The New York Stock Exchange on Wall StreetHans-Werner Rodrian / Alamy Cosmic ray particles capable of penetrating even the densest buildings or underground structures can provide an essentially foolproof timing system for synchronising high-frequency trades in... More »
Earlier today I asked you to Think Twice about the following puzzles. (It’s the name of my new book, on puzzles that often catch us out.)1. Hello duckiesThere are two ducks in front of two ducks, two ducks behind two ducks and two ducks in between. What is the... More »
Koalas — Australia’s iconic marsupials — have been petted by princes, pop stars, presidents and a pope. But one of the country’s oldest koala sanctuaries has stopped offering cuddles with the furry animals in response to strong visitor feedback.The move by Bri... More »
Think Twice is the title of my new book (out on September 5) and it is also my advice for today’s puzzles.1. Hello duckiesThere are two ducks in front of two ducks, two ducks behind two ducks and two ducks in between. What is the minimum number of ducks?2. Con... More »
As Elon Musk’s Starship — the largest rocket ever manufactured — successfully blasted toward the sky last month, the launch was hailed as a giant leap for SpaceX and the United States’ civilian space program.Two hours later, once conditions were deemed safe, a... More »
Scientists have long known invasive insects hitch rides on agricultural vehicles, a behavior that allows them to spread even further. Now, a new analysis suggests ants may do the same with everyday vehicles, too.Published in Ecological Entomology, the study re... More »
‘States when they are in difficulties or in fear yearn for the rule of the elder men,” wrote Plutarch, the first-century Greek historian and philosopher, as he pondered “whether an old man should engage in politics”. Only the old, he believed, possessed the wi... More »
A popular display in the Whatcom Museum’s Hall of Birds features several owls. Whatcom MuseumAfter visitors enter the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington, most flock to the Hall of Birds. The display of almost 500 taxi... More »
An apex predator with a two-foot skull dominated by huge fangs, which lurked in fresh water in a time before the dinosaurs, has been discovered by a team of scientists.A study published Wednesday in Nature names the species Gaiasia jennyae — a salamander-like ... More »
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists have revealed fossils of a giant salamanderlike beast with sharp fangs that ruled waters before the first dinosaurs arrived.The predator, which was larger than a person, likely used its wide, flat head and front teeth to suck in an... More »
Until the discovery of antibiotic medicine last century, doctors frequently performed amputations to save the life of a patient with an infected wound.But humans aren’t the only animal to perform this type of surgery on one another.Scientists have discovered t... More »
Among the hundreds of caves hidden in the limestone karsts of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, a work of art faded into a rock wall could be of global importance. A depiction of three humanoid figures and a pig, the painting is the oldest known scene created by hu... More »