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Latest News

An artist's rendering of a black hole

Black holes could be driving the expansion of the universe, new study suggests

Ben Turner published 31 October 24

An artist's rendering of a black hole

An electron microscope image showing cells and their nuclei

In a 1st, scientists reversed type 1 diabetes by reprogramming a person's own fat cells

Tia Ghose published 31 October 24

Scientists reprogrammed a woman's fat cells to become insulin-making beta cells, reversing her type 1 diabetes.

A digital image with a black background and white symbols that resemble molecules

Father-daughter team decodes 'alien signal' from Mars that stumped the world for a year

Stephanie Pappas published 31 October 24

A father and daughter team based in the U.S. have decoded a mock "alien signal" beamed from ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter a year ago — but the meaning of the extraterrestrial message remains a mystery.

A photo of a flooded street with cars stacked on top of each other from being pushed by water

What is DANA, the strange weather phenomenon that has caused deadly flooding in Spain?

María de los Ángeles Orfila published 31 October 24

With record-high Mediterranean temperatures and a year's worth of rain falling in mere hours, Spain has been devastated by the weather phenomenon known as DANA.

An image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope.

1st image of Milky Way's 'black hole heart' has errors, study claims

The image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope.

Illustration of neurons of the dorsal striatum of the brain. The neurons are shown in purple, pink and blue against a black background.

Trigger for deadly neurodegenerative disorder identified

Emily Cooke published 31 October 24

The discovery of an important enzyme involved in Huntington's disease may pave the way for future treatments to prevent the condition, researchers say.

earth from space with europe and the arctic and northern africa in view

Planet Earth

Aftermath of a wildfire in Brasil's Pantanal wetland with smoke rising into the sky. The ground is scorched and the trees burnt black.

'We are teetering on a planetary tightrope': Cut emissions in half right now to prevent climate catastrophe, UN warns

By Sascha Pare published 30 October 24

A new U.N. report has found the world will warm by twice the 1.5-degree-Celsius target adopted in the Paris Agreement by 2100 if countries fail to slash greenhouse gas emissions right now.

An aerial photo of a vibrant pond of blue water surrounded by snow

Massive blue 'melt pond' in Arctic glacier is an eerie sign of things to come

By Harry Baker published 29 October 24

Earth from space A 2014 photo shows a massive, iceberg-littered pool of vibrant blue meltwater sitting alone on top of a glacier in Alaska. Similar "melt ponds" are becoming increasingly common in the Arctic due to climate change and are further accelerating the rate of ice loss across the region.

  • 2 In a 1st, scientists reversed type 1 diabetes by reprogramming a person's own fat cells
  • 3 Father-daughter team decodes 'alien signal' from Mars that stumped the world for a year
  • 4 What is DANA, the strange weather phenomenon that has caused deadly flooding in Spain?
  • 5 1st image of Milky Way's 'black hole heart' has errors, study claims

Image of the Skull and Crossbones Nebula.

Witch's head to God's eye: 12 of the spookiest objects in the universe

By Brandon Specktor last updated 30 October 24

A shrieking skull, a cackling witch, a ghostly hand and other cosmic illusions haunt our skies. Which do you think is the spookiest object in the universe?

a mesmerizing swirl of space gases of every color

Scientists found one of the largest carbon-based space molecules ever. Here's why that's a big deal

By Victoria Corless published 30 October 24

Scientists have identified one of the largest carbon-based molecules in space yet. It could help us decode the origins of life as we know it.

archaeology

Two archaeologists excavate a burial site

1,200-year-old Viking cemetery with 'stone ship' burials discovered in Sweden

By Kristina Killgrove published 29 October 24

Archaeologists in Sweden were expecting to find an ancient settlement, but they were surprised to discover a Viking Age cemetery with boat-shaped burial outlines.

an illustration of a time lapse of a skeleton swinging an axe-like weapon

Ancient Indigenous weapons from Australia can deliver 'devastating blows,' 1st-ever biomechanics study of its kind reveals

By Laura Diamond, Michelle Langley published 29 October 24

A first-ever biomechanics study of two First Nations weapons systems has identified the design features that make them so formidable.

A young man is shown sat on a couch with a blanket wrapped around him. He is blowing into a tissue.

How to get better faster when you have the flu, according to science

By Emily Cooke published 30 October 24

Experts explain how to shorten a flu infection.

A woman using an asthma inhaler

Can air purifiers help with asthma?

By Lou Mudge, Anna Gora last updated 30 October 24

Reference We take a closer look to see if using air purifiers helps with asthma.

Do air purifiers help with allergies? Image shows woman holding tissue to her nose

Do air purifiers help with allergies?

By Kerry Taylor-Smith, Anna Gora last updated 30 October 24

REFERENCE Air purifiers can improve air quality, but do these devices help relieve allergies?

A black cat on a black background

From black cats to white spirit bears, 'superstitions, lore and myths can shape your subconscious' − biases that have real effects

By Elizabeth Carlen, Tyus Williams published 27 October 24

What may be scariest about a spooky black cat is the way superstition and tradition shape people's perceptions and biases about animals based only on their color.

Babirusa facial tusks.

