Computational analysis of large datasets is becoming increasingly important in many areas of scientific research. This is particularly true in molecular biology, where we study the molecular underpinnings of life. Here, research is broadly classified...
There is a famous The Simpons episode titled ‘Bart vs Australia’, where Bart phones Australia and asks which way the water is spinning when the toilet is flushed i.e. clockwise or counterclockwise. Lisa (Bart’s sister) explains that water only drains...
Photo: Jack, Daniel and Matthew Alpin A giant squid (architeuthis dux) measuring 4.2 metres washed up on a beach near Welllington, New Zealand (human featured for scale). The largest giant squid on record is 12 metres in length.
We must remain alert until a vaccine becomes available
Over 2,000 satellites are currently orbiting our planet, travelling across the skies thousands of kilometres above our heads at blazingly fast speeds. These satellites gather important information about the physical, chemical and biological systems on...
History often depicts men leading warfare and being hunters, whilst women were the gatherers. But that view appears to be flawed, with forensic anthropologists unearthing new evidence that suggests otherwise. Warriors are generally defined through...
Last summer, the Spot the Alien Fish campaign offered a brand-new underwater camera, or a corresponding cash prize, to anyone who submits the first substantiated report of a lionfish individual from Maltese waters. The reward is yet to be claimed – for...
I write in response to Tonio Borg’s article ‘Catholic schools beware!’ (May 18). In his piece, Borg calls the equality bills “dangerous”, positing that there being a “Catholic vision” of a given subject translates into a necessary freedom to entrench...
A new treatment for COVID-19 was revealed this month in research journal Cell. The unlikely contributor to the study? A chocolate-coloured llama with enviably long eyelashes and a great immune system. Winter, the llama in question, is currently minding...
The crisis has undoubtedly been inspiring. From face mask patterns to social distancing devices, individuals and businesses have come up with countless ideas to cope with the virus. But not all ideas that have come out of this pandemic are made...
Ashley Lawrence is a college student who designed a face mask that lets you read the wearer’s lips. She recently met her funding goal and asked that further donations be given to charities that support those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Imagine the body's instruction manual, the genome: here words are genes, letters are DNA, and the equivalent of typos can have disastrous consequences. In recent years, scientists have grown increasingly fluent in the language of genome, but much...
Imagine a world where citizens and researchers are valued for their co-contribution to research. Collaboration has always been crucial in conducting research, yet the key issue is to what extent it should be implemented. In my recent trip to the...
Sloths are lethargic animals that live in treetops where they spend most of their lives snoozing and staying away from predators. They are mostly found in Panama and Brazil and thrive in healthy forests. While it may seem to be that sleeping nearly all...
This photo of Beadlet Anemone was taken near Mistra bay. Actinia equina (in Latin) is found attached to rocky shores, both in exposed and sheltered situations, from the upper to lower shore and rarely in subtidal areas to depths of around 20m. This...
Drug should be ready for use later this year
This photo, taken on September 15, 2019 in Syracuse, Sicily, shows the author of this article, Alexander Farrugia, in front of the statue of the Greek mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse.
The square root of a number N is a number which, when squared (multiplied by itself), results in N. How did the ancient Greeks find square roots? Their method is nowadays called a ‘Greek ladder’, which uses whole numbers throughout. A 19th-century...
Pythagoras of Samos (570BC-495BC) was a Greek philosopher whose teachings and philosophy not only influenced other Greek philosophers such as Plato (424BC-347BC), but also Western scientists such as Johannes Kepler (AD 1571-AD 1630) and Isaac Newton...
The rush to research has made preprints a big deal
We still do not have the tools or knowledge to determine virus immunity
Four phases of Venus, imaged around 30 days apart in 2020. As Venus approaches Earth, its apparent size appears larger but its percentage illumination as seen from Earth decreases, as more of the night side of the Venusian planet faces Earth. The...
When many think of the night sky, the moon and the stars immediately come to mind. Few realise that, throughout the year, five of the other seven planets in the solar system are rather easily visible to the unaided eye as pinpoints of light, appearing...
Of the seven other planets in our solar system, none parallels the beauty of Venus as seen from Earth with the unaided eye. The second planet from the sun is currently rapidly approaching Earth, with the two planets eventually reaching a minimum...
Oceans are likely to rise as much as 1.3 metres by 2100 if Earth's surface warms another 3.5 degrees Celsius, scientists warned Friday. By 2300, when ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland will have shed trillions of tonnes in mass, sea...
The science just does not match the outlandish claim
A study suggests that the benefits of wearing a mask are significant
Esplora Interactive Science Centre will be transmitting a series of live online science cafés starting this week. The first debate will be held live on Wednesday May 6 from 6.45pm till 7.30pm, transmitted via the Esplora Interactive Science Centre’s...
Most processes inside a living organism are driven by complex molecules called proteins. The 3D shape of a protein allows it to perform its function. Proteins perform lots of different jobs within your body. Enzymes enable specific chemical reactions.
Sneezing is a natural defence against things that irritate the nasal membrane. Nerve signals get the muscles of the chest and throat to respond, expelling mucous out of the mouth and nose. According to researchers, it is not just germs and pollen that...
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