International Space Station, Axiom Space has announced that it has selected the crew for the first-ever all private crewed orbital space mission.

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Conductive threads on skin track body movement

While there already are body movement-tracking systems, many incorporate cumbersome wearables, or require the person to move about in front of cameras. A new technology, however, gets the job done simply using threads placed flat against the skin.

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Venus may have been without active tectonic plates for a billion years

Venus may not have had Earth-like tectonic plates for the last billion years, according to the results of a new study. Instead, the planet, which is often referred to as Earth’s twin, may be covered in a single thick outer plate.

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Aquatic dinosaur may have been a shoreline stalker, not a fish-chaser

Just last year, scientists declared that Spinosaurus was the first dinosaur known to swim through the water, preying upon fish as it did so. A new study, however, suggests that it was probably more of a shore-based feeder.

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Exoplanet system discovered with strange balance of order and disorder

Astronomers have discovered a nearby system of exoplanets with unusually orderly orbits but disordered densities. Five of the six planets circle the star in a rare rhythmic dance called a resonance chain, while their densities are weirdly shuffled.

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Wirelessly charged brain implant tackles disease with light

Medical implants that help regulate activity in the brain could go a long way to treating conditions like Parkinson's and depression, and scientists have just developed one with some very useful functionality.

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