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We may finally know how the placebo effect relieves pain

A section of a mouse brain viewed on a slideStu Gray / Alamy A newly identified brain pathway in mice could explain why placebos, or interventions designed to have no therapeutic effect, still relieve pain.

24/07/2024

Komodo dragons have teeth capped with a layer of iron

An orange layer on the tips of Komodo dragons’ teeth may give the enamel extra strength for ripping apart their prey

24/07/2024

Neanderthal cooking skills put to the test with birds and stone tools

In an effort to understand ancient Neanderthal food preparation techniques, researchers butchered five wild birds using flint stone tools and roasted them

24/07/2024

Physicists may now have a way to make element 120 – the heaviest ever

A method that helped create two atoms of the rare, super-heavy element livermorium may pave the way towards making the hypothetical element 120

24/07/2024

Could we set Uranus on fire to steal its hidden diamonds?

It would be tricky to burn away the outer layers of Uranus, but doing so could reveal a possible stash of gems – in this episode of Dead Planets Society, the hosts reveal a relatively simpler technique to rob the ice giant

23/07/2024

Robot dog can stifle weeds by blasting them with a flamethrower

A Spot robot armed with a flamethrower can locate weeds on farms and precisely heat them up to stop them growing, offering a possible alternative to herbicides

23/07/2024

Robot dog can stifle weeds by blasting them with a blowtorch

A Spot robot equipped with a blowtorch can locate weeds on farms and precisely heat them up to stop them growing, offering a possible alternative to herbicides

23/07/2024

Tiny jellyfish robots made of ferrofluid can be controlled with light

Researchers combined hydrogel with magnetic ferrofluid to make small jellyfish robots that can complete an obstacle course when directed with light

17/07/2024