'The Good Dinosaur': Could Humans and Dinos Coexist?
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 659 words
| Arica Deslauriers
What if the dinosaur-killing asteroid never slammed into Earth and the paleo-beasts weren't vanquished from our planet 66 million years ago?
That's the hypothetical that forms the basis of Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur," set to hit the big screens on Nov. 25. The movie maker's answer — that a young Apatosaurus would meet and befriend a cave boy — is cute, but totally off the mark, several paleontologists told Live Science.
[Read More]Ancient Skeleton Found on Famed Antikythera Shipwreck
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 604 words
| Arica Deslauriers
A well-preserved 2,000-year-old skeleton of a young man found on the famous Antikythera shipwreck could provide the first DNA evidence recovered from an ancient sunken boat, archaeologists reported.
Divers discovered the skeletal remains of the man, possibly a crewmember of the ship, on Aug. 31 during an excavation of the Antikythera shipwreck. This is where the mysterious Antikythera mechanism (an astronomical calculator) was found, in the Aegean Sea, near the Greek island of Antikythera.
[Read More]Can You Hear a Meteor?
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 715 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
When the Perseid meteor shower bursts across the sky this weekend, with the peak coming on Monday, will people be able to hear it?
For centuries, people have reported hearing a sound made by meteors as they streaked across the skies overhead. And with the Perseids about to dazzle skywatchers with a meteor display that will earn it the title "fireball champion," some researchers are wondering if the Perseid meteor shower will be heard as well as seen.
[Read More]Does the Heart Ever Skip a Beat?
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 1 minutes
| 160 words
| Patria Henriques
There's nothing romantic about your heart skipping a beat, whatever the poet might say. All hearts flutter from time to time. These arrhythmias are generally harmless and may have no discernable cause at all. But if it happens frequently or is accompanied by other symptoms (like shortness of breath), the sight of your sweetie might not be to blame.
Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common affliction of the heart, affects over 2 million Americans.
[Read More]Even the Ancient Egyptians Had Homework, Preserved Tablet Shows
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 528 words
| Patria Henriques
Homework written by a school kid in ancient Egypt has been preserved since the second century A.D. And the words on the slab may sound familiar to any kid whose parents worry about them falling in with a bad crowd.
An ancient lesson preserved on a wood-mounted wax slab about the size of a Kindle reads: "You should accept advice from a wise man only" and "You cannot trust all your friends.
[Read More]For 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria, Your Agonizing Pain Is Their Pleasure
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 696 words
| Patria Henriques
Bacteria that "eat" your flesh are also hijacking your pain receptors for their own benefit.
The microbe Streptococcus pyogenes causes strep throat, but it's also responsible for a deadly "flesh-eating" disease called necrotizing fasciitis. During the initial stages of the flesh-destroying infection, the bacteria emit a toxin that causes excruciating pain. And this awful side effect is very useful to S. pyogenes; the chemical that causes the intense pain also hampers the host’s immune system and creates a more hospitable environment for the microbe to thrive and reproduce, scientists recently discovered.
[Read More]Future Humans May Call Us the 'Chicken People,' and Here's Why
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 834 words
| Patria Henriques
Long-lost cultures are sometimes known by the goods they leave behind. The Neolithic Corded Ware people of Europe, for example, got their name from the distinctive decorated pottery they made. If today's humans ever get a similar moniker, we might be known as the Chicken People.
Domesticated chickens, it turns out, could be a signpost for future archaeologists that screams, "Humans were here!" The total weight of the species Gallus gallus domesticus not only exceeds the weight of all wild birds combined, domesticated chickens also carry distinctive signs of industrialized farming in their very bones.
[Read More]Gallery of Wonders: The Weirdest World Records
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 5 minutes
| 883 words
| Fernande Dalal
IntroFrom the world's hairiest child to the highest fireball blown by a fire-breather, we've rounded up seven wild and weird Guinness World Records. Prepare to be amazed!
Most current Guinness World Records held at the same time by an individualAshrita Furman holds the most current Guinness World Records, with 121 titles under his belt, from setting records for juggling underwater while surrounded by sharks in a Malaysian aquarium to bouncing on a kangaroo ball on the Great Wall of China.
[Read More]Happier People Keep Healthier as They Age
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 429 words
| Trudie Dory
Being healthy can make a person happy, but happiness itself may also lead to better health, according to a new study.
Researchers found that people who enjoy life tend to maintain better physical function than those who don't in daily activities as they age.
The study included more than 3,000 people age 60 and older living in England, and followed them for eight years. The study participants reported how much they enjoyed life by rating statements such as "
[Read More]In 10 Years, the Large Hadron Collider Was a Smash — with More Discoveries to Come
Posted on March 19, 2023
| 8 minutes
| 1573 words
| Trudie Dory
Back in 2008, a beam of protons first zipped around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's most powerful particle accelerator. Now, a decade later, it is time to take stock of what we've learned thanks to this facility and what lies ahead.
This accounting includes both future research that the LHC can conduct and possible new facilities that could collide particles at energies far beyond what the LHC can achieve.
[Read More]