Mars In The News
Two new studies about Mars made news this week. Liquid Water Lake Detected on Mars First, a group of Italian scientists announced that they detected a 20-kilometer-wide lake of liquid water located about 1.5 kilometers beneath the ice of the southern polar ice cap of Mars. The scientists analyzed more than three years of data […]
T-Rex’s Teeth Structure, Lithium Found in Exploding Star, Is DC Sinking?
Structure of T-Rex’s Teeth Helped Make Them Terrifying Predators Researchers from the University of Toronto Mississauga have found evidence that one of the reasons carnivorous theropod dinosaurs, like Tyrannosaurus rex, were such successful predators was due to the unique structure of their teeth. The Canadian researchers found that T-Rex and related dinosaurs’ teeth were deeply […]
Common Ancestor of Today’s Horse and Rhino Found in India
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore say fossils found in an Indian coal mine are pointing to a common ancestor for today’s horses, rhinos and tapirs. The animals in question are members of an order called Perissodactyla or odd-toed ungulates because they happen to have an odd number of toes on their rear feet. […]
Developing Countries Inundated with E-waste; Google Street View of Distant Galaxies; Setting Sun Gives Bats Direction
Where Does the World’s E-Waste Go? When you replace a PC, tablet, mobile or any kind of electronic device, do you ever wonder what happens to your old equipment? A new study finds that about 25 percent of all e-waste discarded by developed countries ends up in seven developing nations, posing severe health risks to people […]
Flies Credited with Giving Zebras Their Stripes
Scientists say flies played a key role in the centuries-old mystery of how zebras came to have their distinguishing coat of black and white stripes. Like humans and other primates whose fingerprints are unique to each individual, every zebra has its own distinctive set of striped markings. The research team from the University of California, […]
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 […]
When Domesticated Cats Turn Deadly
Most people view cats as harmless pets, but for birds and small mammals, the domesticated feline can be a deadly killer. A new study in Nature Communications finds bird and mammal mortality caused by outdoor cats is much higher than has been previously reported. Annual bird deaths in the United States are now estimated to […]