Strange Honeycomb Cloud Patterns Explained
Posted on March 28, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 814 words
| Patria Henriques
The honeycomb-like patterns of clouds often seen over the open ocean are known to shift, with patches of sky alternately becoming clear or cloud-covered. Scientists now think they know what drives these shifting fields of holey clouds.
Researchers studying these cloud patterns in models and real data have found that rain and alternating air movements form the patterns and cause them to shift in the sky while the clouds themselves remain cohesive structures — following a principle called self-organization that also explains phenomena like flocks of birds, shifting sand dunes and the synchronized flashing of fireflies.
[Read More]Too Much Tea Causes Unusual Bone Disease
Posted on March 28, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 421 words
| Arica Deslauriers
A 47-year-old Michigan woman developed a bone disease rarely seen in the U.S. after she drank a pitcher of tea made from at least 100 tea bags daily, for 17 years, researchers report.
The Detroit woman visited the doctor after experiencing pain in her lower back, arms, legs and hips for five years.
X-rays revealed areas of very dense bone on the spinal vertebrae and calcifications of ligaments in her arm, said study researcher Dr.
[Read More]Actress Anne Curtis Stung By Box Jellyfish
Posted on March 27, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 282 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Actress Anne Curtis was stung by a deadly box jellyfish while shooting a TV show in the Philippines Wednesday night (April 2).
Curtis was being treated at St. Luke's Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City, where doctors were keeping an eye on her rash and heartbeat, the actress tweeted, according to Inquirer.net.
"Been reading up on the box jellyfish and I'm lucky it wasn't fatal. This summer, be careful when swimming in the ocean [and] keep [an] eye out,"
[Read More]California's Spreading Wildfires: What Are Katabatic Winds?
Posted on March 27, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 681 words
| Patria Henriques
While the cause of 21 separate wildfires blazing across eight counties in northern California remains unknown, their rapid spread is tragically familiar. Many of California's fiercest wildfires occur in September and October, owed in part to a powerful seasonal weather pattern known as katabatic winds — an annual threat that creates the ideal conditions for making bad fires even worse.
Wind doesn't start fires, but it can fan the flames, often with catastrophic results.
[Read More]Dolphins Help Fishermen Catch Fish
Posted on March 27, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 531 words
| Fernande Dalal
A visitor might stumble upon a strange sight in Laguna, Brazil, if they went down to the shore. Here, the local fishermen rely on dolphins to help them with their yearly fish catch.
New research has found that just one local group of about 20 dolphins works with the fishermen, while the other local dolphins don't cooperate, finding other sources of food. The researchers aren't sure what separates these groups.
[Read More]How Do Vuvuzela Horns Cause Hearing Damage?
Posted on March 27, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 653 words
| Fernande Dalal
The vuvuzela, a stadium horn made popular by World Cup soccer fans in South Africa, may permanently damage the hearing of people within the vuvuzela's close proximity, including the horn-blower, according to a recent study.
The sound of the vuvuzela averages 131 decimals at the horn opening and 113 decimals at a 2-meter distance from the instrument, according to a study done at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. These noise levels are dangerously high, and they exceed international sound exposure limits set for occupational settings, the authors wrote.
[Read More]Hundreds of graves reveal Spanish town’s secret Muslim history
Posted on March 27, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1236 words
| Arica Deslauriers
An archaeological site in northeast Spain holds one of the oldest-known Muslim cemeteries in the country, with the discovery of 433 graves, some dating back to the first 100 years of the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.
The finds confirm that the region, along the frontier between the warring Islamic and Christian worlds in the turbulent early Middle Ages, was once dominated by Muslim rulers, who were later replaced by Christian rulers and their history forgotten.
[Read More]Large TB outbreak may be caused by surgical 'bone repair product'
Posted on March 27, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 425 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
U.S. officials are investigating an unusual outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) infections in people who had spinal surgery. They suspect the culprit is a potentially tainted bone repair product, according to news reports.
More than 100 people may have been exposed to TB bacteria through this product, called FiberCel, during spinal surgeries that occurred this spring, according to The Washington Post. FiberCel is a putty-like substance made from human bone tissue that's used during various orthopedic and spinal surgeries, the Post reported.
[Read More]Lifelike 'Sophia' Robot Granted Citizenship to Saudi Arabia
Posted on March 27, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 386 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
A robot with an uncannily human-like appearance recently advanced one step closer to human status, when it was granted citizenship to Saudi Arabia at the tech summit Future Investment Initiative (FII).
Named "Sophia," the robot, created by Hanson Robotics (HR), has a pale-skinned face with features that are capable of being highly mobile and expressive and displaying a range of emotions. The company's "latest and most advanced robot," according to a statement on the HR website took to the stage at FII on Oct.
[Read More]Nervous System
Posted on March 27, 2023
| 1 minutes
| 44 words
| Fernande Dalal
Parkinson's May Begin in Gut Before Affecting the Brain
By Amanda Onion published 15 June 17
Parkinson's disease ravages brain cells, but the condition may actually start out in the gut, and then spread through nerves to the brain, a new study finds.
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