Toggle light / dark theme

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

This Crystal Doesn’t Melt Like Ice: Physicists Capture a Strange New Phase

New research offers clearer insight into how phase transitions unfold at the atomic scale in real materials. When ice turns into water, the change happens almost instantly. Once the melting temperature is reached, the rigid structure of the solid collapses and becomes a flowing liquid. This abrup

Dark Matter Breakthrough: Physicists Crack “Big Bang Theory” Puzzle

A new theoretical study suggests fusion reactors could do more than generate energy, they might also produce particles linked to dark matter. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say they have worked out, at least on paper, how fusion reactors could produce subatomic particles known as axi

Astronomers Finally See What Really Happens During Stellar Nova Explosions

Using Georgia State’s CHARA Array, an international team of scientists has uncovered unexpected complexity in how stars explode. Astronomers have obtained images of two stellar explosions, called novae, just days after they erupted, capturing them in detail never achieved before. These observatio

A Cosmic Christmas Tree Lights Up the Milky Way

Just in time for Christmas, a vast star-forming region shaped like a Christmas tree is lighting up space 2,700 light-years from Earth.

NGC 2,264 is a vast region of space where new stars are actively forming, located about 2,700 light-years from Earth in the faint constellation Monoceros, also known as the Unicorn. Astronomers use catalog names like NGC 2,264 to identify and track objects beyond our solar system, and this particular one stands out for its intricate mix of glowing clouds and young stars. Positioned near the celestial equator and close to the flat disk of the Milky Way, this region is visible at certain times of year from much of the world.

How young stars light up space

Physicists Tighten the Net Around the Elusive Sterile Neutrino

High-precision measurements from the KATRIN experiment strongly limit the existence of light sterile neutrinos and narrow the search for new physics. Neutrinos are extremely difficult to detect, yet they are some of the most abundant matter particles in the Universe. The Standard Model includes t

New research frames psychopathy as a potential survival adaptation to severe early adversity

New research suggests that specific personality traits may amplify the way childhood adversity shapes an individual’s approach to life. A study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences provides evidence that subclinical psychopathy strengthens the link between childhood trauma and “fast” life history strategies. The findings indicate that for those who have experienced severe early difficulties, certain dark personality traits may function as adaptive mechanisms for survival.

Psychologists use a framework called Life History Theory to explain how people allocate their energy. This theory proposes that all living organisms must make trade-offs between investing in their own growth and investing in reproduction. These trade-offs create a spectrum of strategies that range from “fast” to “slow.”

A fast life history strategy typically emerges in environments that are harsh or unpredictable. Individuals with this orientation tend to prioritize immediate rewards and reproduction over long-term planning. They often engage in riskier behaviors and invest less effort in long-term relationships. This approach makes evolutionary sense when the future is uncertain.

/* */