The Purpose of Sleep? Something Unexpected…
Over the years, scientists have come up with a lot of ideas about why we sleep. Some have argued that it’s a way to save energy. Others have suggested that slumber provides an opportunity to clear away the brain’s cellular waste. Still others have proposed that sleep simply forces animals to lie still, letting them hide from predators. A pair … Continue reading
Are 500 Year-Old Sharks Roaming Earth’s Oceans?
A recent study, led by marine biologist Julius Nielsen, discovered some Greenland sharks could be 500 years old. Sharks that were alive hundreds of years ago are still swimming strong. A Greenland shark has been found to be at least 272 years old, making the species the longest-lived vertebrate in the world—smashing the previous record held by a 211-year-old bowhead … Continue reading
Prehistoric Sun Temple Demonstrates Ancient Advanced Math Knowledge
Throughout history, some of the greatest minds around the world have been fascinated by the Golden ratio. Mathematicians since Euclid in the fourth century have studied this mysterious mathematical occurrence. The Golden ratio pertains to pairs of numbers, the sums of which have the same ratio to the larger of the two numbers as the larger number alone does to … Continue reading
Scientists Create First “Stable” Semisynthetic Organism
U.S. scientists on Monday announced the development of the “first” stable semisynthetic organism, an advancement that may have major implications for medicine and even pave the way for the creation of new life forms. “We’ve made this semisynthetic organism more life-like,” senior author Floyd Romesberg, professor of the Scripps Research Institute, said in a statement. All life on Earth is … Continue reading
One in Five People Can Hear Flashes of Light
Did you see that? Did you hear that? Did you see AND hear that? If you answered “yes” to all three of those questions when exposed to a flash of light, you’re one of a little over 20 percent of all humans with a form of synesthesia that allows them to hear faint sounds when seeing flashes of light or … Continue reading
Scientists Revive Dead Brains, Discover Key To Consciousness
Dreams and depictions of immortality can be found throughout human history. From Judeo-Christian ideas of Heaven and Hell to Hindu concepts of reincarnation, almost all religions and cultures have some iteration of eternal life found within their beliefs, folklore, or art. Let’s face it: who among us hasn’t at least once entertained the notion of living forever? While it could … Continue reading
Scientist Predicts That We Will Be Talking to Our Dogs by 2050
A series of predictions about life in the middle of the century includes wearable muscles, neural interfaces with computers, and most excitingly – chatty chihuahuas. How many times do dog owners look at their pets and say, ‘If only they could talk.’ Well, if futurologist Ian Pearson is right, they might be able to. One day. In a report prepared … Continue reading
Egyptian Mummified Hawk Is Something More Mysterious
We analysed a piece that had initially been classified as ‘a mummified hawk with linen and cartonnage, Ptolemaic period (305 BC to 30 BC)’. Samantha Harris, collections manager at the Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery in Maidstone, Kent, England, was going through the museum’s collection of over 400 Egyptian artifacts when she came upon what was believed to be … Continue reading
Stellar Collision: A New Star Will Be Visible on Earth
“If the prediction is correct, then for the first time in history, parents will be able to point to a dark spot in the sky and say, ‘Watch, kids, there’s a star hiding in there, but soon it’s going to light up.’” Calvin College Dean Matt Walhout touted the discovery by one of his professors in a press release. Coming … Continue reading
The Sun May Be Busting Asteroids into Tiny Pieces
While NASA struggles to find ways to destroy asteroids and meteors before they crash into the Earth, the Sun is doing its part by ripping asteroids apart at their cosmic seams and casting their tiny pieces into the solar wind. Should NASA try bumping space objects into a tight solar orbit so they get bumped off by the Sun? Here’s … Continue reading
