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Unassuming Land Plant Produces a Psychoactive Marijuana-Like Compound
“These compounds are very similar.” By Peter Hess – Photo by Bernd Haynold – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org. Move over, marijuana: Scientists have their eye on a THC-like psychoactive chemical found in the unassuming, lumpy Radula, a group of plants in …
Science confirms: Earth has more than one ‘moon’
Two massive clouds of dust in orbit around the Earth have been discussed for years and finally proven to exist. Scotty Hendricks – Hungarian astronomers have proven the existence of two “pseudo-satellites” in orbit around the earth. These dust clouds were first discovered …
Common Origin for North, Central, and South Americans Revealed in Old DNA
Archeologists inch closer to identifying the first Americans. By Sarah Sloat – An indigenous woman in Ciudad Panamá, Panamá. The debate over who arrived in the New World first is a contentious one. Their identities aside, nobody can quite decide how those …
Biomega channels e-bike design into simplified electric car
Paul Ridden – Biomega’s Sin electric CUV is due to go into production between 2021 and 2023 (Credit: Biomega). Denmark’s e-bike maker Biomega has unveiled its first four-wheel electric vehicle – the Sin crossover utility vehicle. The concept brings to mind Renault’s …
Planned hybrid airship will combine aspects of planes, blimps and helicopters
Ben Coxworth – Plans call for the Model J airship to be mainly computer-controlled (Credit: Egan Airships). It was just last year that we heard about the Plimp, a sort of plane/blimp/helicopter hybrid drone manufactured by Egan Airships. As was hinted at …
For $150,000 you can now order your own Hoverbike
Rich Haridy – $10,000 will reserve you a limited edition Hoverbike (Credit: Hoversurf). After first spotting this crazy looking motorcycle-styled hoverbike in early 2017, we were skeptical the contraption would ever move beyond just an odd engineering curiosity. However, Russian company Hoversurf …
This Crazy Horse Monument Is So Enormous That The Work Needed To Complete It Beggars Belief
By Richard Arghiris – Image courtesy Crazy Horse Memorial. “Upon suffering beyond suffering,” said Crazy Horse in 1877, describing his final vision to Chief Sitting Bull. “The Red Nation shall rise again, and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A …
Why the number 137 is one of the greatest mysteries in physics
Famous physicists like Richard Feynman think 137 holds the answers to the Universe. By Paul Ratner – The fine structure constant has mystified scientists since the 1800s. The number 1/137 might hold the clues to the Grand Unified Theory. Relativity, electromagnetism and quantum …
MIT scientists propose giant laser beacon to attract alien attention
The concept was likened to a porch light in our little neighborhood of the galaxy. By Brandon A. Weber – It could be the thing that makes an intelligent alien civilization stop and look at us further. It’s surprisingly not all that difficult …
Dark-roast coffee may prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Ben Coxworth – The longer a coffee is roasted, the higher its level of phenylindanes (Credit: AlekseyPatsyuk/Depositphotos). For years, scientists have suspected that drinking coffee helps lessen the chances of getting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. A new study indicates that this may indeed …
Meet Harley-Davidson’s great electric hope: The production-ready 2020 Livewire
Loz Blain – The 2020 Harley-Davidson Livewire is designed for urban riding. It’s looking more and more like Harley’s only hope is to branch out into new segments in search of a replacement for its withering customer base, and the 2020 Livewire represents …
The seafloor is dissolving, thanks to human activity
Michael Irving – A new study has found that human activity is dissolving the seafloor (Credit: tomisl.z/Depositphotos). Excess carbon dioxide isn’t just building up in the atmosphere – the oceans are holding onto more of the stuff too, fizzing them up like …
Bionic mushroom uses bacteria and graphene to generate electricity
Ben Coxworth – An electrode network (branched pattern) and cyanobacteria (spiral pattern) were 3D-printed onto the mushroom (Credit: American Chemical Society). Could your home one day be powered by patches of mushrooms? Probably not, but scientists have nonetheless created a “bionic mushroom” that …
Scientists trace the evolution of cocoa to breed better chocolate
Michael Irving – Researchers have traced back the evolutionary history of the cocoa tree to a single domestication event 3,600 years ago (Credit: studioM/Depositphotos). It’s kind of hard to imagine life today without chocolate, and now we have a better idea of who …
Hail to the king: Ducati’s new Panigale V4R is the most powerful production bike in history
Loz Blain – 2019 Ducati Panigale V4R: runs advanced wheelie control, so this is clearly on purpose (Credit: Ducati). Ducati has just debuted the most extreme petrol-powered supersport bike in history on the eve of EICMA in Milan. The new king …
Harvard scientists suggest ‘Oumuamua is an alien device
It’s an asteroid, it’s a comet, it’s actually a spacecraft? By Robby Berman – Original: ESO/M. KornmesserDerivative: nagualdesign – Derivative of http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1737a/ – ‘Oumuamua is an oddly shaped, puzzling celestial object because it doesn’t act like anything naturally occurring. The issue? The unexpected …
Scientists can now bottle solar energy, turn it into liquid fuel
The barrier to solar energy has always been storage. Now, bottled sunshine has a shelf-life of 18 years. By Robby Berman – Researchers have invented a liquid isomer that can store and release solar energy. The team has solved problems other researchers have …
What kind of personality are psychopaths attracted to?
