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Did Geometry Guide the Construction of the World’s Oldest Temple?
New research suggests the center points of three stone megalith circles at Göbekli Tepe form a near-perfect triangle. An aerial view of one of the circular enclosures at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey (Gil Haklay / AFTAU) By Alex Fox, SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 May 28 …
Animals that can do math understand more language than we think
By Erik Nelson, Phd Student, Philosophy, Dalhousie University 2020 May 28 – It is often thought that humans are different from other animals in some fundamental way that makes us unique, or even more advanced than other species. These claims of human …
Closest exoplanet more Earth-like than previously thought
By David Szondy 2020 May 28 – Artist’s impression showing a view of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system. ESO/M. Kornmesser. – A team of international researchers has confirmed …
Ancient bones reveal Irish are not Celts after all
The chance discovery of ancient bones under an Irish pub in County Antrim in the mid-2000s has cast doubt over whether Irish people are actually related to the ancient Celts at all. IrishCentral Staff, @IrishCentral – 2020 May 01 – The bones could …
Against All Odds, England’s Massive Chalk Horse Has Survived 3,000 Years
Cleaning up the Uffington Horse is the neigh-borly thing to do. The White Horse at Uffington, Oxfordshire. (AP Photo). By Emily Cleaver, SmithsonianMag.Com – If you stand in the valley near the village of Uffington in Oxfordshire, England, and look up at the …
Yale study discovers brain network responsible for feelings of stress
By Rich Haridy 2020 May 27 – A new study suggests connectivity between the hippocampus and other brain regions determines our acute feeling of stress. Nomadsoul1/Depositphotos. – New research from scientists at Yale University is offering novel insights into how our brains generate acute …
The bad news quietly buried during the pandemic
Adobe Stock – By Zoë Beery, Columbia Journalism Review 2020 May 28 – With the world’s attention glued to the coronavirus pandemic, news about anything else has been slipping farther and farther down the proverbial front page. But that doesn’t mean nothing’s been …
Coronavirus: French alarm at Covid-linked Med pollution
2020 May 26 – Soiled latex gloves and masks found on seabed near Antibes – Video shot by a French environmental NGO in the Mediterranean Sea shows masks and gloves littering the seabed. Opération mer propre (Operation clean sea) is trying to clean …
Stylish, asymmetric floating house will be 3D-printed in 48 hours
By Loz Blain 2020 May 26 – Prvok, a 3D-printed small home on a pontoon, will be the Czech Republic’s first piece of printed architecture. Prvok od Burinky. – The Czech Republic’s first 3D-printed house will go up next month, to demonstrate the speed …
Blocking molecule could prevent “slow burn” organ transplant rejection
By Michael Irving 2020 May 27 – Blocking a certain molecule could help prevent transplanted organs from being rejected. Talaj/Depositphotos – Organ transplants are often necessary, but rejection by the recipient’s immune system is an ongoing risk. Now, researchers at Yale have discovered a …
Drone used to safely study an active volcano
By Ben Coxworth 2020 May 25 – The Santa María volcano in Guatemala, Zorn et al. 2020, Nature – Scientific Reports: DOI 10.1038/s41586-020-2212-1 – Active volcanic craters are something that people generally don’t want to get very close to – even if they’re dedicated …
Inside The Coal Mine That Revealed Proof Of A Prehistoric Mega-Snake In A Land Of Enormous Reptiles
By Genevieve Carlton – Most people have never heard of the Cerrejón coal mine, located in Colombia. The mine pumps out over 30 million tons of coal each year, and it’s also become a critical site for scientists. In fact, the coal …
The Social Psychology of Popular Right-Wing Conservatism
by Daniel Burnstein 2020 May 24 – An 1856 cartoon depicts Republican John C. Fremont as a representative not only of abolition but of a host of threatening social movements. Many people who see little rational basis for supporting Donald Trump ask themselves: …
A picture of isolation: The best COVID-19 lockdown photography
By Rich Haridy 2020 May 25 – ‘Outdoor sports photographer in quarantine.’ Stockholm, Sweden @dmartphoto – With billions of people subjected to some level of stay-at-home order over the past couple of months, the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered one of the most profound shared …
Spiritualism and Suspension Bridges: John Roebling and a Biographer’s Sympathy for the Weird 19th Century
By Richard Haw – 2020 May 10 – Two things that have often seemed in short supply in our national politics over the last few years are a respect for history—not just the lessons it can teach us, but what forces and factors …
The Oldest Houses In The World That Are Somehow Still Standing
By Pierce Nahigyan 2020 May 14 – Shrines, castles, temples, and cathedrals are built to last, so it’s no wonder that they make up most of the oldest standing buildings in the world. Many of them were commissioned by emperors and kings and …
12 of the Most Haunted Places in America — and the Books that Define Them
Beware the restless spirits and evil forces that occupy these eerie places. Their stories alone are the stuff nightmares are made of. Experience the spookiness of each for yourself through the books and movies that they inspired. Life is an adventure worth caring …
What race are the Ainu people of Japan?
