Satellite imaging captured four tropical storms present over Southeast Asia at the same time. The phenomenon is not something that scientists have recorded before in the month of November. On November 11, NASA’s EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) imager on the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) satellite saw something not seen in this month of […]
Growing Bones And Gut Feelings: The Latest Steps On The Quest To Map Every Human Cell
An important milestone has been reached on the journey to map every cell type in the human body. The Human Cell Atlas (HCA) project, which has been running for eight years so far, today unveiled several significant steps forward, including the best-ever map of the human gut and a unique insight into how our skeletons […]
NASA’s Curiosity Rover About To Enter “Spiderweb” Region Of Mars’ Mount Sharp
NASA’s Curiosity rover is ready to move out of the valley of Gediz Vallis and travel slow and steady for a month to a fascinating new area of great interest on Mount Sharp, a 5-kilometer (3-mile) tall mountain at the center of Gale crater. The new area has been called the boxwork, and views from […]
Lacking Company, A Dolphin In The Baltic Is Talking To Himself
The sole dolphin living in the Baltic Sea isn’t letting the lack of company silence him. Quite the opposite – he’s chatting away, emitting bursts of sounds of the type members of his species use to communicate, rather than to catch food, but with more diversity. The observations provide an insight into the psychology of […]
60,000-Year-Old Glue-Making Oven Found In Neanderthals’ Seaside Cave
At a well-known hangout of Neanderthals, archaeologists have uncovered a structure they believe was used to cook up a form of prehistoric glue. The discovery was made in Vanguard Cave, part of Gorham’s Cave complex, in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Located on the seafront overlooking the western Mediterranean, the caverns are thought to […]
Are We Breathing Caesar’s Last Breath And Cleopatra’s Perfume With Each Inhale?
There are a lot of numbers in science that are so big as to be mind-boggling. The number of atoms or molecules in a substance is an example of that. Physicists seem to delight in the weird and wonderful ways to convey these kinds of numbers, and one example that has been repeated for several […]
Newly Discovered Transiting Exoplanet Is The Youngest Ever Found At Under 3 Million Years Old
A planet has been found orbiting a three-million-year-old star. Better still, it transits across the star’s face from our perspective, offering opportunities to see the starlight passing through the planet’s atmosphere. The star is three times younger than any other previously observed to have a transiting planet – and since planets are thought to form […]
Linear A: One Of Europe’s First Writing Systems Remains Undeciphered To This Day
The Minoan Civilization of Crete, often hailed as Europe’s first literate society, left behind a strange writing system that continues to mystify modern scholars, remaining an unsolved enigma to this day. Sometimes regarded as the first true European civilization, the Minoan culture rose to prominence on the Greek island of Crete between 3100 to 1100 […]
The Fluorescent Emperor Scorpion Crushes Prey To Death With Its Fearsome Claws
The emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator, is one of the largest scorpions in the world. At a whopping 20 centimeters (7.9 inches), it carries around a huge set of pincers that can crush a mouse to death. It figures that such an arachnid might be hiding a few tricks up its enormous sleeves, one of which […]
Goat-Fish Carving Is First-Ever Zodiac Symbol In Egyptian Rock Art
The first-ever example of an ancient Egyptian petroglyph depicting a zodiac sign has been discovered at a rock art site on the western bank of the Nile. Consisting of a crudely engraved creature with the head of a goat and the body of a fish, the image has been identified as Capricornus, the mythological figure […]
Are There Any “Bottomless” Lakes?
Lakes with impressive depths or unique geological features that obscure their true scale are often, misleadingly, labeled as “bottomless lakes”. Despite lakes being found at staggering elevations and being able to produce their own tsunamis, they still lack one feature: an actual bottomless depth. While no lake can truly claim to be bottomless, some appear […]
The World’s Most Dangerous Tree Isn’t Even Safe To Stand Under When It’s Raining
If you too suffered through the cinematic experience that was The Happening, you’ll know it’s hard to feel that threatened by a plant – but there is a tree out there that seems hell-bent on cruelty. The manchineel has been declared “the most dangerous tree in the world” by the Guinness Book Of World Records, […]
In 1177 BCE, Civilizations Fell Apart In A Mysterious Simultaneous Collapse
Just over 3,200 years ago, it must have felt as if humanity was reaching never-before-seen heights. Across the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Near East, a collection of complex and highly organized civilizations became interconnected through diplomacy, trade, and exchanges. Cultures boomed and cities rose. Then, it all fell apart – and no one […]
New Ion Speed Record Could Lead To Faster Charging Batteries
Researchers have discovered how to make ions – electrically charged atoms – move ten times faster than they would do in water alone. It is being called an “ion superhighway” and it opens up the possibility of new technological developments, from batteries that can charge faster than ever before to biosensors and soft robots. The […]
You Might Be Able To Use A Mug Of Hot Drink As A Particle Detector
A video from science YouTuber James Orgill, better known by the channel’s name The Action Lab, has demonstrated how you might be able to use a mug of hot drink as a particle detector. If your aim is to detect and see the effect of particles that happen to be passing through your kitchen, that’s […]
The World’s Longest Pier Is Over 8,000 Meters From End To End
The longest pier on the planet extends for an incredible 8,018.98 meters (26,309 feet) into the sea. First constructed more than 80 years ago, the insanely long jetty now acts as a major docking point for cargo ships and cruise liners alike. Located in the port city of Progreso in Mexico’s Yucatán state, the pier […]
The Most Universally Understood Word In The World Appears In So Many Languages
Go to any country where you don’t speak the language, and you will obviously have some trouble communicating. You may have a little help, with languages sharing common roots and similar words, but without background knowledge it’s probably time to start pointing, grunting, and apologizing in your own language as best as you can get […]
Shape Of A Single Photon Revealed For First Time Thanks To New Computer Model
Researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, have developed an intriguing computer model to understand how light and matter interact. As tasks go, it is exceptionally hard, but the team was able to develop a strategy to simplify the problem. In doing so, they were also able to create something peculiar: an image representing the […]
Cross This Tiny Bridge, And You’ll Be In A New Country – And A New Time Zone
Some bridges stand at dizzying heights, some are unfathomably long, and some have sunk below the waves. There’s even one that’s weirdly circular. But now, we’re going to introduce you to one of the shortest of them all, where in a few steps you can find yourself in a whole new country – and needing […]
Did An Unsung Hero Complete The First Atlantic To Pacific Circling Of The Globe?
The 1519–22 expedition to circumnavigate the planet by sailing from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the tip of South America has been described by historians as “the greatest” and “most significant” sea voyage ever undertaken – and it’s easy to see why. The Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is often credited as being the first […]
