Found: The “Mother of All Lizards and Snakes”
Back in 2003, scientists uncovered an odd looking, tiny lizard-like fossil in the Dolomites, a mountain range in Northern Italy, which is also a part of the Alps. Silvio Renesto and Renato Posenato wrote of the discovery in the Italian science journal Research In Paleontology and Stratigraphy. An international team of paleontologists then set out to […]
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 […]
Are Oceans of Water Hiding Beneath Earth’s Surface?
Scientists have discovered the first-ever earthly sample of a water-rich mineral they say provides new proof that there are vast oceans of water deep beneath the Earth’s surface. The team, led by Graham Pearson from Canada’s University of Alberta, found a mineral called ringwoodite in a sample of rock taken from a Brazilian riverbed. Ringwoodite […]
Hand Washing, Zinc Are Best Defense Against Colds
Finding a cure for the common cold has long been seen by many as something akin to the search for the Holy Grail, but Canadian researchers say they have a good idea about what best prevents and treats the malady. Writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), the researchers suggest that simply washing your […]