The Most Accurate Virtual Representation of the Universe’s Evolution

Helmed by the University of Helsinki, a simulation named “Sibelius-Dark” produced the most accurate virtual representation of the universe’s development to date. It captures the Big Bang to the present, reproducing the entire evolution of our section of the cosmos. Using the DiRAC COSmology MAchine (COSMA), scientists found one patch of our universe to be unusual, as the simulation predicted a lower number of galaxies …

Scientists are Growing Mini Brains to Learn How to Treat Fatal Diseases

According to the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers from the University of Cambridge are growing miniature human brain models to study neurological disorders, like the motor-neuron diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. By sampling a culture of skin cells, reverting them to stem cells and then reprogramming them into specific organs or tissues, researchers can grow organoids that emulate the diseases that they’re studying. …

The Perilous Relationship Between Antarctic Conditions + Scientific Equipment

This January, 18 days into a research initiative across Antarctica’s Outer Recovery Ice Fields, the last of the team’s specialized equipment failed. This mission (held around the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the continent) aimed to recover a hypothesized cache of iron-rich meteorites. The failure was just one more blockade on the path to scientific discovery among the ice. Though its history can be …