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Should the search for alien life in our universe come up empty-handed, it might be worth checking in on a neighboring universe instead. According to a new pair of studies in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, there’s a decent chance that life-fostering planets could exist in a parallel universe — even if that universe were being torn apart by dark energy. The idea that our universe is just one of many, perhaps infinite, other universes is known as the multiverse theory. [Read More]

CHICAGO — For people with celiac disease, the rule is clear: no gluten. That means avoiding all foods made with wheat, barley and rye. But what about oats? Although oats are not thought to cause an immune reaction in patients with celiac disease, they're often contaminated with gluten from other grains, such as wheat, said Dr. María Inés Pinto-Sanchez, a gastroenterology research fellow at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. And even though gluten-free oats — which have been tested and shown to not be contaminated — are available, some controversy remains about whether they're OK for people with celiac disease to eat, Pinto-Sanchez told Live Science, because of earlier research that suggested gluten-free oats caused a reaction in celiac disease patients. [Read More]

Researchers have successfully cloned a highly endangered ferret species using cells that were frozen more than three decades ago, according to news reports. The adorable clone, named Elizabeth Ann, is a species of black-footed ferret, one of the most endangered mammals in North America, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature. Born on Dec. 10, 2020, Elizabeth Ann was created using cells from "Willa," a wild black-footed ferret who died and had her cells cryopreserved in 1988, according to a statement from the U. [Read More]

It’s never been more important to care about the environment – and as such, it’s never been more important to teach our children about caring for the environment. Climate change is one of the biggest threats to the Earth right now, and this Wild Science kit, available exclusively from Smyths Toys, helps children understand what it means, while (hopefully) having fun. Originally £14.99, the science kit can currently be picked up for just £10 at Amazon(opens in new tab). [Read More]

For nearly two decades, sizable, squishy invaders have been stealthily infiltrating French ecosystems and preying on small, soil-dwelling creatures. The invaders are giant hammerhead flatworms — brightly colored specimens that look like earthworms on steroids. They have muscular, colorful bodies topped with elongated heads resembling those of hammerhead sharks, though on a much smaller scale. The worms can measure more than 1 foot (40 centimeters) in length, and they occupy a range of ecosystems on land, gobbling up earthworms and other invertebrate prey. [Read More]

Teen drinking has dropped in recent decades, but still about one-third of U.S. high schoolers say they drink alcohol, and one in six say they binge drink, according to a new report. The study, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzed information from a yearly survey of high school students, conducted from 1991 to 2015. In 2015, about 33 percent of high schoolers said they consumed at least one alcoholic drink in the last 30 days. [Read More]

A blob of the Earth's gooey insides linked to volcanic eruptions has been detected below southern Africa. The newly discovered blob is known to geologists as a mid-mantle plume. Mantle plumes are columns of hot, gushy gunk that flow toward the Earth's surface and are a known contributor to volcanic activity. Until now, the mid-section of a mantle plume has never been imaged. Mid-mantle plumes are hotter and move faster — roughly 4 inches (10 centimeters) per year — than the scorching, molten rock deeper inside the Earth, which is called the Earth's mantle. [Read More]

Our world is getting closer to "Star Trek" every day, it seems. Scientists announced today (April 14) they've been able to teleport special bits of light from one place to another, a la "Beam me up, Scotty." While the advance doesn't necessarily mean we'll ever be able to teleport people, it does represent some pretty nifty, mind-bending physics. Teleportation requires taking advantage of a quirk of quantum physics called entanglement. [Read More]

An underwater robot named Icefin that has gone where no submersible has gone before — to the underbelly of Antarctica's "Doomsday Glacier" — has uncovered unusually warm temperatures there.  The hunk of ice, officially known as the Thwaites Glacier, earned its ominous nickname because it is one of Antarctica's fastest melting glaciers. Even so, scientists were surprised to learn that waters at the ground line, the region where the glacier meets the sea, are more than 3. [Read More]

You've seen the heartbreaking video of the turtle with a straw caught in its nose, and you've heard about fish pumped with microplastics. But there are bigger casualties of the plastic problem, according to scientists. Sharks and rays are also suffering as a result of plastic pollution. Scientists counted more than 1,000 documented instances of sharks and rays becoming tangled in our plastic debris in a recent study published yesterday (July 4) in the journal Endangered Species Reports. [Read More]