New psychological research suggests that psychopaths are attracted to others with their same disposition. By Mike Colagrossi – A study found that people with psychopathic traits are more likely to be attracted to others on the same psychopathic spectrum. Psychopathic qualities include lack …
10 paradoxes that will stretch your mind
From time-traveling billiard balls to information-destroying black holes, the world’s got plenty of puzzles that are hard to wrap your head around. By Matthew Davis – – While it’s one of the best on Earth, the human brain has a lot of trouble …
Trip through the universe with the Astronomy Photographer of the Year winners
Rich Haridy – Overall winner, and winner of People and Space category: Transport The Soul, from Brad Goldpaint (Credit: Brad Goldpaint). The winners of the incredible Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards have been revealed showing off spectacular work from the world’s …
Just Months of American Life Change the Microbiome
Immigrants’ gut bacteria “westernize” soon after they move to the U.S., which might influence obesity in immigrants and Americans alike. By Olga Khazan – A Vietnamese woman of Hmong ethnic tribe carries a grass basket on a terraced rice paddy field during …
FTC Halts Purveyors of Sham Health Insurance Plans
Florida-based Simple Health Plans LLC has collected more than $100 million with deceptive schemes targeting Americans in need of coverage. At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal judge temporarily shut down a Florida-based operation that allegedly collected more than …
Think Colorado is a rectangle? Think again.
The Centennial State has 697 sides‚ not four. Frank Jacobs – Colorado looks like a rectangle. It isn’t. The Centennial State has not four, but 697 sides. That makes it a hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon. Does that make Wyoming the only real rectangular state? Well, about …
Scientists Compared Whether Weed or Alcohol Is Worse for Teen Brains
Substance use comes with cognitive repercussions. By Sarah Sloat – While the recreational use of marijuana is an increasingly legalized activity, the exact science of what the drug does to the brain isn’t yet conclusive. In an effort to understand what happens to the …
Recognize Scammers Who Pretend to Be from the Government
You know those posters businesses must hang up with information about labor laws? You can get them for free from the U.S. Department of Labor. If someone tries to charge you for them, it’s a scam. And this is only one way government …
WWF report reveals a 60% decline in wildlife populations since 1970
Nick Lavars – A new WWF report has painted a grim picture of the impact human activity is having on biodiversity around the world (Credit: Photocreo/Depositphotos). The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released its latest Living Planet Report, an assessment of the health …
Ancient Child Bones Are Evidence of a Massive Bird That Ate Neanderthals
Big birds hungry for human flesh have been a problem for thousands of years. By Sarah Sloat – In 2012, a video depicting a golden eagle snatching a toddler in Montreal went mega-viral. It proved to be a doctored hoax, but it was …
Thrilling natural wonders in the 54th Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards
Rich Haridy – – The Golden Couple by Marsel van Oosten, The Netherlands, Grand Title Winner 2018. A male Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey rests briefly on a stone seat. He has been joined by a female from his small group. It’s spring …
Folding electric fat bike promises “moar” features
C.C. Weiss – Moar e-bikes include 500- or 750-watt electric drives, full suspension and 4-in fat tires. One look at the all-new Moar e-bike and you can tell this isn’t your average pedelec. The bike greets the eye with fat tires, thickly …
‘Stress in America’ Survey Reveals Sharp Shift in What Scares Young Adults
Gen Z is bearing the brunt of the country’s mental illness. By Sarah Sloat – The distressing events of 2018 are quantifiably affecting American stress levels. Tuesday marked the release of the most recent Stress in America report, an annual nationwide survey conducted …
Moose Cavalry
Eurasian elk – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Moose cavalry are military units of cavalrymen mounted on moose (Eurasian elk, Alces alces alces) rather than the more usual horses. There are legends that state that the Mansi people of Western Siberia rode …
Eating organic food lowers cancer risk by 25%, study reveals
A French study of nearly 70,000 people yielded startling results for two forms of cancer. Derek Beres – – Organic Fruits and Vegetables (Photo from www.BBOrganics.com). A French study of nearly 70,000 people states that organic foods reduce the risk that you’ll develop …
Brave New World predicted 2018 better than any other novel
His book warns us of the dangers of mass media, passivity, and how even an intelligent population can be driven to gladly choose dictatorship over freedom. Scotty Hendricks – – This 1931 novel predicted modern life almost to a (model) T. While other …
10 of Europe’s weirdest laws
Amongst other things, you can’t get away with handling a salmon suspiciously in Scotland. Ned Dymoke – While a few of the laws on this list are holdovers from long ago, some laws are as recent as 2011. While marrying a dead person …
100% of people in pilot study had microplastic in their stools
The study was small: 8 people from 8 different countries. But the findings have alarmed scientists. Robby Berman – All subjects selected for a pilot program had microplastics in their stools. The types of microplastics found implicate both food and non-food sources. Boutique …
Classic Massive Attack album encoded in DNA and put into spray paint
Rich Haridy – Spray cans containing around one million copies of the Massive Attack album, Mezzanine, stored in DNA (Credit: Massive Attack). Earlier this year iconic British electronic music group Massive Attack revealed it was storing its classic album Mezzanine in DNA …
New study bolsters hypothesis that herpes virus causes Alzheimer’s
Rich Haridy – New research reveals herpes infections can be associated with a greater risk of developing dementia (Credit: rbhavana/Depositphotos). A new review article published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience has summarized the most recent evidence supporting the controversial hypothesis …
Psychedelic psilocybin therapy for depression granted Breakthrough Therapy status by FDA
Rich Haridy – Granting of Breakthrough Therapy status allows the FDA to expedite research and review of psilocybin-based treatments to move them into clinical use sooner (Credit: Vox19/Depositphotos). In an extraordinary step forward for the psychedelic drug research community, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has …
How long does it take for your gut bacteria to recover after antibiotics?
