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In these ‘very dark times,’ Jane Goodall explains why she is still hopeful
By Becky Anderson and Sophie Tremblay Updated 8:06 AM ET, Sat February 15, 2020 Watch Jane Goodall’s full interview on CNN International’s Connect the World with Becky Anderson on Sunday, February 16th. – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Jane Goodall will be …
Semi-transparent solar cells could make greenhouses self-sufficient
By Michael Irving – Researchers have modeled how tomatoes growing in greenhouses would be affected by transparent solar cells installed on the roof. NoamArmonn/Depositphotos. Greenhouses and solar panels both need to be placed in areas with a lot of sunlight – so why …
Metal-infused lumber resists water and mold
By Ben Coxworth – A treated piece of wood resists absorbing water (left), while an untreated piece readily does so, changing color in the process (right). Allison Carter, Georgia Tech. – While lumber certainly has many desirable qualities as a building material, it typically …
CrossJack brings greater stability and safety to changing a tire
The CrossJack features a cross-shaped base for improved stability. w 3 Image. – The thump, thump, thump of a flat tire is a sound that is sure to wreck anyone’s day. Fighting the elements and getting a lungful of exhaust fumes from passing …
Celebrating a nation that doesn’t exist – Transnistria
Most people haven’t even heard of Transnistria, the breakaway state of Moldova that hugs its border with Ukraine. And that’s partly what makes it so fascinating to visit. By Sarah Reid – By the time the morning sun had crept above the city’s …
Rare Pink Manta Ray Spotted Near Australia’s Lady Elliot Island
Researchers suspect a genetic mutation may have gifted the giant fish, named Inspector Clouseau, his rosy hue. Inspector Clouseau, the world’s only known pink manta ray (Kristian Laine / Instagram). By Katherine J. Wu, smithsonianmag.com – Just in time for the rosiest holiday …
Iceland is officially worshiping Norse Gods again
For the first time since the Vikings sailed, the Icelandic public will soon be able to worship classical Norse gods like Odin, Thor, and Frigg at a public temple built in their honor. By Orion Jones – Photo credit: Shutterstock – For the …
Scientists discover how to use time crystals to power superconductors
Physicists propose using time crystals to bring about a quantum computing revolution. By Paul Ratner – Adobe stock. A team of scientists proposes using time crystals to power topological superconductors. The approach could lead to error-free quantum computers. Time crystals appear to break …
This Glass Gaming Piece May Hail From First Viking Raids in England
Discovered on the island of Lindisfarne, the artifact was likely once part of a Hnefatafl board game set. A piece of worked glass unearthed from the English island of Lindisfarne that researchers suspect may have once been a Viking game piece (Jeff Veitch). …
Does Tristan da Cunha have the world’s weirdest place names?
The world’s most isolated inhabited island also has some of the world’s strangest toponyms. Tristan da Cunha, spotted by NASA’s Terra ASTER satellite in 2006. Image: NASA ASTER Volcano Archive, JP. By Frank Jacobs – Tristan da Cunha is the world’s most isolated …
$4,400 electric trike pickup camper is a lean, green urban motorhome
By C.C. Weiss – Elektro Frosch Pro scooter camper. Elektro Frosch. – Forget all about the Tesla Cybertruck camper because there’s an even stranger electric pickup camper roaming the world. The Elektro Frosch camping scooter explores the outdoors one charge at a time, sending …
New toxic byproducts found in chlorinated water
By Michael Irving – Researchers have found that treating drinking water with chlorine could produce previously-unknown byproducts. Shebeko/Depositphotos. – Adding chlorine is one of the most common methods of disinfecting drinking water, but just how safe is it? Researchers from Johns Hopkins have now …
The best of the International Landscape Photographer of the Year awards
By Rich Haridy – Second-placed best single Photograph of the Year in the International Landscape Photographer of the Year awards. Sander Grefte/International Photographer of the Year. – Amateur Russian photographer Oleg Ershov has won the International Landscape Photographer of the Year award with a …
Manipulation of Spanish History Has Manufactured A Constitutional Crisis
By Dr. Christopher Binetti – a political scientist, historian, and adjunct professor at Middlesex county College in Edison, New Jersey. – Spain is facing an existential crisis. Catalonia, one of its seventeen constituent regions, has a government supported by a small majority that …
Harvester pulls record amount of drinking water out of thin air
By Michael Irving – From left, researchers on the study Zhiyong Xia, Matthew Logan and Spencer Langevin. Johns Hopkins APL. Clean water is all around us, and more literally than you might think – it’s floating around in the air most of …
MIT’s solid-state battery breakthrough may see phones last for days
By Nick Lavars – A breakthrough in battery architecture could lead to lithium batteries with far greater energy densities than those used today. Stillfx/Depositphotos. One of the many ways scientists hope to improve the performance of today’s lithium batteries is by swapping out some …
