The Eyes Have It! Evolution’s Witness: How Eyes Evolved
According to an old proverb, the eyes are the windows of the soul. They’re also one of the most important accomplishments of evolution, nature’s perfect camera providing us with a vivid visual sense of the world around us. However, did you ever wonder how the eye came to be? What caused the eye to be […]
Lifelong Musicians Hear Better Than the Rest of Us
Lifelong musicians are less likely to experience age-related hearing problems than non-musicians, according to a new Canadian study. The National Institutes of Health says one-third of Americans between 65 and 74 has hearing problems, as do half of those who are 85 and older. Among the hearing problems many older people experience is difficulty understanding […]
Science Scanner: World’s Smallest Electric Motor Made From Single Molecule
Engineers have miniaturized a number of electronic and mechanical devices over the years, but chemists at Tufts University in Massachusetts have gone one step further; they say they’ve developed the world’s first single-molecule electric motor. The single-molecule device measures a mere one nanometer across. The current world record is a 200-nanometer motor. A single strand […]
Science Scanner: Jumping on the Asteroid Belt Between Mars and Jupiter
In the first stop of its mission to explore the origins of the solar system, NASA’s space probe Dawn sent back its first close-up picture of the giant asteroid Vesta on Friday, July 15. Dawn is the very first spacecraft to orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Vesta […]
Survival of the Fittest Theory Gets a Boost
Do certain species survive at the expense of others? The question of competition between the species was at the heart of a premise first explored by Charles Darwin in 1859. A new study lends further support to this aspect of Darwin’s still-controversial theory of natural selection. Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species by Means of […]
Did Life on Earth Begin on an Asteroid?
Can life on Earth be traced to asteroids that crashed into our planet over the millenia? A recent research project provides evidence to support that theory. The study indicates that Earth-bound asteroids not only delivered the life-starting organic compounds, but also that these compounds evolved over time. A research team, led by University of Alberta […]
Prehistoric Man Stayed Home While Females Roamed
Our ancient ancestors might have been shaking up gender roles back in the day. Colorado researchers found that, in two hominid species that lived on the South African savanna over a million years ago, the males preferred to stay close to home while the females were more likely to roam about. The study team, led […]
Science Scanner: As One Mission Ends, NASA Readies Its Last
One down, one more to go… This past Wednesday was a rather busy day at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Space Shuttle Endeavour and her six-member crew flew home for the last time, landing at 2:34 a.m. EDT. Endeavour’s final mission, STS-134, lasted 16 days and covered more than 10,460,736 kilometers (6.5 million […]
Science Scanner: NASA Readies for Human Deep Space Exploration
NASA Spacecraft to Take Humans into Deep Space NASA has revealed the new US spacecraft which will take humans into deep space. The vehicle will carry four astronauts for 21-day missions and be able to land in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. It is designed to be 10 times safer during ascent and […]
Improved Sense of Smell Led to Bigger Brains
We all enjoy the aroma of beautiful flowers or of those freshly baked cookies. Our acute sense of smell is something that is unique to mammals. And, according to a recent discovery, it also boosted brain evolution. The study, published in the journal Science, may help explain why mammals evolved such large and complex brains, […]