ZME Science https://www.zmescience.com/ Enriching Science Journalism Wed, 29 Apr 2026 02:18:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/cropped-logo-zmescience-32x32.png ZME Science https://www.zmescience.com/ 32 32 Chernobyl’s Wolves Are Thriving in a Radioactive No-Man’s-Land. Their Genes May Explain Why https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/chernobyls-wolves-are-thriving-in-a-radioactive-no-mans-land-their-genes-may-explain-why/ https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/chernobyls-wolves-are-thriving-in-a-radioactive-no-mans-land-their-genes-may-explain-why/#respond Wed, 29 Apr 2026 02:17:52 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303293 Humans seem to be worse than nuclear radiation for wildlife.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/chernobyls-wolves-are-thriving-in-a-radioactive-no-mans-land-their-genes-may-explain-why/feed/ 0 That Creepy Feeling in Old Houses Might Come from Inaudible Sounds from the Boiler https://www.zmescience.com/other/offbeat-other/that-creepy-feeling-in-old-houses-might-come-from-inaudible-sounds-from-the-boiler/ https://www.zmescience.com/other/offbeat-other/that-creepy-feeling-in-old-houses-might-come-from-inaudible-sounds-from-the-boiler/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:14:26 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303261 Industrial piping system with valves and gauges in a factory setting.Inaudible sounds from heaters or pipes could be behind "paranormal" frights. ]]> https://www.zmescience.com/other/offbeat-other/that-creepy-feeling-in-old-houses-might-come-from-inaudible-sounds-from-the-boiler/feed/ 0 A New Study Challenges One of the Biggest Assumptions About Neanderthal Brains https://www.zmescience.com/science/anthropology/a-new-study-challenges-one-of-the-biggest-assumptions-about-neanderthal-brains/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/anthropology/a-new-study-challenges-one-of-the-biggest-assumptions-about-neanderthal-brains/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:51:26 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303307 Brain size can matter across the broad sweep of primate evolution but among humans isn't the best way to estimate intelligence.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/anthropology/a-new-study-challenges-one-of-the-biggest-assumptions-about-neanderthal-brains/feed/ 0 Ultra-rare Lobster Split in Two Colors Looks Almost Too Strange to Be Real https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/ultra-rare-lobster-split-in-two-colors-looks-almost-too-strange-to-be-real/ https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/ultra-rare-lobster-split-in-two-colors-looks-almost-too-strange-to-be-real/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:20:59 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303279 Large lobster and crab on display in a wooden box.The Cape Cod catch reveals genetics drawing a line down one animal.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/ultra-rare-lobster-split-in-two-colors-looks-almost-too-strange-to-be-real/feed/ 0 Brainless Slime Mold Recreates Tokyo’s Super-Efficient Rail Network https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/brainless-slime-mold-recreates-tokyos-super-efficient-rail-network/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/brainless-slime-mold-recreates-tokyos-super-efficient-rail-network/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:39:58 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303289 Diagram showing mould network growth on terrain and comparison with Tokyo network.One giant cell can solve problems that challenge human engineers.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/brainless-slime-mold-recreates-tokyos-super-efficient-rail-network/feed/ 0 Mysterious Flashes in Pre-Satellite Sky in the 1950s Could Be Non-human Technosignatures https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/transients-california-1950s-non-human-technosignatures/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/transients-california-1950s-non-human-technosignatures/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:45:00 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303269 A new study goes as far as saying some of the mysterious flashes over California in the 1950s could be a non-human technosignature.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/transients-california-1950s-non-human-technosignatures/feed/ 0 Marathon Runners Broke a Momentous Record. So Why Is Everyone Talking About Shoes? https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/sawe-marathon-adidas-shoe-tech-rep/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/sawe-marathon-adidas-shoe-tech-rep/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:23:23 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303221 Athlete running marathon, male runner in red shirt during race event.Amazing human performance meets amazing technology.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/sawe-marathon-adidas-shoe-tech-rep/feed/ 0 Turns out, you can fool the world’s smartest AIs by using weird, monk-like language https://www.zmescience.com/research/technology/ai-models-refused-harmful-requests-until-researchers-hid-them-in-fiction-and-theology/ https://www.zmescience.com/research/technology/ai-models-refused-harmful-requests-until-researchers-hid-them-in-fiction-and-theology/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:59:08 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303131 Woman with neon blue hair in a futuristic cityscape at night.Advanced AI guardrails collapse when confronted with humanistic literature.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/research/technology/ai-models-refused-harmful-requests-until-researchers-hid-them-in-fiction-and-theology/feed/ 0 Alien Oceans May Have Waves That Break Every Rule We Know From Earth https://www.zmescience.com/space/astronomy-space/alien-waves-titan-exoplanets/ https://www.zmescience.com/space/astronomy-space/alien-waves-titan-exoplanets/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:40:55 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=302968 Sea waves.From still lakes to shifting shores, waves play a bigger role than we think—even on worlds we’ve never directly observed.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/space/astronomy-space/alien-waves-titan-exoplanets/feed/ 0 Tinder and Zoom Want You to Scan Your Eye to Prove You’re Human https://www.zmescience.com/tech/tinder-and-zoom-want-you-to-scan-your-eye-to-prove-youre-human/ https://www.zmescience.com/tech/tinder-and-zoom-want-you-to-scan-your-eye-to-prove-youre-human/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:05:18 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303248 Sam Altman’s eyeball-scanning startup is making big moves.