Microscopic analysis of wood suggests that Norse people in Greenland were using timber that came from North America over 700 years ago. The research is further evidence that Viking sailors were making contact with the east coast of North America long before Christopher Columbus “discovered the New World” in 1492 CE. Archaeologist Lísabet Guðmundsdóttir from […]
A “Weeping” Virgin Mary Statue Had Its Tears Tested, Revealing An Unlikely Substance
Back in 2018, a church in New Mexico claimed that their statue of the Virgin Mary was “weeping” liquid from its eyes. It all started on May 20, 2018 – Pentecost Sunday in the Catholic religious calendar – when the parishioners of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces reportedly witnessed the statue crying tears […]
Cognitive Reappraisal Could Be Good For Your Sex Drive, Study Finds
How we manage our emotions could impact our sex drive, suggests a new study, which finds that those of us adept at cognitive reappraisal – a popular emotion regulation strategy – may also have heightened sexual desire. Cognitive reappraisal involves changing how you think about a given situation, reframing it in order to reduce the […]
The Origin Of Space-Time? Maybe It’s Quantum “Magic”
All the world’s a stage and the stage itself is space-time where all the laws of physics are merely players. But maybe space-time is not the fundamental aspect that it is believed to be. A team of researchers from Japan’s RIKEN suggests that space-time could emerge from quantum properties, and one in particular that is […]
Possible Genetic Cause Of Childhood Onset Schizophrenia Found
The onset of schizophrenia in children under 13 is extremely rare, but it does occur. When it does, its symptoms are far more severe and persistently debilitating than for patients who develop the condition at a later stage in life. Now a ten-year research effort has found new genetic factors that help to understand the […]
Despite Being Perfectly Adapted Hunting Machines, Sabertooth Cats Took Care Of Each Other
Sabertooth cats might be best known from their apparently social behaviors in movies (looking at you Diego), but evidence from the fossil record suggests that they were known to hunt cooperatively. A new skull fossil of a primitive sabertooth from the Linxia Basin, China, shows cranial adaptations to social behavior, and an injured forepaw reveals […]
What Is The Fastest Solid Object We Know?
As far as we know, the fastest things in the universe are photons of light, closely followed by subatomic particles, be they in particle accelerators or high-energy astronomical situations. However, when people ask what the fastest thing in the universe is, they probably don’t mean something far too small to see. The search for the […]
The Black Stains On Leonardo Da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus Explained
A few years ago, strange black stains began to appear on a collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous drawings and writings: The Codex Atlanticus. The codex, housed since 1997 in a controlled micro-climate at Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, began showing signs of blackening. Investigation showed that these darkened patches were on some 210 pages of […]
Most Populated Nation Set To Change By Mid-2023 As “Population Anxiety” Increases
India is on track to overtake China as the world’s most populous country by mid-2023. Roughly before the end of June, India’s population is projected to be 1.4286 billion, compared with China’s 1.4257 billion, according to new estimates from the United Nations (UN). The data comes from a new report by the United Nations Population […]
The Cândido Godói Twin Phenomenon: Why Are So Many Twins Born Here?
For decades in the Cândido Godói (CG) municipality in Brazil, there was a strange mystery: The rate of twin births is significantly higher than the surrounding area, and twin births around the world. Studies have put the twin birth rate at 10 percent in one district, which is “significantly higher than the 1.8 percent rate […]
Breakthrough Test Detects Parkinson’s Biomarker With 90 Percent Accuracy, Michael J Fox Foundation Announces
The Michael J Fox Foundation has announced the findings of a landmark paper that identified a biomarker for Parkinson’s disease with high accuracy, which may be able to indicate disease before typical symptoms appear. The researchers believe the biomarker will allow scientists to finally define Parkinson’s disease biologically, opening up new routes in diagnostics and […]
Celebrating The 80th Anniversary Of Bicycle Day: A Different Kind Of Trip
Every year, on April 19, an important anniversary rolls around that you may never have heard of. To those in the know, it’s called Bicycle Day, and it commemorates the first-ever intentional LSD trip. It all started when a Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann had a very peculiar time while cycling home from the lab. […]
Runner Stripped Of Third Place After GPS Tracking Data Reveals She Used A Car
A runner has been disqualified from the 80-kilometer (50-mile) Manchester to Liverpool Ultra race, after tracking data revealed she partly used a car. Dr Joasia Zakrzewski, a record-breaking athlete who regularly competes in long-distance events, finished third in the race on April 7. However, the race organizers brag that you can watch live with GPS […]
Pope Gives King Charles Part Of The “True Cross” For His Coronation
Buying gifts is difficult, even when you aren’t purchasing them for an incredibly wealthy man who also owns all the UK’s swans. Fortunately for the Pope, he has a catalog of unusual artifacts at the Vatican just perfect for the occasion and has gifted the King of England a piece of the “True Cross” for […]
From Platypus To Parsecs And Millicrab: Why Do Astronomers Use Such Weird Units?
You may have heard about an asteroid set to fly near Earth that is the size of 18 platypus, or maybe the one that’s the size of 33 armadillos, or even one the size of 22 tuna fish. These outlandish comparisons are the invention of Jerusalem Post journalist Aaron Reich (who bills himself as “creator […]
Why Laundry Smells Better When Hung Outside To Dry
It has been recognized for quite a while that the human nose is capable of recognizing over 1 trillion different odors. With the old favorites like cut grass, freshly baked bread, and the smell of new books all set to please those with a sense of smell, research has explained why laundry dried outside in […]
This Lake Appears To Hang Above The Ocean Like Nature’s Infinity Pool
The natural world is full of all kinds of strange phenomena, from spooky Brocken specters to chocolate waterfalls. Now, we explain the optical illusion showing the lake that seemingly floats above the sea below. At the center of a rough triangle between the top of Scotland, the east coast of Iceland, and the west of […]
New Zealand Hunting Competition Challenges Children To Kill Feral Cats
A hunting competition in New Zealand has come under fire from the New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for asking children under the age of 14 to kill feral cats. The North Canterbury Hunting Competition, which aims to raise money for a local school, was offering $250 to the child […]
A Fly Lands On Your Food, Is It Still Safe To Eat?
Imagine the upset: a gang of hairy houseflies arrive at your dinner without an invitation and take a seat on top of your favorite dish. They take a few steps, rub their grubby hands together, puke, then rudely leave. Is your food still safe to eat? Generally speaking, the risk of falling sick is relatively […]
Religion Claims To Have Created A New Psychedelic Drug As Its Sacrament
Mix a tiger and lion and you get a liger, cross a polar bear and a grizzly and you have a pizzly, but what happens if you mush up some hallucinogenic toad slime with a bunch of magic mushrooms? According to psychonaut lore, this mind-mangling mix produces a hybrid psychedelic drug called psilomethoxin, and while […]
