After lowering instruments half a mile into two deep drilled-holes alongside the San Andreas fault in Parkfield, CA, and leaving them there for two one-month stints in 2005 and 2006, researchers from Rice University, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory took measurements of the density of small cracks in the rock. Two distinct changes preceded and lasted through two separate earthquakes—one a magnitude 1, and one a magnitude 3—by two and ten and a half hours respectively....

The universe is 100 million years older than scientists had thought, originating 13.8 billion years ago. It also has a little more dark matter, a bit less dark energy and a tad more normal matter than originally thought, according to the new results. Here’s the tally: These numbers result from the first all-sky observations from the Planck space telescope, which is staring at the radiation. It is known as the cosmic microwave background....

But the significant carbon footprint of cryptocurrency mining calls into question the real impact that crypto initiatives—even those that may be conservation-minded—can have on the environment. The crypto mining industry already has a carbon footprint comparable to that of some countries, an impact that is expected to grow if no action is taken. “Having creative solutions for conservation is really important, especially nowadays,” says Rebecca Brunner, a University of California Berkeley biologist who helped describe the new glass frog....

That vision is finally on the cusp of becoming reality. It just took much longer than we all hoped it would. On March 2, if the weather proves favorable, SpaceX will finally launch its first spacecraft designed for human spaceflight, the Crew Dragon (a.k.a Dragon 2), into space, as part of its partnership with NASA under the Commercial Crew Program. There won’t be any humans going up on this test flight (called Demo-1)....

The Lumia 800 didn’t, the Lumia 900 didn’t, and the Lumia 920 won’t. It’s not a bad phone–in fact, it does lots of things very, very right–but it’s just not capable of bearing that burden. On the other hand, it’s big and heavy enough to bear most physical burdens, which is, you know, something. What’s New The third generation of Lumia phone, the 920 has a big 4.5-inch screen, 4G LTE speeds, a very fancy 8....

What Koe’s referring to are the bull kelp forests of the region. These greenish brown algae latch onto the sea’s rocky bottom and extend 30 to 60 feet up, forming thick stands that provide food and shelter for invertebrates, fish, and sea otters. It’s one of just five global upwelling areas, where currents bring cold, nutrient-rich water up to the surface and create thriving ecosystems and fisheries. Though upwelling sites cover just one percent of the ocean’s surface, they provide us with half of the global fish landings....

For years now, researchers have found that the much-maligned food is far healthier than you might think. Year after year, studies find correlations between nut-eaters and good overall health, including this one, published this week in the journal Circulation Research, tying nut consumption to heart health in people with diabetes. Here’s why these fatty morsels are so good for you. First of all, let’s drill down on what nuts even are....

This isn’t the first time the Obama administration has attempted to add a medal for drone warriors. Early in 2013, the administration considered making drone pilots, as well as troops tasked with cyber warfare, eligible for the Distinguished Warfare Medal. The award sits fourth-highest, after the Medal of Honor, a service-specific cross, and the silver star. The Air Force description of the medal notes it is “awarded to members of the United States Air Force who distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility, in combat or otherwise....

If we truly want a carbon-free future (and with it a chance at lowering, or at the least halting, the planet’s rising heat levels), we need to cast our minds back to the 1960s, to our lost embrace of nuclear power. In a hot-button editorial in The New York Times, the PayPal co-founder noted that wind and solar, while great alternatives to fossil fuels, “provide less than 2 percent of the world’s energy” today....

The case from Speck is a slim option with a protective folio. There are three slots that can fit a total of six essential cards, and another pocket for cash. Mujjo’s full-grain leather case is one of the more fashionable options for wallet cases. The cardholder is attached to the back of the case. If you only plan on carrying around two or three cards, this is the best choice....