By Alexei Muraki, Updated 2020 Apr 25 – It is generally suggested (through archeological and genetic evidence) that the Ainu (or the ancestors of the Ainu) originated in southern Siberia or somewhere in Central Asia. From there my ancestors migrated to the …
California trash-to-hydrogen plant promises dirt-cheap, super-green H2
By Loz Blain 2020 May 21 – The heart of a new “greener than green” hydrogen production facility design planned for Lancaster, California – Lancaster, California, will be home to a “greener than green” trash-to hydrogen production plant three times the size of any …
Experimental photonic chip clocks crazy 44-Terabit internet speed
By Michael Irving 2020 May 22 – One of the micro-comb photonic chips, which allowed internet speeds of up to 44.2 Tb/s. Monash University. – An Australian research team has recorded the fastest ever internet speed from a single light source – an absolutely …
Secret Societies From History You’d Most Want to Infiltrate
By Genevieve Carlton – From the Illuminati to the Freemasons, and the Knights Templar to the Knights of Malta, historical secret societies have long been the stuff of world-domination rumors. But what are the best secret societies to join? That really depends on what …
Want to eat less meat? Take a page from these cultures that already do
By Kristen Rogers, CNN • Updated 2020 May 21 – As the pandemic pokes holes in America’s meat supply chain, many people are thinking about eating less meat or even going vegetarian. – Maybe you’re thinking about the safety of plant workers, animal welfare, cleanliness or costs. – That …
The Weirdest Ideas In History That Somehow Came True
By Jesse Childs – The outlandish ideas of one era can eventually become predictions that come true at a later date. Something that was seen as unfathomable, implausible, or even ludicrous at one point can end up as a part of everyday life over the years. Inventors, scientists, and …
Fascinating Old Photographs – These photo’s are well worth the time spent looking
These photos are rare indeed! Enjoy a bit of lost history captured by some vintage photographers. Cowboys around the hoodlum wagon, Spur Ranch, Texas, 1910 – Judging by the saddle style, this unidentified cowboy was working in the late 1870s or early 1880s. …
Antarctic penguins release an extreme amount of laughing gas in their feces, it turns out
By Leah Asmelash, CNN – Updated 2020 May 19 – King Penguins on the island of South Georgia in St Andrews Bay. – Laughing gas isn’t just something they give you at the dentist. It also comes out of penguin poop. How do …
Yogi Berra Quotes
Here are 25 Yogi Berra quotes that will make you shake your head and smile. 1. “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” 2. “We made too many wrong mistakes.” 3. “You can observe a lot just by watching.” 4. “A nickel ain’t worth a …
Single off-switch found to dampen multiple pain centers in the brain
By Nick Lavars 2020 May 18 – In experiments scientists have found neuron cells in the central amygdala are linked to more than a dozen pain response regions in the brain. pixologic/Depositphotos. – What drives pain and how it might be prevented in humans …
Long-necked, toothless T.rex cousin unearthed in Australia
By Michael Irving 2020 May 18 – An artist’s impression of the new elaphrosaur, discovered in Victoria, Australia. Ruairidh Duncan. – Paleontologists in Australia have uncovered a strange new species of dinosaur. This new creature is an elaphrosaur, placing it in the theropod family …
Study Suggests Home Cooking is a Main Ingredient in Healthier Diet
(Illustration courtesy of Inverse.Com) – People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research. “When people cook most of their meals at home, they …
Poimo: An inflatable ebike that fits in a backpack
By Loz Blain 2020 May 12 – The Poimo portable ebike prototype currently needs an external air compressor, but a production model would have that built in. Tokyo University. – We’ve seen our share of portable ebikes, but this adorable little cutie takes things …
How do Buddhists handle coronavirus? The answer is not just meditation
Buddhist monks in Thailand pray at Phleng temple amid the COVID-19 crisis, 2020 May 11. Chaiwat Subprasom/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images 2020 May 15 By Pierce Salguero, Associate Professor of Asian History & Religious Studies, Pennsylvania State University Pierce Salguero, Pennsylvania State …
You’re not going far from home – and neither are the animals you spy out your window
Is it that same busy squirrel you’re watching every day? Julian Avery, CC BY-ND 2020 May 11 By Julian Avery, Assistant Research Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Pennsylvania State University Julian Avery, Pennsylvania State University – Watching the wildlife outside your window …
Cold war nuclear tests changed rainfall thousands of miles away
2020 May 14 – Lerwick in Shetland, off the north coast of Scotland, received more rainfall than normal as a result of nuclear testing. John Dowling/Shutterstock – By Giles Harrison, Professor of Atmospheric Physics, University of Reading – It’s difficult to imagine quite …
The End of the Huns: The Death of Attila and the Fall of the Hunnic Empire
2019 May 13 – 22:09 By Dhwty (Wu Mingren) – Attila the Hun was also known as Flagellum Dei, which means the ‘Scourge of God.’ With him at the lead, the Huns were one of the biggest threats faced by the Roman Empire. …
What makes the wind?
