In Quest for Gold, Finding Sulfur May Help Mark the Spot
Posted on May 3, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 487 words
| Trudie Dory
A new understanding of how gold-rich magma forms in the presence of sulfur may help in the hunt for buried treasure or at least in finding Earth's deep stashes of the rare metal.
Humans have prized and searched for gold for thousands of years. Gold is produced in mines found on every continent except Antarctica and to date, in all of human history about 165,000 tonnes of the shiny stuff has been mined, according to the World Gold Council, an industry group.
[Read More]Mark Your Calendars: End of World Coming Oct. 21, Camping Says
Posted on May 3, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 619 words
| Patria Henriques
The radio preacher who predicted Judgment Day on May 21 has not backed down from his claims that the end of the world is near, despite the lack of a Rapture or world-devastating earthquakes leading up to the doomsday.
In an announcement on his Family Radio Network website, Harold Camping stands by his earlier predictions that the world will end on Friday, Oct. 21. Originally, Camping had predicted hourly earthquakes and God's judgment on May 21, to be followed by months of torment on Earth for those individuals left behind.
[Read More]Metal 'Snow' May Power Earth's Magnetic Field
Posted on May 3, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 585 words
| Arica Deslauriers
The power source for Earth's magnetic field may be magnesium that has been trapped in the core since our planet's violent birth, a new model suggests.
Magnesium is the fourth most common element in the Earth's outer layers, but previously, scientists thought there was almost no magnesium in the core. Iron and magnesium don't easily mix, and researchers thought that the Earth's core was mostly iron.
However, that thinking has changed because of recent theories proposing that the Earth was born from a series of violent collisions with other protoplanets.
[Read More]Most kids with inflammatory COVID-19 syndrome are recovered by 6 months
Posted on May 3, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 679 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Many children who develop a rare inflammatory syndrome after COVID-19 see their most serious symptoms clear up by six months, a new study suggests.
Although the study was small, involving fewer than 50 kids with the condition, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), the authors say the results are encouraging.
"These findings can hopefully signal cautious optimism that many of the most severe effects of [MIS-C] appear to resolve within six months,"
[Read More]Smallest Genome of Living Creature Discovered
Posted on May 3, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 270 words
| Trudie Dory
A bacterium living in special cells inside an insect has the smallest genome of any known cellular lifeform, a new study finds.
With only about 160,000 base pairs of DNA, the genome of Carsonella ruddi [image] is less than half the size thought to be the minimum necessary for life.
"It's the smallest genome, not by a bit but by a long way," said study team member Nancy Moran of the University of Arizona.
[Read More]Study: Happiness Is Experiences, Not Stuff
Posted on May 3, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 529 words
| Patria Henriques
If you're trying to buy happiness, you'd be better off putting your money toward a tropical island get-away than a new computer, a new study suggests.
The results show that people's satisfaction with their life-experience purchases — anything from seeing a movie to going on a vacation — tends to start out high and go up over time. On the other hand, although they might be initially happy with that shiny new iPhone or the latest in fashion, their satisfaction with these items wanes with time.
[Read More]The Coulter Hoax: How Ann Coulter Exposed the Intelligent Design Movement
Posted on May 3, 2023
| 9 minutes
| 1913 words
| Fernande Dalal
In the summer of 2006, I heard that a new book called Godless presented an insightful and devastating criticism of the theory of evolution. Although I learned that its author, Ann Coulter, is not a scientist but a lawyer turned author and TV pundit, she nevertheless appeared to be an intelligent and well-educated person, so I started reading.
At first I was puzzled. There did not seem to be anything new; only tired and outdated antievolution arguments involving moths, finches, and fruit flies.
[Read More]What if temperature determined a baby's sex?
Posted on May 3, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1151 words
| Arica Deslauriers
The series "Imaginary Earths" speculates what the world might be like if one key aspect of life changed, whether related to the planet or humanity.
The sex of humans is largely controlled by the X and Y sex chromosomes. However, in many reptiles and fish, sex is instead influenced by how warm or cool eggs are before hatching. What might life be like for humans if sex was likewise under the sway of temperature?
[Read More]10 Amazing Women Who Turned the Tide of History
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 9 minutes
| 1716 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Troublemakers and groundbreakersThroughout history, women around the world have confronted seemingly insurmountable obstacles when pursuing education, career opportunities and accolades typically reserved for men.
But time and time again, ambitious, exceptional women from all cultures proved that they were more than capable of achieving groundbreaking accomplishments, even when unsupported or even vehemently opposed by society's established leaders.
Here are 10 extraordinary women — activists, scientists and innovators — whose remarkable deeds merit attention, recognition and acclaim.
[Read More]Ancient Earthquake Foreshadowed 2011 Japan Disaster
Posted on May 2, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 547 words
| Fernande Dalal
Hindsight is 20/20, the saying goes, and new research shows that may be the case in the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan's Tohoku region in 2011.
Before that quake, seismic hazard maps for the area said there was no danger of a large earthquake along the Japan Trench, the subduction zone responsible for the 2011 event. (A subduction zone is an area where one of Earth's tectonic plates dives beneath another.
[Read More]