7 Awesome Discoveries Made by Kids

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  1047 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Paleontologist, biologist, astronomer: These might sound like job titles for grown-ups, but adults aren't the only ones who fill these important roles.   Children — with their endless curiosity and tendency to wander off the beaten track— are also engaged in quite a bit of scientific research and exploration. From spotting a supernova to digging up dinosaur bones, here are seven discoveries made by kids. 10,000-year-old souvenir In August, one kid's summer vacation turned into an unexpected history lesson when he unearthed a 10,000-year-old arrowhead in the sand at a New Jersey beach. [Read More]

A Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci May Reveal Why He Never Finished the Mona Lisa

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  448 words  |  Patria Henriques

Later in his career, Leonardo da Vinci's ability to use his right hand appeared to be hampered — a problem long thought to have been caused by a stroke. But a new analysis suggests that it was nerve damage to his hand that instead caused this paralysis. In the paper, published today (May 3) in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, two Italian doctors argued that Leonardo's hand paralysis may resulted from traumatic nerve damage that occurred after the artist fainted. [Read More]

A Seal Has Taken Up Residence in Manhattan, and Its Human Neighbors Are Thrilled

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  6 minutes  |  1158 words  |  Patria Henriques

NEW YORK — "Oh my god!" a woman shouted. "It's a seal!" She was seated on a bench near me on June 8 by Muscota Marsh, at the northern end of Manhattan. The critter's head bobbed above the water as a crowd of onlookers formed. The seal floated closer and closer, sometimes darting under the water for an extended period before reappearing a dozen or so feet away. The people looked at the seal, and the seal looked back. [Read More]

Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding Rare but Serious Cancer Sign

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  392 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

For women with regular periods, abnormally heavy bleeding may be a sign of blood cancer, and although this symptom is rare, it shouldn't be missed, a new study says. Researchers reviewed information from about 2,000 young and middle-age women with leukemia who were diagnosed between 2002 and 2011. About 200 had abnormal vaginal bleeding, and for 19 of these women, this bleeding was what brought them to the doctor, and led to their cancer diagnosis. [Read More]

Closest Human Ancestor May Rewrite Steps in Our Evolution

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  7 minutes  |  1358 words  |  Patria Henriques

A startling mix of human and primitive traits found in the brains, hips, feet and hands of an extinct species identified last year make a strong case for it being the immediate ancestor to the human lineage, scientists have announced. These new findings could rewrite long-standing theories about the precise steps human evolution took, they added, including the notion that early human female hips changed shape to accommodate larger-brained offspring. There is also new evidence suggesting that this species had the hands of a toolmaker. [Read More]

Einstein's core idea about gravity just passed an extreme, whirling test in deep space

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  6 minutes  |  1151 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Once again, physicists have confirmed one of Albert Einstein's core ideas about gravity — this time with the help of a neutron star flashing across space. The new work makes an old idea even more certain: that heavy and light objects fall at the same rate. Einstein wasn't the first person to realize this; there are contested accounts of Galileo Galilei demonstrating the principle by dropping weights off the Tower of Pisa in the 16th century. [Read More]

Good-Luck Root? Actually, That's a Lizard Penis

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  419 words  |  Patria Henriques

Poachers have been caught trying to illegally sell dried lizard penises online to unwitting customers looking to purchase a rare Indian root called "Hatha Jodi." The root looks like two praying hands and is thought to bring good luck. Hatha Jodi is used in religious ceremonies and is marketed as a good-luck charm or as a way to ward off spirits. The rare plant root is found only in remote areas of Nepal and central India, according to researchers. [Read More]

How the Brain Awakens from Unconsciousness Becomes Clearer

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  631 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Exactly what happens when people wake up from anesthesia or a coma has long baffled scientists, but now new research on rats suggests the path the brain takes to regain consciousness may be even more sophisticated than thought. "It is commonly assumed that waking from anesthesia is a simple thing: The drugs leave the brain, and the effects they produced in the brain get washed out, and the brain somehow recovers," said Dr. [Read More]

King Tut Wore Ancient, Meteor-Blasted Yellow Glass

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  375 words  |  Trudie Dory

About 29 million years ago, the sands of the western Egyptian desert melted and created tiny pieces of canary yellow glass — some of which ended up decorating King Tut's pectoral (chest ornament). This natural glass, found across thousands of square kilometers in western Egypt, is thought to have originated from one of two events: either a meteorite impact on the surface of Earth or an airburst, an explosion that happens when a space rock enters our planet's atmosphere. [Read More]

New Type of Carbon Is Harder and Brighter Than Diamonds

 Posted on March 7, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  619 words  |  Trudie Dory

Scientists have designed a new type of carbon that is harder and brighter than naturally formed diamonds. For those who want to wear a one-of-a-kind sparkler on their fingers, the new material, called Q-carbon, also gives off a soft glow. "This new phase is very unique," said study co-author Jagdish Narayan, a materials scientist at North Carolina State University. "It has novel electrical, optical and magnetic properties." For instance, the material can act as either a metal or a semiconductor, and is magnetic at room temperature, he added. [Read More]