A group at the National Bureau of Standards at Boulder, Colo., now reports an extremely accurate [speed of light] measurement using the wavelength and frequency of a helium-neon laser.… The result gives the speed of light as 299,792.4562 kilometers per second. UpdateThat 1972 experiment measured the two-way speed of light, or the average speed of […]
Some immune defenses of the brain may have their roots in the gut. A new study in mice finds that immune cells are first trained in the gut to recognize and launch attacks on pathogens, and then migrate to the brain’s surface to protect it, researchers report online November 4 in Nature. These cells were […]
It’s official: 2020 now has the most named storms ever recorded in the Atlantic in a single year. On November 9, a tropical disturbance brewing in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean gained enough strength to become a subtropical storm. With that, Theta became the year’s 29th named storm, topping the 28 that formed in 2005. With […]
When some bacteria manage to escape being killed by a virus, the microbes end up hamstringing themselves. And that could be useful in the fight to treat infections. The bacterium Shigella flexneri — one cause of the infectious disease shigellosis — can spread within cells that line the gut by propelling itself through the cells’ […]
Regenerating body parts is never easy. For instance, some lizards can grow back their tails, but these new appendages are pale imitations of the original. Now, genetically modified stem cells are helping geckos grow back better tails. Tweaking and implanting embryonic stem cells on the tail stumps of mourning geckos (Lepidodactylus lugubris) allowed the reptiles […]
A meandering trek taken by light from a remote supernova in the constellation Cetus may help researchers pin down how fast the universe expands — in another couple of decades. About 10 billion years ago, a star exploded in a far-off galaxy named MRG-M0138. Some of the light from that explosion later encountered a gravitational […]
The complete field of 16 teams that will advance to the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League knockout rounds has not yet been finalized, but we already have several clubs that have booked their spots. European giants Liverpool, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Juventus were the first four teams to clinch on Matchday 4 of the group stage, […]
There will be much more on the line Saturday night than just the WBO welterweight title. If Terence Crawford can defeat Shawn Porter to move to 38-0, he could set himself up for even bigger battles down the road. Even Crawford himself has acknowledged that he has more blockbuster bouts on his mind, including a […]
The Denver Nuggets will be without their superstar and the league's reigning MVP Nikola Jokic when they take on the Bulls at home. This is the first game that Jokic will miss this season due to an injury, with the only other game he didn't suit up for so far was due to a suspension, […]
Stephen A. Smith was in attendance for Tuesday night's game between the Nets and Warriors. He didn't like what he saw from Brooklyn — and that's putting it mildly. The ESPN analyst unloaded on the Nets during Wednesday's edition of "First Take" after watching the Warriors hand them a 117-99 loss at the Barclays Center. […]