Science

How Electroconvulsive Therapy Heals the Brain – New Insights into ECT, a Stigmatized But Highly Effective Treatment for Depression

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When most people hear about electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, it usually conjures up terrifying images of cruel, outdated, and pseudo-medical procedures. This perception of ECT, formerly known as electroshock therapy, as dangerous and ineffective has been reinforced in pop culture for decades — consider the 1962 novel turned Oscar-winning film, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s … Read more

Can a ‘supervoid’ resolve a brutal debate over the expansion rate of the universe?

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A large discrepancy between different measurements of the expansion rate of our universe could be explained if our galaxy, the Milky Way, is located in a void of two billion light years. That is the conclusion of scientists who claim that a modified theory exists gravity can replace the standard model of cosmology. However, this … Read more

According to science, there is a better way to grind coffee

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Grinding coffee is a messy business. Static electricity builds up on the site, leaving a sticky mess in the mill. Now, a team of chemists and volcanologists from the University of Oregon has unraveled exactly how moisture affects static electricity buildup — and they’ve come up with a simple solution. According to the researchers, adding … Read more

Do not yet welcome the deal on the climate summit’s loss and damage fund; it may not warrant that standing ovation

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Shortly after the opening ceremony of the 2023 United Nations climate negotiations in Dubai, delegates from countries around the world rose to a standing ovation to celebrate a long-awaited agreement to establish a loss and damage fund to help vulnerable countries to help recover from climate-related disasters. But the applause may not yet be justified. … Read more

A grantmaker is betting that a TV show for teenage girls can help close the STEM gender gap

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Dallas philanthropist Lyda Hill has spent a large portion of its donations addressing social problems through science. Her Lyda Hill Philanthropies supports museums, basic research and programs such as National Geographic Explorers. In recent years, the grant provider has also ventured into media production, financing and helping to develop a TV series, “Mission Unstoppable,” aimed … Read more

Are we living in a gigantic void? It could solve the puzzle of the expansion of the universe

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This article was originally published on The conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com Expert voices: opinion pieces and insights. Indranil Banik is a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics at the University of St Andrews. One of the greatest mysteries in cosmology is the rate at which the universe is expanding. This can be predicted … Read more

Gravitational waves resulting from black hole mergers could help test general relativity

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Black circles distort a dense gas field of stars and galaxies. Scientists have discovered gravitational waves arising from a merger of black holes, suggesting that the resulting black hole has settled into a stable, spherical shape. These waves also show that the combo black hole could be much larger than previously thought. When the gravitational … Read more

‘Space Rescue Service’ needed for the coming era of space tourism, the report says

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Rescuers on Earth can reach many harsh environments: stranded boaters in the ocean, people injured while skiing in the mountains, and plane crash victims in rural areas. But there is currently no emergency rescue system for it room – and there may be a way to change that. The nonprofit Rand Corp. suggests that a … Read more

At COP28, John Kerry unveils the nuclear fusion strategy as a source of clean energy

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The United States will work with other governments to accelerate efforts to make nuclear fusion a new source of carbon-free energy, the US climate envoy said John Kerry said Tuesday, marking the latest of many U.S. announcements over the past week aimed at combating climate change. Nuclear fusion fuses two hydrogen atoms together to produce … Read more

How a thumb-sized climate migrant with a giant crab claw is disrupting the Northeast’s Great Marsh ecosystem

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Nine years ago, I stood on the muddy banks of the Great Marsh, a salt marsh an hour north of Boston, and pulled a thumb-sized crab with an absurdly large claw from a hole. I was looking at a fiddler crab – a species that wasn’t supposed to occur north of Cape Cod, let alone … Read more