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/tech/tinder-and-zoom-want-you-to-scan-your-eye-to-prove-youre-human/feed/ 0 Paleontologists Discover 62-foot Kraken-like Octopus That Ruled the Cretaceous Ocean https://www.zmescience.com/science/paleontology/paleontologists-discover-62-foot-kraken-like-octopus-that-ruled-the-cretaceous-ocean/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/paleontology/paleontologists-discover-62-foot-kraken-like-octopus-that-ruled-the-cretaceous-ocean/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 23:43:13 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303208 Close-up of an octopus and giant squid engaging in a battle underwater.Ancient finned octopuses may have been among the ocean’s top predators]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/paleontology/paleontologists-discover-62-foot-kraken-like-octopus-that-ruled-the-cretaceous-ocean/feed/ 0 NASA’s New Tool Lets You Write Your Name Across Earth With Satellite Images https://www.zmescience.com/science/nasas-new-tool-lets-you-write-your-name-across-earth-with-satellite-images/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/nasas-new-tool-lets-you-write-your-name-across-earth-with-satellite-images/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:47:55 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303227 Collection of Landsat satellite images showing diverse landscapes and terrains.It's the type of cute little tool that makes us love NASA even more.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/nasas-new-tool-lets-you-write-your-name-across-earth-with-satellite-images/feed/ 0 A Sixth Ocean Is Forming as East Africa Splits Apart https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/east-africa-new-sixth-ocean/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/east-africa-new-sixth-ocean/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:22:00 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=277231 Drought-affected region in Africa with cracked soil and a man taking a selfie in dry land.In East Africa, tectonic forces are slowly splitting the continent, creating a future ocean basin.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/east-africa-new-sixth-ocean/feed/ 0 Blind Mice Detected Infrared Light After Scientists Implanted an Artificial Retina https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/blind-mice-detected-infrared-light-after-scientists-implanted-a-artificial-retina/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/blind-mice-detected-infrared-light-after-scientists-implanted-a-artificial-retina/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:14:45 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303163 The device may one day restore sight while adding a new visual channel.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/blind-mice-detected-infrared-light-after-scientists-implanted-a-artificial-retina/feed/ 0 Towns Across America Are Banning Solar Developments Because They’re Convinced the Panels Make Them Sick (They Don’t) https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/renewable-energy-ecology/america-bans-solar-health-concerns/ https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/renewable-energy-ecology/america-bans-solar-health-concerns/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:12:48 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303199 Solar energy panels for renewable power generation.Across the U.S., critics are pressuring public officials to stop or stall new solar projects, often citing unfounded health concerns.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/renewable-energy-ecology/america-bans-solar-health-concerns/feed/ 0 Geologists Have Some Good News and Bad News About the Terrifying Fault Zone Sitting Right Underneath Seattle https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/seattle-fault-zone/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/seattle-fault-zone/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:57:06 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303193 Seattle Space Needle at sunset with mountain backdrop.Smaller quakes from secondary faults—which are not included in national seismic hazard modeling—occur more frequently than previously thought. ]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/seattle-fault-zone/feed/ 0 China Just Surpassed the US in Research Spending and it Could Cost America a Trillion Dollars Over the Next Decade https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/china-just-surpassed-the-us-in-research-spending-and-it-could-cost-america-a-trillion-dollars-over-the-next-decade/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/china-just-surpassed-the-us-in-research-spending-and-it-could-cost-america-a-trillion-dollars-over-the-next-decade/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:50:01 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303187 If the US loses its scientific edge, it will lose access to the technologies and brainpower that come with it.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/china-just-surpassed-the-us-in-research-spending-and-it-could-cost-america-a-trillion-dollars-over-the-next-decade/feed/ 0 Is water wet? It’s … not really that straightforward https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/chemistry-articles/physical-chemistry/is-water-really-wet/ https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/chemistry-articles/physical-chemistry/is-water-really-wet/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:42:00 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=234574 Bubbles and sunlight in clear blue water, ocean or pool, macro shot.People ask 'is water wet?' as if it were obvious. Really, it's not.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/chemistry-articles/physical-chemistry/is-water-really-wet/feed/ 0 Scientists Finally Solved the Mystery of the ‘Golden Orb’ Found 2 Miles Under the Sea https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/scientists-finally-solved-the-mystery-of-the-golden-orb-found-2-miles-under-the-sea/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/scientists-finally-solved-the-mystery-of-the-golden-orb-found-2-miles-under-the-sea/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:00:14 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303154 Amber with trapped insect fossil on rocky surface.A viral deep sea mystery took more than two years to solve because the ocean still hides life in forms scientists barely recognize.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/scientists-finally-solved-the-mystery-of-the-golden-orb-found-2-miles-under-the-sea/feed/ 0 Why Everything Really Does Feel Worse at Midnight (But Better in the Morning) https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/why-everything-really-does-feel-worse-at-midnight-but-better-in-the-morning/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/why-everything-really-does-feel-worse-at-midnight-but-better-in-the-morning/#respond Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:33 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303132 Nearly one million mood reports suggest mornings bring a measurable mental lift.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/why-everything-really-does-feel-worse-at-midnight-but-better-in-the-morning/feed/ 0