Science

A groundbreaking study has found cavemen were drinking milk and possibly eating cheese and yoghurt 6,000 years ago - despite being lactose intolerant. Scientists at the University of York identified milk protein entombed in the mineralised dental plaque of seven prehistoric British farmers. The fascinating discovery represents the earliest direct evidence of milk consumption anywhere in the world. The ancient human remains tested as part of the research lived in modern day Britain during the Neolithic period, around 6,000 years ago. Interestingly, it's known humans at that time were lactose intolerant, so it's believed Stone Age people were only drinking small amounts of milk at a time. Alternatively they could have been processing it into other foodstuffs such as cheese and yoghurt, thereby removing most of the lactose, researchers say. The caveman remains came from three different Neolithic sites - Hambledon Hill and Hazleton North in the south of England, and Banbury Lane in the … [Read more...] about Cavemen were eating cheese 6,000 years ago

A full Harvest Moon will rise over the UK this evening, falling on "unlucky" Friday 13th for the first time in 84 years. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox, which is usually on September 23. The last time that the Northern Hemisphere's full Harvest Moon fell on Friday 13th was in the year 1935, and the next time won't be until the year 2171. This year, the Harvest Moon is also a known as a "micro-moon" - the opposite of a supermoon - because it is at the furthest point from Earth during its elliptical orbit. Here's what you need to know about the Harvest Moon, and how to see it. When is the Harvest Moon? The Harvest Moon will appear on the evening of Friday, September 13. In the UK, the moon will rise at around 19.35 BST, and remain visible in the sky all night, until about 05.19 on Saturday morning. The moment at which the Moon is officially "full" will be at 04:34 BST on Saturday morning. However, elsewhere in the world - including most … [Read more...] about Rare Harvest Moon will appear on Friday 13th

In the hopes of showing just how black it is, scientists have coated a £1.6 million diamond with a new material - and the effect is unbelievable. Researchers from MIT have developed the blackest ever material, which is 10 times blacker than anything that has previously been reported. The material is made from carbon nanotubes, which were grown on the surface of aluminium foil. The foil captures more than 99.96% of any incoming light, making it the blackest on record. Despite creating it, the researchers aren’t entirely sure of the mechanics contributing to the material’s blackness. 
However, the team suspects that it may be due to the combination of etched aluminium and carbon nanotubes. Scientists believe that ‘forests’ of carbon nanotubes can trap and convert most incoming light to heat. Professor Wardle explained: “CNT forests of different varieties are known to be extremely black, but there is a lack of mechanistic understanding as to why … [Read more...] about Scientists coat diamond in blackest ever material

The supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy is getting hungrier - and scientists have no idea why. Researchers from UCLA have been surprised to discover that since May, the black hole, called Sagittarius A*, has been consuming an unusually large amount of interstellar gas and dust. Professor Andrea Ghez, co-senior author of the study, said: “We have never seen anything like this in the 24 years we have studied the supermassive black hole. It’s usually a pretty quiet, wimpy black hole on a diet. We don’t know what is driving this big feast.” In the study, the scientists analysed more than 13,000 observations of the black hole from 133 nights since 2003. Their analysis revealed that on May 13, the area just outside the black hole’s ‘point of no return’ (the area where matter can no longer escape) was glowing twice as bright as normal. Tuan Do, lead author of the study, said: “The first image I saw that night, the black hole was … [Read more...] about Our galaxy’s black hole is getting hungrier