Scientists have reproduced the voice of a ancient Egyptian priest by creating a 3D printed replica of his mummified vocal tract. David Howard at Royal Holloway, University of London, and his colleagues reconstructed the vocal tracts of Nesyamun, a priest who lived over 3000 years ago during the reign of pharaoh Ramses XI. The incredible … Read more
Lucía Pérez Díaz, Royal Holloway A large crack, stretching several kilometres, made a sudden appearance recently in south-western Kenya. The tear, which continues to grow, caused part of the Nairobi-Narok highway to collapse. Initially, the appearance of the crack was linked to tectonic activity along the East African Rift. But although geologists now think that … Read more
What does the sun look like from other planets? Given the vast and disparate distances, it is not so easy to imagine. But the digital renderings created by Ron Miller, a Virginia-based illustrator who has spent decades representing space, help answer this delicate question. They show the sun as it appears in the sky of … Read more
A team of astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other institutes discovered a black hole located only 1,000 light years from Earth. The black hole is closer to our solar system than any other to date. This newfound dark neighbor is at least 4.2 times more massive than the sun and lives with … Read more
Since the dawn of time, the moon has fascinated humans. Even though for the better part of our history it has been unattainable, since the first moon landing in 1969, 24 humans have visited the only natural satellite of Earth. While lunar travel isn’t available to everyone, there are other ways to explore it. One … Read more
Astronomers have detected a radio signal from the Milky Way. The signal obtained is called a fast radio burst, which lasts for milliseconds and comes from deep in space. The signal was traced back to a Milky Way magnetar (SGR 1935+2154), a type of neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field. The magnetar suddenly … Read more