Planet Earth is full of weird and wonderful creatures, which is never more apparent than in the insect world. Some insects can fly on broomsticks, are surprisingly good thespians, and even fling their pee to conserve energy. And then some, like this alligator bug, just look downright bizarre. Recently, footage of a very unusual large winged […]
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World’s Oldest Homo Sapiens Footprint Identified On South Africa’s Cape South Coast
Just over two decades ago, as the new millennium began, it seemed that tracks left by our ancient human ancestors dating back more than about 50,000 years were excessively rare. Only four sites had been reported in the whole of Africa at that time. Two were from East Africa: Laetoli in Tanzania and Koobi Fora […]
Historic Great Plains Bison Slaughter Had Surprising Lasting Consequences For Native Americans
When North American bison were slaughtered at the end of the 19th century, the Native Americans who relied on them experienced immediate and severe consequences that are well documented. Recent research now shows that these Indigenous peoples not only experienced a significant loss in height after the extermination, but also a rise in child mortality […]
Better Sleep For Teens Can Be Achieved With Different Social Media Use
The use of social media has major impacts on people for better and for worse. Recently, Dr Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, issued an advisory on teens and social media use following a report from the American Psychological Association. Now, research suggests how different approaches to social media usage for teens can help them […]
This Weekend A Nearby Supernova Is Visible Even With A Small Telescope
If you own a telescope now might be a really good time to take a look at a famous galaxy in Ursa Major. If you don’t, but know someone who does, see if they’ll let you take a look. It’s not often you get to watch a giant star explode before your eyes and shine […]
What’s The Oldest Surviving City In The World?
There are dozens of cities across the world that have been lived in by humans for thousands upon thousands of years. However, when it comes to pinpointing the oldest continuously inhabited city, there is no straightforward answer. The conundrum is a bit like the Ship of Theseus thought experiment: if a city is knocked down, […]
Jade Burial Suits – Why The Ancient Chinese Lay Their Dead To Rest In Such Opulence
They are possibly the most magnificent burial suits in history. Two thousand years ago, during the Han Dynasty, ancient Chinese royals were buried in suits of armor made from hand-crafted pieces of jade. These intricately cut pieces were then fastened together using gold and silver thread. It was a practice reserved only for the wealthiest […]
What Happens If You Touch Mercury?
Mercury is known for its toxicity and for causing health problems around the world and throughout history. But humans are very curious about what’s dangerous and so the question comes up often: Can you touch mercury with your bare hands safely? The answer, surprisingly, is yes. Mercury is not absorbed through our skin, so it […]
Early Universe Symmetry Violations Could Explain Why Matter Exceeds Anti-Matter Today
The symmetry in the laws of physics that holds matter and anti-matter to be perfect reflections of each other didn’t apply shortly after the Big Bang, new evidence suggests. The work could offer an explanation for the troubling fact that, although the universe operates on symmetric laws, antiparticles are far from equally abundant. A universe […]
Over 5,000 Deep Sea Creatures Found In Area At Risk Of Rare Metal Mining
A total of 5,578 different species, around 90 percent of which are entirely new to science, have been found in the depths of the Pacific Ocean in a future hotspot for deep-sea mining. The discovery came from an international team of scientists who recently surveyed a 6 million square kilometer (1.7 million square mile) patch […]
Composition Of Roman Perfume Identified For First Time, And It Smelled Like Patchouli
In Roman Spain, some 2,000 years ago, people may have been perfuming themselves with the musky scent of patchouli, new research hints. The study marks the first time that the composition of a Roman perfume has been identified, offering us a rare whiff of a bygone empire. The perfume, which has solidified after two millennia […]
Unit 731: New “Horror Bunker” From Japan’s WW2 Human Experimentation Camp Discovered
Chinese archaeologists say they have discovered an underground bunker that was used by scientists of the Japanese Empire to carry out ghastly human experimentation during World War II. The site was recently found by the Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology near the small city of Anda in Heilongjiang province, northeast China, according […]
How Do You Reheat Rice? Carefully, Unless You Want Fried Rice Syndrome
Warm, fluffy, steamy rice is delicious, but unfortunately, it also provides the perfect conditions for cultivating potentially nasty bacterial growth. Bacillus cereus, among other bacteria, are common on uncooked rice, and boiling alone isn’t sufficient to kill them off as they produce spores that can tolerate the heat. Once the cooking is over, rice left […]
We Just Took A Step Closer To Building The First Nuclear Clocks
High-precision measurements of time have the potential to provide a new way to study the universe by testing both quantum mechanics and our theory of gravity. In the last few years, optical clocks have broken record after record, but there is a way to get even more precise and that is to build a nuclear […]
Biblical Toilets Reveal Earliest Known Case Of Diarrhea-Causing Parasite
The ancient residents of Jerusalem may have been beset by dysentery, according to new findings from a pair of Iron Age latrines near the Old City. Dating back to biblical times, the two Levantine lavatories were found to contain traces of a bacteria species called Giardia duodenalis, which causes severe diarrhea and other intestinal issues. […]
The Strange Myth That Bees Shouldn’t Be Able To Fly According To Physics
Whether from a friend or even from Bee Movie, you may have heard of the idea that bees shouldn’t be able to fly according to the laws of physics. “According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its […]
Rare Syndrome Leaves Man Living In “Groundhog Day”
Doctors have documented the case of a man in his 80s who developed severe Déjà Vécu, a feeling that new encounters and situations are in fact repetitions of previous experiences. The man was seen by the doctors after he started acting unusually. The retiree believed that his eBook reader was malfunctioning, giving him the same […]
What Does The Sun Sound Like? Immensely Noisy, Apparently
For such an unbelievably mighty force, the Sun seems to be awfully quiet from Earth. However, we only perceive it as a silent ball of white heat because sound can’t travel through space. If it could, the noise of our Solar System’s centerpiece would be very, very annoying. The Sun is essentially a giant nuclear […]
A Sunspot Is So Large Right Now You Can See It Without A Telescope
A sunspot four times the size of the Earth is making its way across the Sun at the moment. The spot is so large you can see it without a telescope, though of course you should use protective equipment. Sunspot AR3310 should be visible to you using solar viewing glasses, those cool disposable shades you […]
Llama Vs Alpaca: Do You Know The Difference?
If you’ve ever taken a walk around a petting zoo, chances are you’ve come across llamas or alpacas, or even both in the same trip. But can you tell these four-legged fluffy creatures apart? Can you sort your camelids from your camels? Let’s start with alpacas Alpacas are the smallest member of the camel family. […]
