Illustration of the Huygens landing in 2005. ESA Martin Barstow, University of Leicester Everyone has heard of Nasa, a name synonymous with every aspect of space exploration. Yet talk about Esa, the European Space Agency, is more likely to result in a blank stare. Esa is not such a highly recognised brand, yet
Ph. Prime numbers are numbers that are not products of smaller whole numbers. Jeremiah Bartz Jeremiah Bartz, University of North Dakota A shard of smooth bone etched with irregular marks dating back 20,000 years puzzled archaeologists until they noticed something unique – the etchings, lines like tally marks, may have represented prime numbers.
In an industrial quarter outside Buenos Aires, a hummingbird hovers over a vibrant bed of plants and flowers. Two years ago, the area was a stretch of grey streets and factory units. Today, EU-funded researchers are bringing nature to urban Argentina, in a collaboration between European and Latin American cities. The pavements of
The Douro River is one of Portugal’s best-known waterways. It flows through the region that produces the famous port wines, and attracts a growing number of tourists each year. That brings economic benefits, but also problems. “Passenger ships are becoming more popular as tourists discover the area,” said Filipe Martins from APDL, the
As Europe ramps up efforts to transition to a greener economy, hydrogen is taking centre stage as a clean energy solution, particularly for decarbonising sectors like transport and heavy industry. But turning hydrogen into a reliable, large-scale energy source depends on something deceptively simple: the ability to measure it accurately as it moves
What if there was a place where young people could learn the basics of coding, analyse fossil remains, assemble a wind turbine and learn how to predict earthquakes? The two-day Science is Wonderful fair in Tervuren, near Brussels, was just that. On entering Tervuren’s imposing Africa Museum, which hosted the 10th iteration of
At the Las Matas train station in the town of Las Rozas, just north of the Spanish capital Madrid, life is going on as usual. The sound of a highway can be heard in the background as a train pulls in. On the roundabout in front of the station, a churros vendor is
Ph. An etching by Pietro Fabris of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, where thousands of people continue to live, despite the risk. Wellcome Collection Ralph Hertwig, Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Stephan Lewandowsky, University of Bristol The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 paved the way for the democratisation of
Nicolas ‘Niko’ Dubreuil, a veteran polar explorer with over three decades of experience in the Arctic, knows first-hand the dangers of navigating the region’s icy landscapes. In 2001, while trekking on an icepack in Greenland, he suffered a severe fall, sustaining major injuries. Instead of being deterred though, the experience left him captivated
Guy Plint examines one of the dinosaur tracks, which is above his head. Annemarie Plint, CC BY-NC-ND Guy Plint, Western University and Charles Helm, Nelson Mandela University Dinosaurs have captured people’s imagination ever since their bones and teeth were first scientifically described in 1822 by geologist and palaeontologist Gideon Mantell in England. Dinosaur