US President Joe Biden has announced a pardon for all individuals previously convicted of simple cannabis possession under federal law. While this doesn’t amount to legalization or decriminalization of cannabis in the US, the measure is likely to result in the expungement of around 6,500 criminal records. “Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has […]
TWIS: Gnarly Footage Of Orcas Snacking On A Great White, A New Theory Of Consciousness Gives You An Existential Crisis, And Much More This Week
This week, the first-ever footage of the lethal (to great white sharks) hunting behaviors of Orca pods, SpinLaunch slingshots NASA tech into the sky, and we ask if Kelly Clarkson had a point when she sang “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. Watch World-First Footage Of Orcas Making A Snack Out Of Great White […]
A Serious Fire Has Damaged Easter Island’s Sacred Moai Statues
A fire has damaged some of the sacred carved stone figures on Easter Island. As the extent of the damage is still being tallied, there is word that the fire might have been started deliberately. The “serious fire” sprung around the Rano Raraku volcano and engulfed up to 100 hectares (247 acres) of the Rapa […]
People With Calendar Synesthesia Can Literally See Time
How far away is 2050? No, this isn’t a math test – we mean it literally. Could you reach out and touch 2050, or would you have to walk there? Is it in front of you, or around a few corners? Or is this all just gibberish? For maybe one person in 50, though, it […]
Nuclear “Armageddon” Risk At Its Highest Since 1962, According To Biden
United States President Joe Biden has stated that the current risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is the highest it’s been since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. This, he believes, is due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s open discussion of the use of tactical nuclear weapons. It also follows Putin’s accusations […]
IFLScience The Big Questions: How Does Imagination Work?
Every second of every day, whether we’re actively aware of it or not, we’re using our imagination: from what we might have for dinner to life on other worlds. But how can our brains conjure up stuff that we are not looking at or even images of things that don’t exist? Our host Dr Alfredo […]
Video Shows What It’s Like To Experience A Nuclear Bomb Explosion In VR
A video showing what it would be like to stand near a nuclear bomb detonation has been widely shared on Twitter and Reddit, and it doesn’t look too pretty. The virtual reality (VR) simulation shows the point of view of someone on a beach when the bomb hits offshore, devastating the beach and surrounding vegetation […]
Boom In Mysterious Cancer Cases Sparks Investigation In Small Alabama Town
An unusual spate of cancer cases around a small town in Alabama has sparked an investigation by a team of geologists, medical experts, and sociologists. Through their dogged work with the local community, the researchers believe they may have found a culprit: environmental contamination of the water and soil. The issue first came to light […]
Incredible Details Of Europa’s Icy Surface Revealed In Highest Resolution View Ever
Last week, NASA’s Juno completed its flyby of Europa providing the closest view of this celestial object in two decades. The second moon of Jupiter hides a deep ocean beneath its icy exterior and is one of the best candidates for life beyond our planet. Now NASA has released the highest resolution image of Europa […]
JWST and Hubble’s Combined Power Reveals Secrets And Surprises Of A Pair Of Galaxies
By combining data from the two titans of space telescopes, Hubble and JWST, astronomers have created an incredible image of two galaxies over 700 million light-years away that reveals secrets we wouldn’t have seen by using just one. If you see a pair of galaxies in space there’s a good chance they’re interacting, but […]
WHO Issues Global Alert After Child Deaths Linked To Cough Medicine
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global alert over cough syrups made in India thought to be linked to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia. The alert, which was published on their website, outlined four medicines – Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N […]
Nord Stream Pipeline Methane Leak May Be Biggest Ever Seen By Satellite
While questions about last week’s Nordstream gas pipeline leak continue to be unanswered, satellite images are starting to show the environmental impact of the incident. Now, the European Space Agency (ESA) has shared before-and-after satellite images of the affected portion of sea near the Danish Island of Bornholm. On September 24, images taken by Sentinel-1 […]
See The Mesmerizing Winners From Ocean Photographer Of The Year 2022
The 2022 winners of the Ocean Photographer Of The Year competition have been announced, bringing to light arresting shots that demonstrate both the power, fragility, and alien nature of our oceans’ ecosystems. Hosted in by Oceanographic Magazine, the competition aims to celebrate the wildlife and organisms that keep the seas healthy while simultaneously highlighting the […]
This Is Why You Always Have The Best Ideas In The Shower, According To New Research
“Shower thoughts”: a phrase now synonymous with wild but interesting ideas that only seem to arise when you’re having a shower (because you sure aren’t that creative when you’re actually trying to be). The mind seems to enter a different, more creative state when calmly having a shower, giving rise to questions you’ve never even […]
Incredibly Well-Preserved 2,000-Year-Old Statue Of Hercules Discovered In Greek Ruins
A 2,000-year-old Roman statue of Hercules has been uncovered among the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Philippi, according to the country’s Ministry of Culture and Sports. Intriguingly, the statue predates the ruins themselves by several hundred years, indicating that Roman artifacts were used to decorate public buildings long after the empire had fallen. […]
Your Political Views Could Be The Result Of A Parasitic Infection
Your political views could be shaped by a parasitic infection called toxoplasmosis, a new study has found. Toxoplasma gondii is one of the world’s most common parasites, mainly contracted by humans through contact with cats that are infected, as well as by eating foods (especially lamb, pork and venison) that are contaminated with the parasite. […]
X-Ray Vision Makes JWST’s Shots Of The Cosmos Even More Beautiful
Some of the first images captured by JWST have been given a revamp with the help of data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory – and they might just be some of the prettiest pictures yet. The newly released psychedelic images are the product of combining JWST’s infrared vision with the X-ray vision of Chandra. Not […]
Relatable Ada Lovelace Letter Shows Her Begging Charles Babbage Not To Mess With Her Math
A letter from the world’s first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace, to her collaborator and creator of the first digital computer, Charles Babbage, has been widely shared on Twitter, due to its relatability regarding several paragraphs begging Babbage not to mess around with her math. Polymath Charles Babbage is often hailed as the “father of computing”, […]
The 100 Prisoners Problem: When Mathematics Gets Even More Confusing
Deborah BloomfieldSource Link: The 100 Prisoners Problem: When Mathematics Gets Even More Confusing
Rare Turtles Hatch At US Zoo After 20 Years, And Boy Was It Worth The Wait
Forty-one Indian narrow-headed softshell turtles (Chitra indica) have become the latest arrivals at San Diego Zoo. This makes the zoo the first accredited conservation organization in North America to hatch these endangered turtles. Three of the rare turtles have been living at the zoo for more than 20 years, and while experts have been monitoring […]
