Black holes are objects at the limit of our physical theories, so the better we understand them, the better we can test our knowledge of the universe. And while astrophysical black holes are studied in so many ways, it would be much easier to analyze one in the lab. Unfortunately, having one in a lab […]
Beluga Whales May Change The Shape Of Their Squishy Melons To Communicate
Belugas may be known as the “canaries of the seas” for their noisy nature, but that’s not the only way these cetaceans communicate. According to a recent study, they also change the shape of their heads in what scientists believe could be a form of visual communication unique among toothed whales. Communication comes in all […]
Feeling Peckish After A Feast? “Food-Seeking” Brain Cells Could Be The Cause
The next time you find yourself eyeing up the snack cupboard 10 minutes after finishing dinner, it might help to know that a simple overactive appetite may not be the culprit. A new study in mice has found a brain circuit driven by cells dedicated to seeking out tasty food, and scientists suggest it could […]
The US Drops Out Of Top 20 Happiest Countries For First Time
This year’s World Happiness Report has been released and features some glum findings for the US: For the first time since the index began, the country is not ranked in the top 20. Things seem particularly tough for young Americans whose happiness levels have fallen sharply since 2010. Some things never change, though; Finland secured […]
Why Are There So Many Emergency Warnings About This Year’s Total Solar Eclipse?
It probably hasn’t escaped your attention that this year, on April 8, a total eclipse will pass through North America. The eclipse should be a spectacular one, coinciding with the solar maximum. “In 2017, the Sun was nearing solar minimum. Viewers of the total eclipse could see the breathtaking corona – but since the Sun […]
Lovelock Cave: Where Legends Of Redheaded Giant Cannibals Refuse To Die
Strange rumors were buried beneath the centuries of bat feces at Nevada’s Lovelock Cave. When two miners started to remove layers upon layers of guano around one century ago, they inadvertently unearthed an old Native American legend of cannibalistic red-haired giants. Rest assured, the legend of Lovelock Cave is just that: a legend. No evidence […]
Equinox Vs Solstice: Do You Know The Difference?
Periodically throughout the year terms like equinox and solstice get banded around, with some people even going so far as to celebrate the summer solstice, or wish you a happy solstice in much the same way as other more well-known celebrations. But what actually is a solstice and an equinox and how are they different […]
Pet Owners Should Stock Up On Supplies Ahead Of The Eclipse, Texas Judge Warns
With excitement for next month’s total solar eclipse building, many authorities across the path of totality are preparing for an influx of visitors, putting out warnings to residents to expect disruption. One of the latest comes from a Texas judge, who has urged pet owners to make sure that they’re stocked up on supplies for […]
Western US States Clash Over The Fate Of Colorado River
Seven states are trying to broker a deal on how to divide up the dwindling waters of the Colorado River. However, different factions of squabbling states have their own visions on how to make the plan work – and no one wants to pull the short straw. The Colorado River Basin covers around 673,396 square […]
Seven Elusive “Ghost Particles” Spotted By Neutrino Detector Buried Deep Under Antarctica
Scientists with the IceCube collaboration have finally been able to detect a special type of neutrino coming from the universe. The tau neutrino was only discovered in the year 2000 and it has never been seen from an astrophysical source. Now, researchers report the detection of seven possible candidate events. There are three types of […]
Watch This Bizarre Footage Of A Moray Eel Wearing A Sea Snake Suit
A strange video that appears to show an eel shedding off a rather nice striped sweater has been doing the rounds on TikTok, and the video’s twist ending has got a lot of people thoroughly confused, concerned, and disgusted. The video, which is filmed beside a rocky coral bank on the seabed, shows what looks […]
In 2013 A Sinkhole Swallowed A Man’s Bedroom As He Slept. No Trace Of Him Has Been Found.
A distressing story has resurfaced on various news outlets over the last few days, concerning a man who was swallowed up by a sinkhole in Florida on March 1, 2013. Jeff Bush, 37, was asleep when a sinkhole opened up beneath his home in Seffner, Florida. The hole – about 6 meters (20 feet) across […]
Archaeologists Find Shipwrecks Using Clues From Homer’s Iliad
Archaeologists have used the Iliad, an Ancient Greek epic poem written in 800 BCE set towards the end of the legendary Trojan War, as a guide to locate shipwrecks off the coast of Greece. Researchers from Greece’s National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Culture used various historical sources to locate 10 shipwrecks that sunk […]
What Would A Solar Eclipse Look Like From The Moon?
This coming weekend the Moon will experience an eclipse, and in less than three weeks the Sun will be eclipsed by the Moon. The best views for both will be in the Americas, but you might be wondering what the view would look like if you were not on Earth but on the Moon. The […]
An Alarming Number Of Climate Change Records Were Smashed In 2023
The seemingly inevitable has been confirmed: 2023 was the hottest year on record by a massive margin. Oh, but that’s not all – last year also witnessed record-breaking levels of greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise, ocean heat and acidification, Antarctic sea ice cover, surface temperatures, and glacier retreat. The findings come from the latest […]
The US Finally Bans The Most Common Form Of Asbestos
In a statement released on Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had finalized a ban on the last remaining form of asbestos – a group of cancer-causing minerals – used in the United States. Though the use of asbestos in the US has been in decline for decades, previous attempts to ban […]
Should You Wash Chicken Before Cooking It?
Packaged meats aren’t particularly appealing, often bearing witness marks of the journey they’ve been on from farm to fridge in the form of gloopy residue. Tempting as it is to clean it off, should you wash chicken before cooking it? The science says you could be making things worse. Advertisement Why is raw chicken dangerous? […]
“Devil’s Comet” Is Finally Visible To The Naked Eye Under Very Dark Skies
After 71 years, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has reached magnitude 5, the traditional point where an object is considered to be visible without binoculars or telescopes. You’ll still need particularly fortunate conditions to spot it with eyes alone, however, although even small instruments will shift the odds very much in your favor. Pons-Brooks is a member of […]
Mysterious Havana Syndrome Leaves No Evidence Of Neurological Damage
A perplexing illness that began striking US overseas diplomats in 2016 did not leave any lasting traces of brain damage, according to the findings of two new brain-imaging studies. Popularly known as Havana syndrome, the strange condition typically involves dizziness, headaches, and blurred vision among other neurocognitive symptoms, yet the cause of the illness remains […]
Emergency Officials In Texas Warn Schools Should Close For The Eclipse
Schools in a Texas district will close for the 2024 eclipse, following warnings from local emergency management officials. The last total solar eclipse over the US was pretty spectacular, as anyone who saw it will attest. Looking at the photos, it’s hard to imagine how the sight could have been improved upon in the eclipse […]
