Astronomers May Have Spotted A Moon Orbiting an Extrasolar Planet
According to NASA, more than 1,000 extrasolar planets have been confirmed in recent years. There are also thousands more potential planets beyond our solar system that are waiting to be discovered. Now, an international group of astronomers think they may have found the first exomoon, or moon circling an exoplanet, some 1,800 light years away […]
Earth’s Magnetic Fields Guide Salmon Home to Spawn
Earth’s magnetic fields play a significant role in helping salmon find their way home to spawn, according to two new studies from Oregon State University. After poring over 56 years of data, the researchers found that a magnetic map is responsible for providing sockeye salmon with their keen sense of direction which guides them home, […]
Monarch Butterfly Mexico Migration Hits All-time Low
One of nature’s most beautiful sights is when a monarch butterfly comes fluttering into view. Monarchs are the only known North American butterfly to migrate south for the winter, hibernating and returning in the spring as birds do. However, a new report finds the number of these butterflies hibernating in Mexico reached an all-time low […]
Data Shows Universe Could Collapse Any Minute
Our universe is at even greater risk of collapse than has been previously thought, according physicists in Denmark. Not only are the scientists predicting the end of the world… but the end of the universe! The prediction that the universe will collapse and compress into a small hard ball isn’t something new. Physicists have been […]
Real-time Flu Forecasting Proves Successful in Large-scale Test
A flu forecasting system that uses some of the same techniques as modern weather forecasting was not only able to predict the timing of the 2012-2013 influenza season, but was able to do so nine weeks before the flu season peaked. Columbia University researchers say there were able to correctly predict that flu activity in […]
Dogs Communicate with Wag of a Tail
The direction in which a dog wags its tail can communicate its emotional state to other canines, according to a new study published in Current Biology. The Italian research team behind the study says dogs recognize, and respond accordingly, whether other canines wag their tails to the right or to the left. The reason dogs […]
Study: Sudden Explosion of Cambrian Period Animal Life Caused by a ‘Cascade of Events’
Last week we told you about an Australian study that suggested that the evolution of life during the Cambrian Explosion took place at five times the rate it occurs today. Now, another group of scientists from Britain, in their newly published study, weigh in on the “Big Bang of Life.” They propose that the explosion […]
Scientists Track Happiness with Cell Phones
Every day it seems that people are coming up with new and innovative ways to use mobile devices like cell phones and smartphones. Researchers at Princeton University are looking for new ways to measure a person’s sense of well-being with mobile devices. To gain a better understanding of how cellphones and other mobile device can […]
New Robot Crawls Like a Sea Turtle
Researchers have designed a robot that crawls like a sea turtle which could help inspire future multi-terrain robots that would also be able to swim and walk. The new robot, dubbed “Flipperbot,” was designed to allow scientists to learn more about the locomotion of animals such as seals, sea turtles and mudskippers. Its creators, from […]
Report Finds Asians, Africans and South Americans Might Make Better Musicians
If you speak a tonal language like Cantonese or Vietnamese, you might have a better ear for learning musical notes, even if you’re not a musician. Tonal languages, found mostly in Asia, Africa and South America, are those that use a number of high and low pitch sounds in patterns of speech. In these languages, […]