WEIRD SCIENCE
By Nick Lavars – Concentration of atmospheric C02 has now hit 415.26 ppm, the highest point in human history. (Credit: rclassenlayouts/Depositphotos). The fact that we humans are pumping more and more carbon dioxide into the air is well-known, but the extent to which …
By Michael Irving – A new study dates the Earth’s inner core to just 565 million years old – much younger than the 4.5-billion year old planet. (Credit: Shad.off/Depositphotos). The Earth is almost 4.5 billion years old, but it’s young at heart – …
By Anthony Wood – Views Mars’ largest moon Phobos captured by NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/SSI). NASA has released new images of the Martian moon Phobos that could shed light on the origin of the enigmatic satellite. Scientists are currently unsure …
By Nick Lavars – Can carbon fiber store energy for electric vehicles, as well as serve as structural elements? (Credit: jukai5/Depositphotos). Carbon fiber as we know it is one of the most impressive materials in our toolkit. Its incredible lightness and strength has …
Pit stop analysis shows ancient travelers were often thousands of miles from home. By Annalee Newitz – Archaeologists scraped fecal bits off these ancient wipe sticks, discovered in a 2,000-year-old latrine at a pit stop along the Silk Road in Dunhuang, China. Hui-Yuan …
By David Szondy – Three Mile Island was the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history. (Credit: US Department of Energy). The Three Mile Island nuclear power station in Pennsylvania is scheduled to close in September according its owner, Exelon Generation. …
By Adam Williams – The Floating Tower, by Piotr Yurchanka, Alexey Kunko, Vladislav Sidorenko and Dmitry Tkachuk, would restore the drained swamps of Belarus. The project is one of 27 honorable mentions in the 2019 eVolo Skyscraper Competition. (Credit: eVolo). The 2019 eVolo Skyscraper Competition winners …
By Rich Haridy – New research has discovered functional odor receptors inside taste cells on the tongue. (Credit: lightsource/Depositphotos). We know that our perception of flavor involves a complex interaction between odors detected in the nose and tastes sensed by our tongue. A …
By David Szondy – A microscopic sample of the researchers’ “metallic wood”. (Credit: University of Pennsylvania). A new technique has been used to turn ordinary metals into “metallic wood” with a greatly improved strength-to-weight ratio. By manipulating materials at the atomic scale, scientists …
Two major factors set these counties apart. By Emma Betuel – In the first five months of 2019, measles cases surged in the United States, hitting the highest numbers since the disease was officially eliminated from the US, and there’s still over half …
