Paul Arnold

A long-standing debate in paleontology about whether the distinctive Neanderthal nose evolved purely for the cold weather may have finally been solved, and it's all thanks to an ancient, exceptionally preserved nasal cavity.

Bipedal (two-legged) robots are sophisticated machines, but they are not the most graceful when things go wrong. A simple push, fall or an obstacle can send them crashing to the ground, often resulting in expensive damage ...

Using common kitchen ingredients such as citric acid and sodium bicarbonate, scientists have created an edible pneumatic battery and valve system to power soft robots.

In recent years, perovskite has emerged as a promising solution for cheaper, more efficient solar energy. This advanced synthetic material is made from crystals that mimic the naturally occurring crystal perovskite (calcium ...

The internet, libraries and bookshops are full of plans and advice on how to lose weight, from fad diets to intense exercise routines. But there could be another route to keeping the pounds away, and that's with a gut bacterium ...

At the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), one competitor did so well that it would have been awarded the Silver Prize, except for one thing: it was an AI system. This was the first time AI had achieved a medal-level ...

Scientists have discovered a fern from South China that naturally forms tiny crystals containing rare earth elements (REEs). This breakthrough opens the door to a promising new way of "green mining" of these minerals called ...

Robots aren't always the most delicate of machines when handling fragile objects. They don't have the lightness of touch of humans. But that could be about to change thanks to a new development in smart materials.

Gut microbes are essential partners that help digest food, produce vitamins and train the immune system. They can also pass on behavioral traits to their host's offspring, at least in mice. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute ...

If there is, or ever has been, life on Mars, the chances are it would exist in caves protected from the severe dust storms, extreme temperatures, and high radiation present on its surface. One place to focus our attention ...

Researchers studying how large AI models such as ChatGPT learn and remember information have discovered that their memory and reasoning skills occupy distinct parts of their internal architecture. Their insights could help ...

Climate change is accelerating continental rifting, the geological process where landmasses slowly pull apart. According to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, the East African Rift System (EARS) became ...

Your conversations with AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini may not be as private as you think they are. Microsoft has revealed a serious flaw in the large language models (LLMs) that power these AI services, ...

The new big thing in magnetics is altermagnetism, a form of magnetism that promises to power the next generation of electronics. Unlike ferromagnets, like a fridge magnet, where all internal atomic spins align to create a ...

During a severe drought and heat wave in 2023, Amazonian lakes reached their highest recorded temperatures. Water temperatures in some areas climbed to an astonishing 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and resulted ...