科学

Melting Ice in the Italian Dolomites Exposes Hundreds of World War I Munitions, Vestiges of the Vertiginous 'White War'

Following low snowfall and record-breaking summer heat, the Italian Army is hunting for unexploded shells and bombs. "When they re-emerge, they are very, very dangerous," one expert warns

Smithsonian Magazine · EN

After Sitting in a London Museum Since 1924, This Dinosaur Fossil Was Named a New Predatory Species—an 'Unconquered Female Warrior'

Invictibellatrix amberina was a long-clawed, tiger-size dinosaur that lived around 120 million years ago. It's helping scientists piece together the global spread of megaraptors, which later became apex predators

Smithsonian Magazine · EN

How an Irish Backroad Tradition Is Rolling Into Small-Town America

With roots in County Armagh and County Cork, the sport of road bowling is finding new life stateside, both as a fun pastime and as a way for a group of Americans to honor their heritage

Smithsonian Magazine · EN

As Most of England Relaxed Its Stance on Witchcraft, One Hardline City Bucked the Trend. It Even Went After 'Service Magicians,' Who Used Magic to Investigate Petty Crimes

New historical research shows how the city of Exeter hunted down accused witches while the rest of the country relented. Its prosecution of benign local sleuths shows how far the authorities were willing to go

Smithsonian Magazine · EN

Do Spiders Dream? These Arachnids Twitch, Curl Their Legs and Move Their Eyes When Asleep, Hinting at a Complex Brain State

A species of jumping spider appears to enter a deep sleep phase that resembles rapid eye movement (REM) in humans, the stage in which we typically dream

Smithsonian Magazine · EN

There’s Still Too Much Uncertainty About Conflict of Interest Bias

A paper published this month got me frustrated, yet again, about this situation: There really is still too much uncertainty about conflict… The post There’s Still Too Much Uncertainty About Conflict of Interest Bias appeared first on Absolutely Maybe .

Absolutely Maybe · EN

Another Intranasal Covid Vaccine Trial Starting in the US (NextGen Vax Monthly Update)

This month intranasal and inhaled versions of a Covid vaccine are heading into a phase 1 trial in the US. The vaccine… The post Another Intranasal Covid Vaccine Trial Starting in the US (NextGen Vax Monthly Update) appeared first on Absolutely Maybe .

Absolutely Maybe · EN

Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works (Book Review)

There are several reasons to buy Helen Pearson’s excellent new book, Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works—whether you want to… The post Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works (Book Review) appeared first on Absolutely Maybe .

Absolutely Maybe · EN

A Bumper Month of Clinical Trial News (NextGen Covid Vax Update)

It was a big month for clinical trials of next generation Covid vaccines. An exciting phase 1/2 trial in Africa for an… The post A Bumper Month of Clinical Trial News (NextGen Covid Vax Update) appeared first on Absolutely Maybe .

Absolutely Maybe · EN

Values and Conflicts at Journals

What makes an argument ‘correct,’ or, at least, reasonable? We can debate about each other’s claims endlessly, and there’s an interdisciplinary field… The post Values and Conflicts at Journals appeared first on Absolutely Maybe .

Absolutely Maybe · EN

More Trials Recruiting and Other NextGen Covid Vaccine News

June was a relatively slow news month for next generation Covid vaccine development. So I took the opportunity to simplify the structure… The post More Trials Recruiting and Other NextGen Covid Vaccine News appeared first on Absolutely Maybe .

Absolutely Maybe · EN

Bumper Month of Clinical Trial News to Ring Out This Vax Series

Before I get to the bumper crop of recent clinical trial news, there is news about this monthly update. This is the… The post Bumper Month of Clinical Trial News to Ring Out This Vax Series appeared first on Absolutely Maybe .

Absolutely Maybe · EN

Farewell Post

Experimenting with colors for the Absolutely Maybe logo feels like another lifetime. It was 2013, and this blog was launching on the… The post Farewell Post appeared first on Absolutely Maybe .

Absolutely Maybe · EN

Lessons from South Africa on how parks and community gardens can help cities adapt to climate change

Parks do more than cool cities. They also help people work together to cope with climate change, but only if local communities help design, manage and care for them.

The Conversation Science · EN

Nairobi’s largest informal settlement is getting an upgrade. But who will actually benefit from new apartments?

The success of Kibera’s transformation will not be measured by the number of apartment blocks completed.

The Conversation Science · EN

Ghana’s housing problem goes beyond numbers – it’s also about quality

New census-based research shows Ghana’s policy must confront the quality of the homes people already occupy.

The Conversation Science · EN

Millions of Africans are displaced without crossing a border – and their needs are often overlooked

The issue of internal displacement remains poorly understood despite the very large number of people involved.

The Conversation Science · EN

DR Congo’s riverboat economy – how a floating transport system tells the country’s story

Baleinières, handmade wooden cargo ships, are floating microcosms of life in the DR Congo.

The Conversation Science · EN

Nairobi’s expansion is swallowing up rural land: new book reveals the impacts on families

Urbanisation is experienced through growing tensions within families over precious yet meagre plots of land.

The Conversation Science · EN

Young South Africans move for work and opportunity. What happens to their health when they do?

Moving can change the conditions that shape health, so health and social policy must plan for a mobile population.

The Conversation Science · EN

As the planet warms, cities like Bangkok could be increasingly inundated by deadly floods

Thai authorities have declared a city-wide disaster zone following the deaths of at least 31 people.

The Conversation Science · EN

Caltech Leads NASA Mission to Make the First Deep Ultraviolet All-Sky Maps

To the casual observer, the starry sky offers a picture of tranquility. In reality, stars flare, explode, and occasionally crash into each other in cataclysmic collisions that bathe the universe in heavy elements and light. On October 27, NASA announced its commitment to launch the Caltech-led Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) mission—a new space observatory that will provide unprecedented views of our dynamic universe. The mission will also identify millions of tiny galaxies and make the very first deep all-sky maps in ultraviolet light. With NASA's commitment in place, the UVEX team will begin bui

Caltech News · EN

Five Caltech Faculty Selected by Meta to Help Solve Open Problems in AI

Caltech has been selected by Meta as one of five academic partners across the US to receive access to their latest artificial intelligence (AI) models, along with research funding and collaboration opportunities. New research agreements with five faculty members will expand on a strategic partnership between the Institute and Meta to advance breakthroughs across physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, and mathematics. The selected Caltech faculty members will receive research grants for up to three years, plus access to frontier Muse AI models through Meta's first-party application prog

Caltech News · EN

Chemical Data Collected from the Eaton Fire Plume Help Characterize Urban Fires

Caltech scientists have published the first detailed analysis of the atmospheric particles in the smoke plume from the Eaton Fire that devastated much of the town of Altadena in Southern California's San Gabriel Valley and the surrounding areas in January 2025. The results confirm the very different chemical nature of the smoke produced by an urban fire as compared to the plume from a typical wildfire. In the early stages of the fire, when many structures and vehicles were burning, the concentration of toxic metals in the atmosphere spiked dramatically. This chemical signature, which was measu

Caltech News · EN