Soprano Syndrome in the Mouse House?

Soprano Syndrome in the Mouse House?

   Soprano syndrome in the mousehouse? One of the first things my mice did when introduced to their new Chinese-made home (details on that to come later) was to seek out their new…
Quantum Gravity in the Lab?

Quantum Gravity in the Lab?

Quantum gravity is the holy grail of theoretical physics in the 21st century. The frustrating thing about the search for it is that the window in which we could experimentally access quantum…
Creation of a magnetic field in a turbulent fluid

Creation of a magnetic field in a turbulent fluid

Understanding the origin and behavior of the magnetic fields of planets and stars is the goal of research being carried out by many teams from all over the world. The VKS1 collaboration (CEA2, CNRS3…
The leader of the celestial "Magnificent Seven"

The leader of the celestial "Magnificent Seven"

A decade-long mystery has been solved using data from ESA's X-ray observatory XMM-Newton. The brightest member of the so-called 'magnificent seven' has been found to pulsate with a period of seven…
Climate shifts probability of randomness

Climate shifts probability of randomness

Severe climate changes during the last ice-age could have been caused by random chaotic variations on Earth and not governed by external periodic influences from the Sun. This has been shown in new…
Who Says King Alfred Burned The Cakes?

Who Says King Alfred Burned The Cakes?

King Alfred burned the cakes, right? Wrong. For a start they were loaves – and for another thing, the Vikings reckon their terrifying-sounding hero Ragnar Hairybreeks should take the blame for this…
Bacterial walls come tumbling down

Bacterial walls come tumbling down

The first detailed images of an elusive drug target on the outer wall of bacteria may provide scientists with enough new information to aid design of novel antibiotics. The drugs are much needed to…
Stealth camouflage at night

Stealth camouflage at night

Cuttlefish are well-known masters of disguise who use highly developed camouflage tactics to blend in almost instantaneously with their surroundings. These relatives of octopuses and squid are part…
Good gammas give X-ray afterglow

Good gammas give X-ray afterglow

Several times a week, astronomers detect the violent death cry of a massive star -- an extraordinarily energetic release of gamma rays that takes place in just a matter of seconds to minutes, called…