Mrigakshi Dixit

2 days ago | interestingengineering.com | Mrigakshi Dixit

A new scientific study is uncovering unprecedented details about the lives and genetics of extinct human relatives. An international team of researchers has determined the biological sex of an individual who lived two million years ago for the first time. They studied four fossil teeth unearthed in the renowned Swartkrans cave in South Africa. These teeth belonged to an ape-like prehistoric human – the enigmatic Paranthropus robustus.

2 days ago | interestingengineering.com | Mrigakshi Dixit

Now, new research from RMIT University in Australia has unlocked the potential of low-grade illite clay, a cheaper and far more abundant alternative. A key insight is that this illite clay, when blended with low-grade kaolinite, can yield stronger concrete. A large chunk of cement’s CO₂ emissions result from a chemical reaction where limestone (CaCO₃) is heated in a kiln, breaking down into lime (CaO) and releasing CO₂. This process is an unavoidable step in creating cement clinker.

3 days ago | interestingengineering.com | Mrigakshi Dixit

Professor Sylvia Gustin with the EEG headset. Elva Darnell Chronic nerve pain affects millions globally. The long-standing challenge of finding effective, drug-free treatments may now have a solution. Researchers from the University of New South Wales have created an interactive game called PainWaive. This at-home pain management game teaches individuals to modify their brain waves. It could emerge as a potential non-invasive treatment for nerve pain, providing drug-free alternatives to opioids.

3 days ago | interestingengineering.com | Mrigakshi Dixit

Neutron stars are formed from the cataclysmic collapse and subsequent explosion of massive stars. They are among the universe’s most extreme and enigmatic cosmic laboratories, offering unique insights into the fundamental forces of nature. Neutron stars are incredibly difficult to decipher. Experts can’t recreate their extreme conditions in a lab, and the closest one is 400 light-years away – too distant for detailed telescopic observation. So, how do astrophysicists peer into these cosmic enigmas?

3 days ago | interestingengineering.com | Mrigakshi Dixit

Physicists at Loughborough University claim to have created the world’s smallest violin. And while this platinum-base violin isn’t a playable instrument, it’s undeniably, incredibly small. The tiny, 35-micron-long and 13-micron-wide violin is a miniature marvel. In comparison, a human hair is 17-180 microns wide, and even tardigrades are bigger, at 50-1,200 microns.