By Paige Copenhaver On February 11th, scientists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced the first ever detection of gravitational waves. Analogous to ripples caused by throwing a rock into a pond, gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime caused by the acceleration of massive objects in space. The collision of
by Stephanie M. Halmo Scientists from across the globe have discovered four new elements, filling in row seven on the periodic table. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry confirms the synthesis of these elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118. The four new elements are not found in nature. Researchers synthesized
by: Stephanie M. Halmo Researchers at North Carolina State University, Jagdish Narayan and Anagh Bhaumik, discovered a new solid phase of carbon distinct from graphite and diamond. Coined Q-carbon, this phase can quickly be converted to diamond at ambient temperature and pressure without the presence of hydrogen or a catalyst. Before the discovery of Q-carbon,
by: Stephanie M. Halmo An article published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine linked tapeworm infection and cancer through a novel disease mechanism. It was found that tapeworm cells could become cancerous in a human host. The article followed the case of a Colombian man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a tapeworm
by Stephanie M. Halmo When and where the world's first domesticated species of dogs originated is a hotly debated topic by geneticists. A recent study places the origin of human's best friend in Central Asia or modern day Mongolia and Nepal. These results, published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
by Stephanie M. Halmo Announced on Wednesday, October 7th, the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich, and Aziz Sancar for their studies on DNA self-repair. These scientists each discovered a different mechanism by which DNA—usually thought of as a stable molecule—can be repaired. These scientists each discovered a different
The tomb of King Philip II has been found in Vergina, Macedonia. King Philip II ruled the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, but is best known as the father of Alexander the Great.