Rich Haridy – A study has found most gut microbe populations returned to normal within around 1.5 months after taking antibiotics, however several common, and beneficial, bacteria were still missing up to six months later (Credit: abrakadabra/Depositphotos). As we rapidly discover the importance …
136 years late, La Sagrada Familia finally lands a building permit
Nick Lavars – La Sagrada Familia is expected to be completed in 2026 (Credit: Jorge Láscar/Creative Commons). It is Barcelona’s most visited landmark, but after 136 years of unlicensed construction the law has finally caught up with La Sagrada Familia. The church’s …
Unassuming Land Plant Produces a Psychoactive Marijuana-Like Compound
“These compounds are very similar.” By Peter Hess – Photo by Bernd Haynold – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org. Move over, marijuana: Scientists have their eye on a THC-like psychoactive chemical found in the unassuming, lumpy Radula, a group of plants in …
Science confirms: Earth has more than one ‘moon’
Two massive clouds of dust in orbit around the Earth have been discussed for years and finally proven to exist. Scotty Hendricks – Hungarian astronomers have proven the existence of two “pseudo-satellites” in orbit around the earth. These dust clouds were first discovered …
Common Origin for North, Central, and South Americans Revealed in Old DNA
Archeologists inch closer to identifying the first Americans. By Sarah Sloat – An indigenous woman in Ciudad Panamá, Panamá. The debate over who arrived in the New World first is a contentious one. Their identities aside, nobody can quite decide how those …
Biomega channels e-bike design into simplified electric car
Paul Ridden – Biomega’s Sin electric CUV is due to go into production between 2021 and 2023 (Credit: Biomega). Denmark’s e-bike maker Biomega has unveiled its first four-wheel electric vehicle – the Sin crossover utility vehicle. The concept brings to mind Renault’s …
Planned hybrid airship will combine aspects of planes, blimps and helicopters
Ben Coxworth – Plans call for the Model J airship to be mainly computer-controlled (Credit: Egan Airships). It was just last year that we heard about the Plimp, a sort of plane/blimp/helicopter hybrid drone manufactured by Egan Airships. As was hinted at …
For $150,000 you can now order your own Hoverbike
Rich Haridy – $10,000 will reserve you a limited edition Hoverbike (Credit: Hoversurf). After first spotting this crazy looking motorcycle-styled hoverbike in early 2017, we were skeptical the contraption would ever move beyond just an odd engineering curiosity. However, Russian company Hoversurf …
This Crazy Horse Monument Is So Enormous That The Work Needed To Complete It Beggars Belief
By Richard Arghiris – Image courtesy Crazy Horse Memorial. “Upon suffering beyond suffering,” said Crazy Horse in 1877, describing his final vision to Chief Sitting Bull. “The Red Nation shall rise again, and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A …
Why the number 137 is one of the greatest mysteries in physics
Famous physicists like Richard Feynman think 137 holds the answers to the Universe. By Paul Ratner – The fine structure constant has mystified scientists since the 1800s. The number 1/137 might hold the clues to the Grand Unified Theory. Relativity, electromagnetism and quantum …
MIT scientists propose giant laser beacon to attract alien attention
The concept was likened to a porch light in our little neighborhood of the galaxy. By Brandon A. Weber – It could be the thing that makes an intelligent alien civilization stop and look at us further. It’s surprisingly not all that difficult …
Dark-roast coffee may prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Ben Coxworth – The longer a coffee is roasted, the higher its level of phenylindanes (Credit: AlekseyPatsyuk/Depositphotos). For years, scientists have suspected that drinking coffee helps lessen the chances of getting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. A new study indicates that this may indeed …