“I had some wonderful teachers in high school, including a chemistry teacher who really got me started,” he says. “One day I asked her, ‘Why are egg yolks yellow?’ She said, ‘why don’t you find out?’” So he did. He still remembers the answer : the sulfur compounds in chicken feed become concentrated in the yolk, turning it yellow. “I also had an excellent physics teacher,” he says, describing why he became an atmospheric physicist....

Everybody loves a story about perceived prettiness — except those people who hate perpetuating the idea that women are catty and competitive.Or, say you are one of those fertile women envious of the prettier ones, and you need some help finding a mate. Order up this webcam-plus-fan to create some sexy windblown pics for your online profile.A T-shirt company has come out with clothing that also serves as a wi-fi detector....

Since 2018, the Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC) has invited Valenti twice to test out their Surf Ranch, a 2,000-foot-long artificial basin powered by a system of hydrofoils that zip along a track to generate waves. The track replicates the infamous “barrel” breaker that curls over and nearly swallows its rider. It’s a sublime, sought-after surf experience that’s hard to find in the world’s oceans, Valenti says. “It’s a perfect wave every single time,” Valenti says....

The shells are the first found at such a northerly latitude. The rich biodiversity of these fossils, which indicates that the dinosaurs weren’t just visiting but lived in the locale, refutes the competing theory of gradual decline from a variety of factors such as loss of habitat, introduction of predators, and appearance of disease — similar to the circumstances of many amphibians today. This lack of evidence for a long, slow decline is, according to the theory, a positive sign that there was, instead of a decline, a swift extinction....

Just about everything we know about these mysterious flashes of light fits into their name: Fast Radio Bursts—FRBs to those in the know. They last for just a few thousandths of a second. They outshine just about every other source of radio waves in the sky. And whatever produces them is very, very energetic. Now researchers have a lot more of them to study. Using a new array of radio telescopes in a remote corner of the Australian desert, one team has single-handedly boosted the number of confirmed observations by nearly half with a publication appearing Wednesday in Nature....

Brubeck was the first pianist I ever heard that really put it all together. He was a songwriter, not an improviser, though of course he was an outrageously skilled improviser. His music was catchy, not showy; he wasn’t interested in absurd runs like Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson, and wasn’t interested in intellectually interesting but perhaps not as enjoyable music like that of the restless Chick Corea. His songs managed to be classics without being classical: they were innovative in small ways, in time signature and rhythm....

We’ve seen scientists get the idea to mimic the insect’s chemical reaction, but this project deals with their also-impressive structure. This is how the researchers–a team from Belgium, France, and Canada–explained the process in a statement: Fireflies create light through a chemical reaction that takes place in specialized cells called photocytes. The light is emitted through a part of the insect’s exoskeleton called the cuticle. Light travels through the cuticle more slowly than it travels through air, and the mismatch means a proportion of the light is reflected back into the lantern, dimming the glow....

There’s a lot to learn when you first start out riding a motorcycle. The mechanical aspects of handling the bike are typically the most apparent—how to shift smoothly, how to take a corner skillfully, how to perform an emergency stop, etc. But you also need to get your mind dialed in too, which means looking at the road and its many potential hazards more critically and predictively. This situational awareness goes a long way in keeping you safe on the road....

A committee of GeoEye employees were tapped to offer suggestions for each year, following a set of criteria. Images had to be iconic, historic, or “just stunning,” according to a company spokesman. The calendar team narrowed down images and all the imaging company employees voted on the selections to narrow them down to one image per year. But the company couldn’t resist including a couple honorable mentions, too. Click through the gallery above for a stunning tour of Earth from space, and to find out how to download your own calendar....

French Special Forces former operative General Luc Beaussant has first-hand experience soldiering under the weight of these incredibly heavy packs. Now retired from the military, he’s the managing director of a small company, Sera Ingénierie, that recently won the robotics prize for its Robbox mule at the biennial SOFINS (Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar) held near Bordeaux, in western France. The idea behind Robbox was to lighten the load for special forces, but “it had to be a solution, not an extra thing for them to worry about,” Beaussant says....