‘Medieval Warm Period’ May Not Have Been Global Climate Event
Some of those who argue against human causation of climate change often point to a number of Earth’s past climatic events and periods such as the ‘Medieval Warm Period’ and the ‘Little Ice Age’ as examples that climate change can be the result of natural and not necessarily anthropogenic in origin. But now a new study published in the journal ‘Science […]
Earth’s Atmosphere Got Its Oxygen in Periodic Bursts Over a 100 Million Year Period
For about the first 2.1 billion years of Earth’s history, its atmosphere didn’t have enough oxygen to support complex life. Scientists believe that Earth’s first atmosphere,formed after its creation, was probably made up of hydrogen and helium. Then as a result of volcanic eruptions that spewed gases from Earth’s interior, in a process known as […]
Oxygen Found in Comet’s Atmosphere; Making Robots Walk Like Humans
Scientists Find Oxygen in Comet’s Atmosphere A couple of days ago we told you about the discovery of a boozy comet that dispensed large amounts of alcohol, sugar and other organic compounds as it made its pass by the sun last January. Now, researchers from the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University […]
A Close Look at Saturn Moon’s North Pole; Imitation Skin Senses Pressure
Cassini Explores North Pole Area of Saturn’s Moon Enceladus NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has been sending back spectacular images and providing scientists with valuable data about the Saturn and its many moons since its arrival there in 2004. On October 14th, Cassini returned to Saturn’s ice-covered and 6th largest moon Enceladus, the latest of many trips […]
Babies Smile to Make You Smile Back
Most people agree that there’s something very special about a baby’s smile. But is there a purpose behind that smile? What are they trying to communicate to us? A new multidisciplinary study has found that babies smile to get you to interact with them and smile back. Writing in the recent issue of the journal PLOS […]
Whirling Black Holes’ Dance to End in Cosmic Blast
Some 3.5 billion light years from Earth, in the Virgo Constellation, there are two black holes (binary black hole), locked by gravity, that are madly orbiting each other. But their orbits are continuing to close in and scientists from Columbia University expect that in about 100,000 years they will join together in one huge cosmic […]
Playing Tetris May Help Addicts Reduce Cravings
Could playing a classic block-shifting puzzle video game help drug addicts and compulsive eaters overcome, or at least reduce, their addictions or their obsession with food? Psychologists in the U.K. and Australia said that they found playing Tetris can weaken cravings for things such as drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, food and drugs, as well as […]
Rise in the Volume of Arctic Sea Ice Noted by UK Researchers
Previous research has suggested that both the thickness and extent of Arctic summer sea ice have dramatically declined over the past 30 years. The data includes measurements taken by the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. But now, some British scientists have found the volume of Arctic sea ice has actually increased […]
NASA’s Boomerang-Like Aircraft, Kid Athletes Excel in Class, Citrus and Skin Cancer
Boomerang-Like Aircraft Could Help NASA Find Landing Sites on Mars NASA has built a prototype of what it hopes to be the first aircraft to fly on Mars sometime in the 2020’s. Shaped like a boomerang, the flying wing Prandtl-m will be rather small, with a 61 cm wingspan, and weighing only about 454 grams. […]
Poor Sleep Quality Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke
Researchers have found that poor sleep could contribute to increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart attacks and strokes, are the number one cause of death worldwide, claiming 17 million lives each year, according to the World Health Organization. “Sleep disorders are very closely related to the presence of cardiovascular diseases,” […]