Rubber is naturally white, so why are car tires black? According to Bridgestone, a Japanese manufacturing company, this wasn’t always the case. Car tyres used to be white but the addition of carbon black has become routine because it improves durability. Carbon black is almost (97 percent) pure carbon. It is created during a process […]
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China’s Terra-Cotta Warriors: What You Might Not Know
It’s not hard to see why China’s life-size terracotta army might earn the unofficial moniker “eighth wonder of the world”. The 8,000-strong militia is a testament to exceptional craftsmanship and collaboration on a vast scale, not to mention the strength of one man’s dedication to the quest for eternal life. The 2,200-year-old monument lies northeast […]
Do People Really Not Know What Paprika Is Made From?
Paprika, and its more flavorful cousin, smoked paprika, shows up in everything from paella to paprika tea. You’d think most people would have at least a rough idea of what it’s made from. But according to a slew of recent internet revelations, that assumption would be very wrong. In a post by Australian food company […]
There Is Something Odd Going On Inside The Moon, Watch These Snails Lay Eggs Through Their Necks, And Much More This Week
This week, Homo naledi – the extinct human species of Netflix fame – had hands that were partially adapted to climbing, new research has revealed. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, says people shouldn’t take medical advice from him, and for the first time ever, visible aurorae have been seen from the surface […]
Inside Denisova Cave: The Meeting Point Of Neanderthals, Denisovans, And Us
The Denisova Cave is the site of one of the most important crossroads in the history of humans. Not only does the cave contain evidence of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, but for several years it was the only place where remains were found of our lesser-known cousins: the Denisovans. The cave even features remains of related hybrids, indicating […]
What Is The 2-2-2 Rule And Can It Save Your Relationship?
From ‘beige flags’ to the five love languages, social media is a vast wellspring of dating advice, not all of which holds under scientific scrutiny. One should always be wary of taking strangers’ advice at face value. Saying that, there may be some wisdom to be gleaned from the 2-2-2 rule that has been circulating […]
Bat Cave Adventure Turns Hazardous: 12 Infected With Histoplasmosis
A family returned from a vacation in Costa Rica with more than just memories after contracting histoplasmosis, a potentially lethal lung infection caused by inhaling fungal spores found in bat droppings. The incident has been subject to an investigation by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with medical practitioners now linking the infections […]
The Real Reasons We Don’t Eat Turkey Eggs
Turkeys often find themselves at the center of our plates, much like many other domesticated birds classified as poultry. We rely on these animals for a range of products, from bedding and clothing to, most commonly, food. Eggs, in particular, are a staple in many diets. But it got us thinking: why don’t we eat […]
Physics Offers A Way To Avoid Tears When Cutting Onions. The Method Can Stop Pathogens Being Spread Too.
If vegetables had personalities, then onions would probably be one of the more ambiguous examples in your kitchens. Sure, mushrooms may be social climbers, while carrots and peas are just a bit basic, but nothing compares to onions’ potential for treachery. It’s so versatile, goes well with so many meals, but preparing it can lead […]
Push One End Of A Long Pole, When Does The Other End Move?
Many areas of physics seem counterintuitive, with well-known examples like wave-particle duality and time dilation. But you may feel like you have a pretty intuitive understanding of fairly simple macro objects, for instance, a pole. So here’s a question; when you take a long metal pole and push it at one end, how long does […]
There’s A Vast Superplume Hidden Under East Africa That May Be Causing It To Split
The volcanic activity and tectonic splitting of the East African Rift Valley is probably driven by activity deep within the Earth, a new study reveals, starting where the core meets the mantle. The work contradicts the hypothesis that the rift is the result of smaller distinct plumes with shallower origins. The first humans didn’t know […]
Fast Leaf Hypothesis: Scientists Discover Sneaky Way Trees Use Geometry To Hog Nutrients
If you pay any attention to the world around you, you are likely aware of how deciduous trees shed leaves, pollen, seeds, fruits, and yet more pollen into the world around them. Nature, and the process of evolution, has come up with ingenious ways for trees to spread their seeds around far and wide. These […]
Watch: Rare Footage Captures Two Vulnerable New Zealand Species “Having A Scrap”
KSI vs. Fury? Tyson vs. Paul? Forget about those – we’ve got a much more exciting tussle to show you, where the fighting ring is the bush floor of one of New Zealand’s oldest island sanctuaries and the competitors are two of its most iconic, but vulnerable species. In the blue corner, we have the […]
Beautiful Elk Spotted In Northern Colorado Has 1-In-100,000 Coloring
It’s not unusual to see elk in Estes Park, a Colorado town shadowed by the Rocky Mountains. As of late, however, there’s one elk in particular that’s been catching people’s eyes, thanks to its rare – and very pretty – coloring. The female elk (also known as a cow – yes, really) in question doesn’t […]
Mesmerizing Cosmic Dust Rainbow Caught By NASA’s PUNCH Mission
Where does the Sun end and the Solar System begin? The answer is not clear-cut. The Sun’s atmosphere – the corona – extends far into space, and its processes shape the solar wind that streams in interplanetary space, affecting planets, moons, and more. To better study these interactions, NASA launched a mission made up of […]
Endangered “Forgotten” Penguins Lay 1.5 Eggs At A Time In Bizarre Breeding Strategy
Erect-crested penguins (Eudyptes sclateri) might be a little under the radar when it comes to the penguin world. However, they have one pretty cool and unusual trick up their little penguin sleeves. These birds lay essentially one and half eggs each year in a bizarre breeding strategy. The least studied of all the penguin species, […]
Watch Spellbinding Footage Of A “Fog Tsunami” Rolling Over Lake Michigan
The weather likes to throw some pretty spectacular curveballs every once in a while, from impressive thunder and lightning to blood rain and pancake ice. Now, mesmerizing footage has been recorded of a “fog tsunami” rolling over Lake Michigan. The time-lapse video was recorded by South Haven-based photographer Scott Johnson, who suggested that a nearby […]
What Happened When Scientists Exposed Human Cells To 5G? Absolutely Nothing
The results are in, and we finally know what happens to human cells exposed to 5G signals. In a sealed experiment at Constructor University in Germany, scientists bombarded human skin cells with electromagnetic waves that were ten times stronger than the recommended exposure limit, way above those produced by 5G towers, for up to 48 […]
How Many Supernovae Are Happening In The Universe Every Second? More Than You Think
It is obviously unfair that while we wait for Betelgeuse to go supernova (it won’t anytime soon), the good people living during the Early Modern Period had not just one, but two supernovae visible in the night sky: one in 1572 and one in 1604. The explosive death of a star, from a safe distance, […]
This View Of The Pacific Will Change The Way You See Planet Earth
Our planet is a water world. Around 71 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by sea – and this view of the world really hits that home. The image from Google Earth shows the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the largest and deepest ocean on Earth with a total area of over 155 million square kilometers […]