Iconic short film upscaled to 4K/60p, with impressive results
By Paul Ridden – The classic silent film was upscaled to 4K/60p using algorithms available online. – YouTuber Denis Shiryaev has upscaled a mid-1890s classic silent short to 4K/60p modern goodness using “several neural networks.” And the result is nothing short of breathtaking. L’arrivée …
How Narcissists, Sociopaths, & Psychopaths Manipulate You Into An Emotionally Abusive Relationship
Photo: unsplash / kazuend – By Shahida Arabi – You need to recognize these signs. Society assumes that everyone has a conscience and the ability to empathize. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case — in fact, 1 in 25 people in the United States …
Handlebar Jack keeps bar-mounted gear from getting bent
By Ben Coxworth – The Original Handlebar Jack in use. The Handlebar Jack. 3 Images. – While many people routinely turn their bike upside-down to perform repairs, doing so can damage handlebar-mounted components such as brake levers, shifters and e-bike screens. The Original …
Certain ultrasound frequency may selectively destroy cancer cells
By Rich Haridy – New research suggests a very specific ultrasound frequency and pulse duration can kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones alone. Ugreen/Depositphotos. – A team of Caltech researchers is proposing a radical new technique for killing cancer cells using low-intensity …
The truth about green eyes
Shutterstock. By Brittany Brolley – Green eyes may just be more enigmatic than any other eye color. And you don’t have to dig too deep to realize that we are all pretty obsessed with this color. Green eyes have become a mainstay in …
Popular internet scams to watch out for in 2020
Protect yourself and your personal information at all times on the internet. By Andrew LaSane – Christin Hume on Unsplash. The internet is filled with scammers looking to steal your private information. The Better Business Bureau has shared important information on the scams …
American families waste a third of the food they purchase
On average, American households dump the equivalent of $1,900 worth of food a year. By Kevin Dickinson – (Photo: Unsplash) A recent study finds that the average American household wastes a third of its food. All told, the U.S. food system squanders billions …
How do woodpeckers avoid brain injury?
By Joanna McKittrick and Jae-Young Jung – Slamming a beak against the trunk of a tree would seem like an activity that would cause headaches, jaw aches and serious neck and brain injuries. Yet woodpeckers can do this 20 times per second and …
The Ancient Peruvian Mystery Solved From Space
These puzzling holes in the arid valleys of southern Perú tell us there was once a flourishing, sophisticated society here. BBC Future | By William Park – In one of the most arid regions in the world a series of carefully constructed, spiraling …
Grey seals spotted clapping underwater for the first time
By Nick Lavars – The idea of seals clapping may not seem all that surprising, but it has never been observed underwater in the wild before. Paradoxdes/Depositphotos. – Different creatures seek to attract mates in different ways, whether that be a peacock spreading …
Why some philosophers think you should be a vegetarian
We all know somebody who avoids meat. These schools of thought suggest those people are onto something. By Scotty Hendricks – Cute piglets, or bacon seeds depending on your point of view. Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images. …
How weeds help fight climate change
Most people see weeds as a problem. But one farmer has found they can help make dry, damaged land lush again – not to mention absorb carbon from the atmosphere. By Georgina Kenyon – More than 60 years ago, when he was a …
Engineered bacteria immunize bees against cause of colony collapse
By Michael Irving – A honeybee with a parasitic Varroa mite attached to its back. Alex Wild / University of Texas at Austin. – The world is losing huge numbers of honeybees to colony collapse disorder (CCD), which has devastating implications for global ecosystems …
Santa Fe, Kansas, Ft. Riley and the “Spanish Influenza” of 1918
How a killer flu spread from western Kansas to the world. By Beccy Tanner, The Wichita Eagle, February 19, 2018 – Ground Zero in one of the world’s deadliest influenza pandemics started quietly, inconspicuously. It was winter, 100 years ago. And it was …
Dangerous solar super-storms may occur on average once every 25 years
By Anthony Wood – An image showing an active region of the Sun, taken in July 2017 by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA. – A solar super-storm capable of seriously disrupting modern day technology has erupted from our Sun on average …
Why Tunis could be the new Rome
Tunis is bursting with the creative energy of a generation taking full advantage of its newfound freedom of expression and fervor for preserving its heritage in unexpected ways. – By Erin Clare Brown – The wait for admission to the Colosseum was approximately …
2020 Retromobile Auction Preview: Art Deco magic dominates the million-dollar cars
By Mike Hanlon – Coachbuilt survivors from the Art Deco era. Artcurial, Bonhams & RM-Sotheby’s. – The automotive heritage industry relocates across the Atlantic Ocean this week, as Paris prepares to become the center of the automotive world once more with the staging of …
