Margaret Osborne

Margaret Osborne

 

Margaret Osborne is a freelance journalist based in the southwestern U.S. Her work has appeared in the Sag Harbor Express and has aired on WSHU Public Radio.

An artist's concept of a simulated view from the rough, icy surface of the moon Europa with Jupiter looming over the horizon.

Jupiter's Moon Europa May Contain Carbon, a Crucial Ingredient for Life

The James Webb Space Telescope found carbon dioxide on Europa's surface, and astronomers say it likely originated in the moon's vast ocean

Methuselah, the oldest fish living in an aquarium, was transported to California in 1938.

Methuselah, the World's Oldest Living Aquarium Fish, Could Be More Than 100

Using a new and noninvasive technique, researchers analyzed the DNA of 33 lungfish in institutions across the U.S. and Australia to determine their ages

Many organizations classify hypertension as a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher, though some say 130/80 mmHg.

High Blood Pressure Is a 'Silent Killer' That Affects One in Three People, WHO Says

But nearly half of those living with the condition don't know they have it, according to the organization's first report on hypertension

Two types of white blood cells, a neutrophil (top) and a lymphocyte (bottom), in human blood.

Human Cells Display a Mathematical Pattern That Repeats in Nature and Language

New research suggests adult humans have between 28 trillion and 36 trillion cells, which follow a commonly seen distribution of size and mass

MDMA, also called molly or ecstasy.

MDMA Moves Closer to Approval for PTSD Treatment After New Clinical Trial

If endorsed by the FDA, the drug would become the first psychedelic approved for mental health treatment in the United States

Many reports of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) are later discovered to be some type of balloon.

NASA Report Finds No Evidence of Extraterrestrial Origin for UFO Sightings

However, no explanation can be ruled out, per the agency, which also appointed its first director of research into the subject

One of the two specimens presented to Mexico's Congress, photographed during a press conference of Mexican journalist and self-proclaimed UFO expert Jaime Maussan, in Mexico City on September 13, 2023.

Alleged Alien Corpses Displayed to Mexican Congress Did Not Convince Scientists

Self-described UFO expert Jaime Maussan, whose claims of extraterrestrials have been debunked in the past, said the specimens were "non-human"

FDA panelists say phenylephrine itself isn't dangerous, but taking it could lead to sick patients delaying effective treatment.

Leading Decongestant in Cold and Flu Medicines Doesn't Work, FDA Advisory Panel Says

Phenylephrine, a popular ingredient in over-the-counter remedies, is no better than a placebo, per the panel

The Gans' egg-eater swallows a quail egg far larger than its head.

How a Small Snake Can Eat Meals Many Times Larger Than Its Head

The egg-eating African reptile uses its stretchy jaw skin to swallow huge prey, a feat that not even a python can match

McMurdo Station in Antarctica

Women Report Rampant Sexual Harassment and Assault at Antarctica's McMurdo Research Station

Speaking publicly for the first time, women detailed incidents of violence that had been minimized by employers, per an exposé in the Associated Press

A puffin on Eastern Egg Rock carries fish to feed its young.

Puffins Are Making a Comeback in Maine

After a down year in 2021, the birds have had two good years in a row

Beekeepers Terri Faloney, left, and Tyler Trute collect bees after an accident in Ontario, Canada, set loose five million honeybees.

Five Million Bees Fall Off a Truck in Canada

Local beekeepers rushed to the scene to help collect as many of the disoriented insects as possible

Gemini South on the summit of Cerro Pachón in Chile (left) and Gemini North on the summit of Maunakea in Hawai’i (right).

Hackers Target Telescopes, Forcing Them to Pause Operations

Two major telescopes in Hawaii and Chile and a handful of smaller observatories have been offline for weeks following an apparent cyberattack

A vehicle stuck on the shoulder of a road near Mayo, Florida, as Hurricane Idalia crosses the state.

Hurricane Idalia Hits Florida Amid Projected 'Above-Normal' Storm Season

The hurricane is the strongest to strike the state’s Big Bend area in about 125 years

A team including research scientists at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute became the first in the world to successfully cryopreserve coral using a technique called isochronic vitrification.

Scientists Cryopreserve and Revive Coral Fragments in a World First for Conservation

The new freezing technique could reinvigorate corals suffering from warming oceans—or even preserve human organs in the future

Cows with the slick gene have sleek, short hair that helps keep them cool.

Farmers Are Breeding Cows to Withstand Heat Waves

A gene that occurs naturally in some cow breeds may be the key to helping cattle thrive as temperatures rise because of climate change

Shells of turtles and tortoises can accumulate uranium isotopes.

Turtle Shells Keep a Record of Humans' Nuclear History

Scientists can measure uranium isotopes in tortoise and turtle shells to understand the environmental impact of past nuclear events, a new study reports

One of the adult ospreys in the breeding pair

Ospreys Breed in Ireland for the First Time in More Than 200 Years

The birds were driven to local extinction in the 18th century, but the new chicks provide hope for a comeback amid reintroduction efforts

The rare all-brown giraffe was born in July.

See the Rare Spotless Giraffe Born at a Tennessee Zoo

The baby might be the only all-brown giraffe on the planet, as the last one on record was born in 1972

Aerial photo of the Tiputini Processing Center of state-owned Petroecuador in Yasuni National Park, northeastern Ecuador. 

Ecuadorean Voters Reject Oil Drilling in the Amazon's Yasuní National Park

The section of rainforest is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world and home to several Indigenous communities

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