Mayan Apocalypse Countdown: 1 Month 'Til Doom

 Posted on March 5, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  409 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Are you ready for the end? Or perhaps a new beginning? Either way, buckle up, because today marks the one-month countdown until the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse, set for Dec. 21. That date corresponds to the end of the 13th b'ak'tun, or 144,000-day cycle, on the Maya Long Count calendar, marking a full cycle of creation, according to the ancient Maya. This milestone has triggered both fear and excitement in some subcultures, particularly online. [Read More]

Nobel Prize in Economics: 1969-Present

 Posted on March 5, 2023  |  6 minutes  |  1272 words  |  Trudie Dory

Economics wasn't on the original list of prizes envisioned by Alfred Nobel. In 1968, Sweden's central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, donated money to the Nobel Foundation to extend a prize to economists. In 1969, the first Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was awarded according to the same criteria used for the original prizes. Here are the winners from 1969 to today: 2018: William D. Nordhaus of Yale University and Paul M. [Read More]

Sepsis: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

 Posted on March 5, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  638 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

When the body gets an infection, the immune system normally works to fight it in order to make the body healthy again. Sometimes, though, the body overreacts. Sepsis is the body's overwhelming and life-threatening response to an infection. It can cause tissue damage, organ failure and death. CausesAnyone can get sepsis, though some people are more likely to get it, such as people suffering from a severe burn or wound, people with weakened immune systems, babies, very young children, the elderly or people with chronic illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [Read More]

Sleep Tight! Snoozing Animals Gallery

 Posted on March 5, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  791 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Sweet Slumber in the Animal KingdomShhhh! From giraffes and lambs to squirrels and kittens, animals are particularly adorable, it seems, when they sleep. And while some creatures seem to thrive on shut-eye, with one animal snoozing away 75 percent of its day, others prefer just a few winks. Here's a look at naptimes in the animal kingdom. Sleeping to ConserveKoalas are marsupials and solitary creatures, spending most of their days comfortably lounging in trees. [Read More]

What's a mirage?

 Posted on March 5, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  229 words  |  Trudie Dory

Puddles don't just evaporate instantly into thin air. Buildings don't shimmy like belly dancers. But sometimes, mirages make faraway objects look like they're rippling. "A mirage is an inverted image produced by atmospheric refraction," says Andrew Young, an astronomer at San Diego State University. Atmospheric refraction occurs when varying air densities cause the sun's rays to bend, moving in directions other than the normal straight lines. Related: Why does the Earth rotate? [Read More]

Whooo's in There? Images of Amazing Owls

 Posted on March 5, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  330 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Barn OwlLike the osprey, the barn owl (Tyto alba) is found on all continents except Antarctica. It prefers to live near grassy fields and meadows, where it hunts mice, bats and even skunks. Its white face is framed by a heart-shaped facial disk, and its tawny body is flecked with small black-and-white spots. The barn owl doesn't make the expected "hoot" sound, instead producing a high-pitched scream that sounds like a screeching cat. [Read More]

Women's Periods Don't Really Sync Up When They Live Together

 Posted on March 5, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  538 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Women's periods don't actually synchronize if they live together, according to a new study from a period- tracking app. The study, from the period-tracking app Clue, is one of the largest of its kind to look for evidence of menstrual-cycle syncing among women, according to the Guardian. The idea that women who spend a lot of time together experience an alignment of their menstrual cycles was first examined in 1971 in a study of female college students. [Read More]

10 Years After Abu Ghraib, Textbook Story Often Oversimplified (Op-Ed)

 Posted on March 4, 2023  |  8 minutes  |  1677 words  |  Trudie Dory

George Mastroianni is a professor of psychology at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.  Ten years ago, during the months of October, November and December 2003, events that would soon engage the attention of the world were taking place at the Baghdad Central Confinement Facility. This Saddam Hussein-era prison complex was located near Abu Ghraib, Iraq. "Sixty Minutes II" broke the story a few months later, and " [Read More]

7,000-year-old letter seal found in Israel hints at ancient long-distance trade

 Posted on March 4, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  532 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Archaeologists recently discovered Israel's oldest known seal impression, a device that stamps a pattern onto soft material such as clay or wax in order to seal an object. The tiny clay impression dates back 7,000 years and was likely used to seal and sign deliveries, as well as to keep storerooms closed, according to a new study. The research team discovered the seal, along with nearly 150 others, during excavations that took place between 2004 and 2007 in Tel Tsaf, a prehistoric village in Israel's Beit She'an Valley. [Read More]

After the Battle: 7 Health Problems Facing Veterans

 Posted on March 4, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  955 words  |  Patria Henriques

The wounds of war can go far beyond what meets the eye. From mental health issues to pain and illness that persist long after they've left the battlefield, veterans face a multitude of health troubles either unique to their service or more frequent among them than the general population. "Folks returning from combat have a constellation of health concerns, including physical issues, psychological issues and psychosocial issues concerning things like work and family," [Read More]