Ford develops voice-based, 3D-printed wheel nuts to combat wheel theft
By Loz Blain – A single 3D printed, personalized wheel nut per wheel could prevent wheel theft. Ford. – Ford seems to believe theft of fancy alloy wheels is on the rise thanks to improved security systems that make it harder to steal whole …
Why we knock on wood
Knocking on wood may be a holdover from the pagan days of Europe, when tree spirits were believed to bring luck. Saiful bahri 46/Shutterstock.com. – By Rosemary V. Hathaway, Associate Professor of English, West Virginia University – Ever said something like, “I’ve never …
BBC Article Bashing Veganism Is Inaccurate, Biased, And Sensationalist
This long opinion piece is filled with wild speculation that is intended to induce unjustified anxiety in a dietary choice that is rightly increasing in popularity. Dr. Josh Cullimore, Jan 30, 2020 – The BBC’s recent opinion piece is filled with wild speculation …
An atomic marker hidden in plain sight
Most visitors will walk past 109 East Palace Avenue in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and have no idea that they are passing the site that once served as Robert Oppenheimer’s office. By Larry Bleiberg, 29 January 2020 – In the courtyard of a …
Is this how water escaped from Mars? A new study may hold answers
Scientists are getting closer to solving one of the biggest Martian mysteries. By Passant Rabie – In May, 2018, Mars was engulfed by a massive dust storm, covering the entire planet in a hazy blur that lasted for months. But while such an …
The surprising history of the word ‘dude’
Many common terms in English have unexpected roots. Kelly Grovier explores the origins of seven words coined in art history, including the political meanings of ‘silhouette’ and ‘picturesque’, and how ‘mobile’ became ‘mob’. By Kelly Grovier – Which came first, the chicken or …
How Buddhism spread written language around the world
By ensuring that the Buddha’s teachings were transmitted across millennia, the religion helped develop and spread printing techniques around the world – as a new exhibition reveals. By Cameron Laux, 15 January 2020 – Do you ever feel like you’re trapped …
In these ‘very dark times,’ Jane Goodall explains why she is still hopeful
By Becky Anderson and Sophie Tremblay Updated 8:06 AM ET, Sat February 15, 2020 Watch Jane Goodall’s full interview on CNN International’s Connect the World with Becky Anderson on Sunday, February 16th. – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Jane Goodall will be …
Semi-transparent solar cells could make greenhouses self-sufficient
By Michael Irving – Researchers have modeled how tomatoes growing in greenhouses would be affected by transparent solar cells installed on the roof. NoamArmonn/Depositphotos. Greenhouses and solar panels both need to be placed in areas with a lot of sunlight – so why …
Metal-infused lumber resists water and mold
By Ben Coxworth – A treated piece of wood resists absorbing water (left), while an untreated piece readily does so, changing color in the process (right). Allison Carter, Georgia Tech. – While lumber certainly has many desirable qualities as a building material, it typically …
CrossJack brings greater stability and safety to changing a tire
The CrossJack features a cross-shaped base for improved stability. w 3 Image. – The thump, thump, thump of a flat tire is a sound that is sure to wreck anyone’s day. Fighting the elements and getting a lungful of exhaust fumes from passing …
Celebrating a nation that doesn’t exist – Transnistria
Most people haven’t even heard of Transnistria, the breakaway state of Moldova that hugs its border with Ukraine. And that’s partly what makes it so fascinating to visit. By Sarah Reid – By the time the morning sun had crept above the city’s …
Rare Pink Manta Ray Spotted Near Australia’s Lady Elliot Island
Researchers suspect a genetic mutation may have gifted the giant fish, named Inspector Clouseau, his rosy hue. Inspector Clouseau, the world’s only known pink manta ray (Kristian Laine / Instagram). By Katherine J. Wu, smithsonianmag.com – Just in time for the rosiest holiday …
Iceland is officially worshiping Norse Gods again
For the first time since the Vikings sailed, the Icelandic public will soon be able to worship classical Norse gods like Odin, Thor, and Frigg at a public temple built in their honor. By Orion Jones – Photo credit: Shutterstock – For the …
Scientists discover how to use time crystals to power superconductors
Physicists propose using time crystals to bring about a quantum computing revolution. By Paul Ratner – Adobe stock. A team of scientists proposes using time crystals to power topological superconductors. The approach could lead to error-free quantum computers. Time crystals appear to break …
This Glass Gaming Piece May Hail From First Viking Raids in England
Discovered on the island of Lindisfarne, the artifact was likely once part of a Hnefatafl board game set. A piece of worked glass unearthed from the English island of Lindisfarne that researchers suspect may have once been a Viking game piece (Jeff Veitch). …
Does Tristan da Cunha have the world’s weirdest place names?
The world’s most isolated inhabited island also has some of the world’s strangest toponyms. Tristan da Cunha, spotted by NASA’s Terra ASTER satellite in 2006. Image: NASA ASTER Volcano Archive, JP. By Frank Jacobs – Tristan da Cunha is the world’s most isolated …