“The trends we found were quite alarming in a sense.” Planet Earth is now trapping twice as much heat as it did 14 years ago, according to findings of a new study, which raise concerns about the possible acceleration of climate change. For the study, researchers looked at data fromContinue Reading
One bee has cloned itself millions of times over the past three decades. When hives of the African lowland honeybee (Apis mellifera scutella) collapse, they do so because of an invisible inner threat: the growing, immortal clone army of a rival bee subspecies. That army is possible because the femaleContinue Reading
Tardigrades have previously survived in the vacuum of space. Tiny water-dwelling creatures called tardigrades known for their ability to survive in the most extreme environments will be subject to a series of experiments at the International Space Station to reveal the secrets of their superpowers. The 0.02-inch (0.5 mm) eight-leggedContinue Reading
A dramatic new image of a cosmic gas bubble reveals never-before-seen details of this birthplace of stars. The bubble surrounds the Westerlund 2 star cluster, one of the brightest star-forming regions in the Milky Way. Westerlund 2 is about 20,000 light-years from Earth, and it hasn’t been observed in highContinue Reading
More than 31,000 cases of mucormycosis have been reported as of June 11 As India reels from a devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new horror is plaguing people there. Some COVID-19 patients “go home only to come back to the hospital with a damaged nose, swollen cheeksContinue Reading
Black bears can actually be black, brown or white. American black bears (Ursus americanus), often simply called black bears, are the most common bears in North America. They live in northern Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. Black bears are smaller than brown bears (Ursus arctos) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus),Continue Reading
Technicians may have to activate the Hubble’s backup computer if they can’t find the source of the crash. NASA’s Hubble space telescope is cruising the cosmos in safe mode after its payload computer suddenly crashed on June 13 according to a NASA statement. The computer is responsible for coordinating andContinue Reading
Astronomers may have solved the mystery of Betelgeuse’s bizarre brightness drop. In the fall of 2019, Betelgeuse — one of the brightest and best-known stars in the sky — began dimming dramatically. By February 2020, it had lost about two-thirds of its normal luminosity. Betelgeuse, which forms the shoulder ofContinue Reading
Oh, what a tangled web they weave. Spiderwebs are astonishingly complex constructions for objects that are so delicate. Even if webs don’t literally spell out the words “terrific” and “radiant” like those in the book “Charlotte’s Web” do, each is nonetheless an intricate engineering marvel. Building these strong yet ephemeralContinue Reading
In the future, your vanilla ice cream may be made from plastic bottles. In the future, your vanilla ice cream may be made from plastic bottles. Scientists have figured out a way to convert plastic waste into vanilla flavoring with genetically engineered bacteria, according to a new study. Vanillin, theContinue Reading
