Buzz
Scientific data can often feel overwhelming. Just ask any student who’d rather avoid the periodic table. But beyond the dry textbooks lies science’s captivating side with incredible finds and mysteries waiting to be uncovered.
Lately, scientists in lab coats have uncovered new chapters of the universe's story, spotted unusual lights in the sky, and witnessed breathtaking phenomena for the very first time—in space, beneath Earth’s surface, and within the human body.
10. The First Stars
When the universe was still in its infancy (just under half a million years old), there were no stars. Only hydrogen gas lingered alongside the cosmic microwave background, a form of radiation still present across the cosmos. Scientists have spent years searching for the first stars, but it was like trying to catch a single note in the midst of deafening stereo noise.
Recently, advanced technology detected the oldest hydrogen gas ever found. Hydrogen, being the building block of stars, caught the attention of scientists. These faint signals are now thought to be from the first-ever stars.
Although scientists may never be able to observe these early wonders due to their extreme distance, their existence rewrites the history of the cosmos, particularly when it comes to the formation of stars.
Initially, the oldest galaxy spotted by the Hubble telescope formed when the universe was just 400 million years old. The newly discovered signals originate from a region that emerged 180 million years post-Big Bang. Along with identifying the first stars, the study revealed that the universe was colder than previously thought. The underlying physics remain unclear.
9. Steve
A fascinating phenomenon in the sky prompted NASA to partner with civilians to track and study it. Known as “Steve,” it appeared alongside the green aurora borealis, emitting a mesmerizing purple glow. Its distinct shape—a thin arc stretching for thousands of miles from east to west—makes it stand out.
Sometimes, this peculiar glow accompanies the usual green aurora and lingers for about an hour. At other times, the aurora borealis appears without any trace of “Steve.”
The name wasn’t chosen quickly for a phenomenon first observed in 2018. The acronym stands for “strong thermal emission velocity enhancement.” This glowing arc was first spotted in Canada, though it later also appeared in Scotland.
When local citizens first noticed the light and shared their photographs with scientists, the experts were baffled. All they know about Steve is that it’s ionized gas traveling at 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) per second, and it doesn’t form in the same way as the northern lights, which are proton auroras created by atmospheric electrons colliding.
8. First Interstellar Visitor
In 2017, our solar system received its first visitor from another star system. The cigar-shaped asteroid, called ‘Oumuamua, stands out in many ways.
For one, it was an asteroid. These space rocks typically remain in orbit, and solar systems are more likely to expel comets than asteroids. For some unknown reason, the 400-meter (1,300 ft) asteroid was ejected from its home solar system, which is believed to be very different from ours.
A binary star system contains two suns rather than just one. The gravitational forces between the pair of suns are thought to be more capable of displacing asteroids from their orbits. It’s likely that ‘Oumuamua came from such a two-star system, which, during its early formation, propelled the asteroid into space.
The exact origin of ‘Oumuamua or how long it has been wandering through space remains a mystery. Astronomers only had a week to study it before it vanished into the cosmos. Interestingly, the dark rock showed no signs of ice, but it did contain organic molecules believed to be the fundamental building blocks of life.
7. Strange And Fragile Tigers
Recent studies on the extinct Tasmanian tiger have revealed surprising facts and oddities. In 2018, all the preserved baby thylacines were scanned. Only 13 remain in existence, each representing various stages of their development.
Little was known about how these tigers grew, and the virtual autopsies revealed that the “joeys” initially resembled most other marsupials. They were born with strong forelimbs and jaws that allowed them to crawl into their mother's pouch and latch onto a teat. Surprisingly, it wasn’t until they were nearly fully developed—around three months—that they grew their hind legs and began to take on a doglike appearance.
The thylacine's resemblance to the canine family is another enigma. Thylacine skulls closely resemble those of the gray wolf and red fox. One of the most complete genetic profiles was obtained from a century-old specimen at Museums Victoria. This profile revealed that thylacines and wolves or foxes have not shared a common ancestor for millions of years.
Sadly, it also revealed that the striped marsupials had a dangerously limited gene pool even before humans began hunting them. Had they not gone extinct in 1936 or encountered a single hunter, thylacines would likely be fragile and sickly today.
6. A Unique Galaxy
A galaxy with the rather uninspiring name of NGC 1052-DF2 (DF2) is far from dull. It challenges a well-established theory that dark matter is essential to galaxy formation. Although it’s invisible, dark matter is thought to form the structure of the universe. Its interaction with normal matter was believed to help create star clusters.
A 2018 study revealed that DF2 is devoid of dark matter. This suggests that the elusive material isn’t necessary to form a galaxy. While dark matter may have contributed to the formation of other galaxies, researchers are still unsure what played a role in DF2's creation.
