The mysterious common ancestor of all life on Earth may have been more complex than before thought—a sophisticated organism with an intricate structure, scientists now suggest.
European science cooperation with Africa needs redefining, as it is failing to address wide-ranging needs and challenges experienced by African countries — and often ignores those countries most in need of support, a conference has heard. Speaking at the Euroscience Open Forum 2012 (ESOF), in Ireland, Ismail Serageldin, director of the New Library of Alexandria,…
The “uncrackable codes” made by exploiting the branch of physics called quantum mechanics have been sent down kilometres of standard broadband fibre. This “quantum key distribution” has until now needed a dedicated fibre separate from that used to carry data. The technique, reported in Physical Review X, shows how to unpick normal data streams from…
Governments, businesses and civil society have much to gain from a spirit of determination within the international community
Emily Baldwin, deputy editor of Astronomy Now magazine, said the asteroid, which is known as 2005 YU55, posed no threat. She told the Sunday Times: “It is a great opportunity to make close-up, detailed observations. Studies of asteroids are important not only to learn about the potential threat an impact may have on Earth but also…
Biologists have discovered that the Pollia condensata fruit does not get its blue color from pigment but instead uses structural color – a method of reflecting light of particular wavelengths. Most colors around us are the result of pigments. However, a few examples in nature – including the peacock, the scarab beetle and now the…
The pursuit of knowledge is now a global enterprise. Scientific American and Nature have teamed up on this special report on how this trend is changing the way science is done, and how it informs the world. Author Metanexus Editors