Babirusa: The prehistoric 'deer' pigs with huge antler teeth

By Lydia Smith published 26 October 24

Babirusas are believed to have diverged from their pig ancestors between 26 million and 12 million years ago after getting isolated on Sulawesi when sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age.

An illustration of a bird flying after a giant cicada

Predatory birds from the Jurassic may have driven cicada evolution for millions of years

By Sierra Bouchér published 25 October 24

Researchers calculated the flight ability of more than 80 ancient cicada species to analyze their evolution over time.

Human Behavior

A large mushroom cloud in a blue and orange sky. Operation Ivy Hydrogen Bomb Test in Marshall Islands.

How many nuclear bombs have been used?

By Sierra Bouchér published 26 October 24

The first nuclear bomb test, conducted in 1945, set off an international arms race that included nuclear testing. But how many nuclear bombs have been detonated during tests and in active war?

A woman wearing a yellow dress stands in an old-fashioned parlor and sees a group of transparent ghostly figures dancing and playing instruments

What's the scientific explanation for 'ghost encounters'?

By Patrick Pester published 19 October 24

People all over the world believe they've seen or heard a ghost, but there's no scientific evidence for spirits, hauntings or the paranormal. So what's behind these "encounters"?

Girl reading books in front of a cartoon space scene

28 best science books for kids and young adults

By Ben Biggs last updated 18 October 24

Looking to inspire the next generation of curious minds? These are our picks of the best popular science books for children of all ages.

Physics & Mathematics

Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson posing side by side.

High school students who came up with 'impossible' proof of Pythagorean theorem discover 9 more solutions to the problem

By Sascha Pare published 28 October 24

In a new peer-reviewed study, Ne'Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson outlined 10 ways to solve the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, including a proof they discovered in high school.

A close-up of a gilded astronomical clock on a clock tower that reads

Keeping time: The history, origin and meanings of B.C. and A.D.

By Robert Coolman, Owen Jarus last updated 24 October 24

The use of "anno domini" and "before Christ" to mark time began in the early days of Christianity, when clerics needed to know when Easter would fall.

List of prime numbers below 100 on paper in vintage type writer machine from 1920s closeup with paper.

What is the largest known prime number?

By Charles Q. Choi last updated 23 October 24

There are infinitely many prime numbers, but the biggest one we know of goes by the name M82589933 and contains more than 24 million digits.

Close up view of a pile of hexagons with chemical elements symbols (3d render)

Periodic table of elements quiz: How many elements can you name in 10 minutes?

By Alexander McNamara published 14 October 24

Can you name everything from Ac to Zr? Test your knowledge of the periodic table and see if you can top the leaderboard

A microscopic image of a bubble of water formed around a chunk of palladium

Watch atoms fuse into world's 'smallest bubble' of water in 1st-of-its-kind 'nanoscale' video

By Harry Baker published 10 October 24

A new study captured never-before-seen footage of hydrogen and oxygen atoms combining to form a miniature water droplet out of "thin air." The newly improved reaction could one day help astronauts make water in space.

The monument for Marie Sklodowska Curie, the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences: the Nobel Prize for physics in 1903 (jointly with her husband), and the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1911.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry: 1901-Present

By Live Science Staff last updated 10 October 24

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry includes famous winners such as Marie Curie and Otto Hahn.

Extreme close up of a cats face with piercing yellow eyes.

Drones could use 'robotic cat's eyes' to track targets more precisely than ever before

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published 30 October 24

A new computer vision system inspired by the design of a feline eye could give future drones and other military robots the ability to track targets in low-visibility and dynamic environments.

A woman using an air purifier

Air purifiers vs ionizers: What's the difference?

By Kerry Taylor-Smith last updated 29 October 24

REFERENCE We pit air purifiers against ionizers to get to the bottom of what each appliance really does.

Do air purifiers work? image shows air purifier in home

How well do air purifiers work?

By Helen Alexander last updated 29 October 24

Reference Air purifiers are intended to remove pollutants from the air, but how well do they really work?

what is a hypothesis science

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COMMENTS

  1. What Is a Hypothesis? The Scientific Method

    A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for an observation that is tested by an experiment. Learn how to write a hypothesis in the if-then format, the difference between null and alternative hypothese…

  2. Scientific hypothesis

    A scientific hypothesis is an idea that proposes a tentative explanation for a natural phenomenon, based on existing knowledge, intuition, or experience. It is falsifiable and testable, and part of the scientific …

  3. How to Write a Strong Hypothesis

    A hypothesis is a statement that can be tested by scientific research. Learn how to write a hypothesis for your research project, including variables, types, and examples.

  4. What is a Hypothesis

    A hypothesis is an educated guess or proposed explanation for a phenomenon, based on some initial observations or data. It is used in scientific research …

  5. What is a scientific hypothesis?

    A scientific hypothesis is a tentative, testable explanation for a natural phenomenon. Learn how to write a hypothesis, the difference between null and alternative hypotheses, and the role of theories in science.

  6. Writing a Hypothesis for Your Science Fair Project

    A hypothesis is a tentative, testable answer to a scientific question. Once a scientist has a scientific question she is interested in, the scientist reads up to find out what is already known …

  7. Hypothesis: Definition, Examples, and Types

    A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. It is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in a study. It is a preliminary answer to your question …