DF2 even appears unusual. It’s so sparse that distant galaxies can be seen through it. Ironically, this challenges the argument that dark matter is a mere illusion. Some theories propose that dark matter is not real but a product of our misunderstanding of gravity in space. However, for these theories to be correct, every galaxy would have to exhibit this illusion. The absence of dark matter in DF2 proves that these theories are flawed.
5. New Human Organ
Despite the extensive research into human anatomy, the discovery of a new organ was recently made. This is not a single, isolated mass but a network called the interstitium, which can be found wherever connective tissue is present. This includes areas like the digestive tract lining, beneath the skin, in the lungs, and around the urinary systems, as well as enveloping our muscles.
The interstitium is a network of fluid-filled spaces that seems to act as the body’s natural shock absorber. Scientists didn’t overlook this organ—they simply failed to recognize it for what it was. It appeared similar to what doctors believed was pure collagen, a structural component in connective tissues.
For years, the standard procedure for preparing tissue samples for microscopic analysis inadvertently destroyed the organ. The process of slicing thin layers drained the fluid, causing the entire structure to collapse.
The truth came to light when doctors used advanced imaging technology to examine tissue samples. The discovery occurred by chance when doctors were studying a sample to see if cancer had spread, only to uncover the network that holds about a third of the body’s water.
4. Double Memory
In 2017, brain researchers made a groundbreaking discovery that shattered previous beliefs about how memories are formed. It was once thought that after an event occurred, it was first stored as short-term memory in the hippocampus. This 'file' would then be transferred to the cortex and become a long-term memory.
However, a 2017 study on mice revealed a surprising truth that even experts didn't expect. The brain doesn’t follow the old model. Instead, it creates two identical memories simultaneously—one in the hippocampus and a copy in the cortex.
Interestingly, the memory in the cortex remains inactive for several days. If something interrupts the connection between the hippocampus and cortex before the memory in the cortex becomes active, the ability to recall that memory long-term is lost. This unexpected finding, suggesting that memories are already stored in the cortex but can be blocked, may one day aid in the treatment of Alzheimer's and memory-related issues.
3. The Fourth Dimension
In Edwin Abbott's novel Flatland, the protagonist, a square, lives in a two-dimensional world. In this 2-D realm, the square can only perceive other flat geometric shapes as lines. It wasn't until a sphere from the three-dimensional world visited the square that the latter realized the existence of a broader reality.
In a similar vein, researchers have long speculated about a spatial dimension beyond the familiar width, depth, and height that would make humans seem like Flatlanders in a four-dimensional world. This extra 'layer' would exist beyond the scope of human perception in a three-dimensional world, making it impossible to directly observe the fourth dimension.
However, in 2018, researchers made a groundbreaking announcement confirming the presence of another dimension. By trapping ultracold atoms in a two-dimensional grid, they observed the quantum Hall effect, a phenomenon typically seen in electrons confined to a 2-D environment.
In this experiment, the frozen atoms behaved in a way that was previously thought to be possible only in a four-dimensional space. In essence, just as shadows appear two-dimensional in our world, scientists observed a 3-D quantum 'shadow'—a glimpse into the fourth dimension.
2. Alien Atmospheres
Exoplanets refer to planets located outside our solar system. The most significant challenge in studying these distant worlds is the vast distances separating them from us. To overcome this obstacle, scientists successfully recreated the atmospheres of nine alien planets in the lab, a groundbreaking achievement.
Scientists mixed gas combinations containing hydrogen, water, or carbon dioxide with cold plasma discharges. The resulting chemical reactions were visually stunning, almost resembling the northern lights. One experiment even created an olive green atmospheric haze.
For the next three days, the simulated atmospheres produced haze particles. While it may seem like an odd pursuit, this is an essential step in the study of exoplanets. Under the right conditions, such hazes could potentially support life. Identifying these types of atmospheres in the lab could help scientists determine where to focus their efforts in space exploration.
1. First Glimpse Of CaSiO3
South Africa’s famous Cullinan mine, known for yielding the diamond now part of the British crown jewels, has recently produced another gem. Unlike the enormous Cullinan Diamond, the new stone was only 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) across.
Scientifically, this new diamond was far more valuable than any other. Hidden within it was a mineral previously unseen in nature. Known as calcium silicate perovskite (CaSiO3), this mineral cannot stay stable at Earth’s surface. But within the diamond’s protective confines, it remained intact and visible.
The tiny gemstone was retrieved from a relatively shallow depth of just 1 kilometer (0.6 miles), but it had formed 700 kilometers (435 miles) beneath the Earth's surface—exactly where CaSiO3 was theorized to exist as one of the planet’s most abundant deep minerals.
Further analysis of the perovskite revealed that it had originated from oceanic crust that had been pushed deep into the Earth, providing conclusive evidence that tectonic plates are being recycled back into the mantle.
