This stunning view of the total solar eclipse in 2017 was made by combining seven exposures ranging from short to long. The surface of the Moon is visible in this image because it is illuminated by light reflected off Earth, called Earthshine. (Credit: Michael S. Adler) On August 21, 2017, over half of the population […]
The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus spacecraft aboard, is seen on Pad-0A, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. (Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky) An Impending Launch This week, Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket will launch the Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. The craft will deliver supplies and scientific equipment […]
(Credit: Andre Marais/Shutterstock) Finding food is a risky undertaking for wild animals. But for some predators, the element of risk, and it’s twin, luck, is a much greater factor. Predators like the cheetah aren’t guaranteed meals when they set out to hunt, researchers find in a new study, and that puts them at risk in […]
Indian muntjac deer have both fangs short antlers. (Credit: Mauro Rodrigues/shutterstock) (Inside Science) — When do you need a broadsword, and when would you be better off with a dagger? That’s the question that faced artiodactyls, the group of mammals that includes deer, antelope, goats, giraffes, pigs, buffalo and cows, during their evolution. Many male […]
Neanderthals are thought to have relied on dangerous close-range hunting techniques using weapons like the thrusting spears depicted here. New research brings that assumption into question. (Credit: Gleiver Prieto) Is it time to put the stereotype of the violent and brutish Neanderthal to rest? New research paints a different picture of the ancient hominin — one that […]
A very rare rainbow in the Atacama Desert in Chile. (Credit: Carlos González-Silva) Exterminating Rains The rain fell in the Atacama Desert in Chile for the first time in hundreds of years, and it caused a mass extinction. It might seem natural to think that such rains would be followed by blooming flowers and new life. […]
Sputnik Planitia on Pluto, where strange ridges can be found. (Credit: NASA/Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/O. White) Scientists have traced strange landforms on Pluto back to their ancient glacial origins. A letter by SETI Institute scientist Oliver White and colleagues shows how ridged landforms on Pluto provide evidence for glaciers on the dwarf planet some […]
Kratom is a drug popular in Southeast Asia that’s derived from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tree in the coffee family. Kratom’s pain relieving properties allowed it to surge in popularity in the United States in the wake of the opioid crisis. (Rattiya Thongdumhyu/shutterstock) Across America, thousands of people are throwing away their prescription […]
The Irish Aviation Authority has begun an investigation into the sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO) by a number of aircraft off the south-west coast of Ireland last Friday. At approximately 6.47am on November 9, the pilot of a British By Catherine ShanahanThe Irish Exxaminer11-12-18 Airways flight, call sign Speedbird94, contacted Shannon […]
Former army officer tells us what he saw while out in the wilderness. An army officer explain that while out in the wilderness he came across something he couldn’t explain. Over the years many interesting stories have been told by people in the military. This person encountered something strange while out in the woods. He […]
The image shows an artist’s impression of Barnard’s star b and its dim host star. (Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser) Put on your friendliest face and say hello to the newest member of our planetary neighborhood: Barnard’s star b. An international team led by researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science announced today that they’ve detected an exoplanet orbiting Barnard’s […]
Damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas. (Credit: AMFPhotography/Shutterstock) The death toll from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria numbers in the thousands. Excessive rain and flooding from the Atlantic hurricane season led to damages that cost at least $265 billion. Now, two new studies show how human activity is at fault. “Tropical cyclones can […]
An artist’s illustration shows what of the exoplanet orbiting Barnard’s Star might look like on the surface. (Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser) Just six light-years from Earth, the second closest star system to our sun hosts a frozen super-Earth, according to new findings by an international team of researchers. Barnard’s Star is a small, ancient kind of […]
Soy formula exposure during infancy may cause more severe period cramps in adulthood. Around 12 percent of babies are regularly fed soy. (Credit: MaraZe/Shutterstock) Many women accept menstrual cramps as a fact of life. But researchers say that some women have it worse than others and that it may be related to what they were fed […]
What does a martian sunrise sound like? Now you can find out, as researchers have “sonified” (or turned into sound) an image of the Opportunity rover’s 5,000th sunrise on Mars. The data have been used to create a unique, two-minute piece of music, titled “Mars Soundscapes” — check it out below: [embedded content] To turn […]