Many residents in the western German city of Andernach pick up flour, eggs and other staples at local stores and markets, but pick their produce in the town center. Since 2010, Andernach began planting special gardens in areas that were previously overgrown and unkempt. These days,...
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Swallowing prey is not a problem for the Burmese python, one of the largest snakes in the world. Measuring about 18 feet in length and weighing up to 200 pounds, the pythons are able to gulp down large creatures, including sizable white-tailed deer and alligators. But scientists...
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Conservationists strive to create protected zones to protect populations of endangered animals but not all animals are happy in them, according to a new study. For example, an international research team recently discovered that Asian elephants prefer to live outside – but not too far –...
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Not a lot of brain power is needed to play the 1970s video game “Pong” – a few brain cells can do it. Recently, scientists taught a dish of living brain cells how to play the cult table tennis game, in a study that aims to...
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Narwhals are elusive creatures by nature, which has made it challenging for scientists to study them as they go about their business under the Arctic’s sea ice. The whales are known for their deep dives to nearly 1.2 miles below the surface and their dependence on...
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Fungi can grow anywhere, including in cancer cells, according to Live Science. Two new studies found DNA from fungal cells in the tumors of cancer patients. In the first paper, a research team checked for fungal traces in 35 different cancer types by analyzing more than 17,000...
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Spider silk is considered one of the strongest materials in nature – five times tougher than steel. Despite the abundance of spiders in the world, though, it is not easy to collect large amounts of this silk for mass production. But scientists in China recently found that...
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In the 1940s, paleontologists discovered a peculiar dinosaur vertebra in Colombia’s Serranía del Perijá mountains. Then for decades, researchers were unable to return to the site because of a long-lasting civil war that plagued the South American country only until recently, the Washington Post reported. Following the...
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NASA’s planetary defense mission was a smashing success, the Associated Press reported. The agency’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft was able to divert the orbit of the 525-foot-long Dimorphos asteroid after crashing against the space rock last month. The DART mission is part of NASA’s efforts...
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Animal cloning reached new milestones recently after Chinese scientists successfully cloned a female Arctic wolf, Newsweek reported. The Beijing-based company, Sinogene Biotechnology, unveiled the cloned animal last month, saying it was the “first case of its kind in the world.” The cloned wolf, Maya, is a few...
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Most children doodle, usually out of boredom. British artist Sam Cox, however, is trying to elevate it to high art. He recently fulfilled his dream of doodling on every square inch of his domicile. “I’ve always wanted to live in a completely doodled house,” he told the...
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Israeli archaeologists recently discovered traces of opium in a number of ceramic artifacts dating to the 14th century BCE, possibly the earliest known evidence of the drug in the ancient world, Smithsonian Magazine reported. Researchers initially found the ancient pottery vessels at a burial site in...
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Dogs can sniff out many things, from hidden narcotics to individuals infected with the coronavirus. Previous studies have suggested that pooches can also pick up on human emotions. New research now shows that they can smell when their owners are stressed, USA Today reported. In a new...
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LED lights are known for being energy-efficient and less costly to run, but scientists cautioned that their widespread use can come with adverse consequences, the Guardian reported. In a new study, a research team studied images captured from the International Space Station and noticed that a...
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As the climate crisis unfolds, scientists are proposing a very ambitious – and highly controversial – plan to refreeze the Earth’s poles to dial down the global thermostat, Sky News reported. The plan would involve sending a fleet of 125 high-flying jets to spray microscopic sulfur...
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NASA’s Cassini space probe collected a myriad of data about Saturn before its mission ended in 2017. Now, that data is helping scientists learn more about the planet and how it got its fascinating rings, Science Magazine reported. Past research has shown that the water-ice rings encircling...
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Past studies have shown that the tentacles in octopuses have minds of their own, but that doesn’t mean catching prey is challenging for them – that’s because of leadership and delegation, scientists said in a new study. Scientists tested how the California two-spot octopus species reacted...
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The ancient Mayans left grandiose sites filled with intricate art and majestic pyramids in what is now Central America. But archaeologists recently discovered that the Mesoamerican civilization had major mercury pollution in its cities, Cosmos Magazine reported. Researchers reviewed available data on mercury pollution at 10 different...
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NASA successfully crashed a spacecraft into a 520-foot-long asteroid last week, marking a big step forward in the agency’s quest to protect civilization from cataclysmic space rocks, USA Today reported. The 1,260-pound Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft – or DART for short– collided with the 11-billion-pound asteroid Dimorphos...
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Children are not easily fooled, despite what adults tell them, according to a new study. Scientists recently conducted two experiments on children between the ages of four and seven to determine how the little ones responded to dubious claims by adults, Cosmos magazine reported. In their first...
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