2020 May 14 – By Adam Sokol, Doctoral Student in Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington – Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. What …
Atmospheric CO2 soars to record heights in spite of global pandemic
By Nick Lavars 2020 May 12 – While the coronavirus pandemic has led to a decline in carbon emissions in some areas, the effect is expected to be short-lived. kodda/Depositphotos. – The wheels we humans have set in motion concerning carbon dioxide emissions and …
High-energy cosmic neutrinos traced back to their home quasars
By Michael Irving 2020 May 13 – An artist’s illustration of the Russian RATAN-600 radio telescope, which helped trace back the origins of high-energy neutrinos. Daria Sokol/MIPT Press Office. – There are billions of tiny particles called neutrinos streaming through your body right now. …
Ancient Cataclysms: 9 Catastrophes That Rocked the World
2019 May 16 – 18:45 ancient-origins Ancient Cataclysms: 9 Catastrophes That Rocked the World Ancient cultures around the world have passed down their tales of devastating natural disasters in oral traditions, folklore, historical accounts, pictorial representations, and through myths. Catastrophic natural phenomena like …
Experimental gene therapy prevents obesity, builds muscle, without exercise or dieting
By Rich Haridy 2020 May 10 – An animal study saw mice fed high-fat diets build muscle and become stronger without exercising or becoming obese. vectorfusionart/Depositphotos. – A compelling new study, led by scientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has …
New observations of Ryugu reveal the ancient asteroid’s colorful past
By Nick Lavars 2020 May 11 – A false color map of Ryugu. Morota et al. – Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is scheduled to arrive back on Earth later this year following a sample collection at asteroid Ryugu, but the mission is offering fascinating …
Did Geometry Guide the Construction of the World’s Oldest Temple?
New research suggests the center points of three stone megalith circles at Göbekli Tepe form a near-perfect triangle. An aerial view of one of the circular enclosures at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey (Gil Haklay / AFTAU) By Alex Fox, SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 May 28 …
Animals that can do math understand more language than we think
By Erik Nelson, Phd Student, Philosophy, Dalhousie University 2020 May 28 – It is often thought that humans are different from other animals in some fundamental way that makes us unique, or even more advanced than other species. These claims of human …
Closest exoplanet more Earth-like than previously thought
By David Szondy 2020 May 28 – Artist’s impression showing a view of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system. ESO/M. Kornmesser. – A team of international researchers has confirmed …
Ancient bones reveal Irish are not Celts after all
The chance discovery of ancient bones under an Irish pub in County Antrim in the mid-2000s has cast doubt over whether Irish people are actually related to the ancient Celts at all. IrishCentral Staff, @IrishCentral – 2020 May 01 – The bones could …
Against All Odds, England’s Massive Chalk Horse Has Survived 3,000 Years
Cleaning up the Uffington Horse is the neigh-borly thing to do. The White Horse at Uffington, Oxfordshire. (AP Photo). By Emily Cleaver, SmithsonianMag.Com – If you stand in the valley near the village of Uffington in Oxfordshire, England, and look up at the …
Yale study discovers brain network responsible for feelings of stress
By Rich Haridy 2020 May 27 – A new study suggests connectivity between the hippocampus and other brain regions determines our acute feeling of stress. Nomadsoul1/Depositphotos. – New research from scientists at Yale University is offering novel insights into how our brains generate acute …
The bad news quietly buried during the pandemic
Adobe Stock – By Zoë Beery, Columbia Journalism Review 2020 May 28 – With the world’s attention glued to the coronavirus pandemic, news about anything else has been slipping farther and farther down the proverbial front page. But that doesn’t mean nothing’s been …
Coronavirus: French alarm at Covid-linked Med pollution
2020 May 26 – Soiled latex gloves and masks found on seabed near Antibes – Video shot by a French environmental NGO in the Mediterranean Sea shows masks and gloves littering the seabed. Opération mer propre (Operation clean sea) is trying to clean …
Stylish, asymmetric floating house will be 3D-printed in 48 hours
By Loz Blain 2020 May 26 – Prvok, a 3D-printed small home on a pontoon, will be the Czech Republic’s first piece of printed architecture. Prvok od Burinky. – The Czech Republic’s first 3D-printed house will go up next month, to demonstrate the speed …
Blocking molecule could prevent “slow burn” organ transplant rejection
By Michael Irving 2020 May 27 – Blocking a certain molecule could help prevent transplanted organs from being rejected. Talaj/Depositphotos – Organ transplants are often necessary, but rejection by the recipient’s immune system is an ongoing risk. Now, researchers at Yale have discovered a …