Thousands of kilometers below your feet, there lies a red-hot ball of solid iron. Simply known as Earth’s inner core, the metallic heart of our planet remains relatively enigmatic despite the advances of modern science. The innermost depths of our planet are too distant, not to mention too hot, to probe and collect samples from. […]
Tonga Eruption’s Vast Impact: A New Gap In Earth’s Ozone
On January 15, 2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano violently erupted beneath the Pacific Ocean, launching a never-before-seen volume of water vapor into the atmosphere. Now, a new study has found that the vapor sparked a large, rapid depletion in the Earth’s ozone layer. Last year’s eruption was record-breaking in a number of ways – […]
Some Of Earth’s Oldest Secrets Revealed By 450-Million-Year-Old Diamonds
Diamonds aren’t just a girl’s best friend – turns out they can be pretty useful to geologists too. In fact, as a new study found, some diamonds can even reveal secrets about the evolution of the Earth. As the hardest known natural mineral, diamonds can and have survived a lot, including the creation and destruction […]
This Could Be The Future Of Living In Space
Living amongst the stars and traveling across the endless expanse of the cosmos has long been a dream for humankind. Both scientific communities and science fiction alike have spent over a century exploring this ideal. Lifetimes of scientific research, inventions by the most innovative minds, and billions of dollars spent, have meant reaching that monumental […]
Remarkable Never-Before-Seen Electronic Behavior Observed In Graphene
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered a configuration of graphene layers with some exciting magnetic properties and an electronic property that has not been seen before in a material. Graphene is an atom-thick layer of carbon that has some pretty unusual properties in itself. The atoms are arranged in a hexagonal lattice […]
The Grand Tomb Of Egypt’s First Woman Pharoah Is Loaded With Wine
Queen Meret-Neith was one of the most powerful women in the world during her lifetime and perhaps even the first woman pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Little is known about her story, but her extravagant tomb certainly suggests she had immense power – and a taste for booze. Recent excavations at the Abydos archaeological site have […]
One Of Earth’s Most Massive Living Organisms Is Fragmenting
A colossal aspen stand in Utah that holds the distinction of being the world’s largest living thing appears to be fragmenting as a result of overgrazing. Known as Pando, the enormous organism is predominantly preyed upon by mule deer and cattle, and new research indicates that human efforts to protect the stand may be exacerbating the problem. […]
Rare Footage Captures Python Engaging In Cannibalism
One species of snake seems to be subscribing a bit too heavily to the idea that “you are what you eat”; in Far North Queensland, Australia, a black-headed python has been spotted snacking on another member of its species. The sight of one black-headed python gulping down another wasn’t exactly what Nick Stock, sanctuary manager […]
Golden Retrievers Could Live Longer Thanks To A Surprising Gene
Golden retrievers are one of our most popular canine companions, but it’s an unfortunate fact that they also have a high risk of dying from cancer. However, a new study has identified a gene often associated with cancer that may also hold the key to helping goldens live for longer. It’s a pretty heartbreaking statistic […]
Hybrid Pythons Are Taking Over The Florida Everglades, Adults With ADHD At Risk Of Dementia, And Much More This Week
This week a chart of everything suggests the observable universe might be a black hole, Guinness World Records crowns world’s hottest chili, and molecules crucial for life may have formed in the water on dwarf planet Ceres. Finally, we investigate the historic whaling industry, and what it was they were actually after. Subscribe to the […]
Mohenjo-daro: The Ancient City Of 40,000 People That Suddenly Fell Into Ruin
Thousands of years ago, a city of 40,000 people stood proudly in the Indus Valley, rivaling the great powers of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Minoan Crete. It steadily grew for centuries until it suddenly fell into decline and was abandoned for reasons that aren’t totally understood. The ruins of Mohenjo-daro, meaning “Mound of the Dead […]
Look Up – The Orionids Peak This Weekend!
It’s a good month for sky lovers. Last week, there was an annular solar eclipse was visible across the Americas, and next week a partial lunar eclipse will be visible roughly in the rest of the world. And for everyone, there is the Orionid meteor shower that, like the eponymous constellation, is visible from both […]
The Deepest Diving Animals On Earth Shutdown Organs To Avoid The Bends
Humans piloting remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) along the seabed have turned up all kinds of surprises, from snailfish at the deepest depths ever recorded to fur seals more than 150 meters (492 feet) below the surface. In fact, that’s only half the depth that fur seals have been recorded going, so how much more extreme can […]
5,000-Year-Old Baltic Amber Is Oldest Ever Found On Iberian Peninsula
For thousands of years, Baltic amber – otherwise known as succinite – has been recognized as the finest in the world, and has been sought after for use in jewelry since Roman times. Despite other amber deposits existing across Europe, ancient people from far and wide were keen to get their hands on the Baltic […]
What Are Tectonic Plates And How Many Are There?
Earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains – some of the most spectacular and devastating features of Planet Earth are the result of tectonic activity. But what exactly are tectonic plates, and how many are there? What are tectonic plates? Earth, like an onion and everyone’s favorite ogre, has layers. Tectonic plates are made up of the outermost level, […]
How Come Spiders Don’t Get Tangled In Their Own Webs?
Spider silk is incredibly strong, and their webs can be very sticky, ensnaring prey in an instant. It seems like a treacherous terrain to spend your life on, but spiders have evolved to navigate their silken traps that catch out so many other species. When we think about spiders getting stuck in their webs, we’re […]
Why Do We Have Eyebrows? To Make Us Human
Never underestimate the power of the eyebrows. Sitting on your lower forehead, these two strips of hair are like bold beacons of social information, as well as tiny little sweatbands. In humans, eyebrows serve a couple of key functions. Firstly, they help to keep sweat from dripping into our eyes and hazing our vision. Advertisement […]
What Is The Hardest Substance In The Universe?
If asked to name the hardest thing in the universe some might suggest that subject they failed in second year or making a Flat Earther acknowledge reality. Specifying that we mean the hardest substance would probably lead to most people saying diamonds, but as with so many questions in this series, the answer isn’t quite […]
Brand New Feature On Jupiter Discovered By JWST
Jupiter is one of the best-studied planets in the Solar System, and yet the gas giant is still hiding plenty of surprises and mysteries. One was discovered at a distance, thanks to the keen infrared eye of JWST. There is a high-speed jet stream over Jupiter’s equator about 40 kilometers (25 miles) above the main […]
Have We Reached A Solar Power “Tipping Point”?
New research claims that the world may have crossed a “tipping point” that will make solar power our main source of energy by 2050. The research, led by teams at the University of Exeter and University College London (UCL), was based on a data-driven model of technology and economics that showed how solar photovoltaics (PV) […]