50 Fabulous 4th of July Facts: History of Independence

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  563 words  |  Patria Henriques

History of IndependenceIn this first of five features, to publish each day through July 4, LiveScience presents 10 important, obscure and fascinating facts about America's most patriotic holiday. Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, was meant to justify a revolt against the British, with a list of charges against the British king. [Read: How the Declaration of Independence Changed the World] Declaration AdoptionThe Fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. [Read More]

7 Sexist Ideas That Once Plagued Science

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  7 minutes  |  1370 words  |  Patria Henriques

Science is supposed to be objective — right? By following a careful set of steps, it can tell us how the world works. But looking back on history, that's not at all true, experts say. In reality, science was used again and again to reaffirm whatever prejudices were in vogue at the time — including the idea that women are weaker, crazier, less smart and generally less capable than men. [Read More]

Adidas Fit Smart: Fitness Tracker Review

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  9 minutes  |  1733 words  |  Trudie Dory

The Fit Smart is a new fitness tracker from Adidas that's intended for people who want to improve their workouts, whether those workouts involve running or doing fitness training for sports, including soccer, football and basketball. Unlike other fitness trackers, such as the Fitbit and Jawbone Up, the Fit Smart does not count your steps or track your calories all day long. It is designed to be used only when you're working up a sweat. [Read More]

Africa's Lone Wolf: New Species Found in Ethiopia

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  661 words  |  Patria Henriques

During a field expedition to Ethiopia, a team of scientists noticed something odd: The golden jackals there looked more slender with a whiter coat than they do elsewhere. Now, genetic analyses suggest these oddities are not jackals at all but instead more closely related to gray wolves. In fact, until now these "highland jackals" were referred to as Egyptian jackals (Canis aureus lupaster), and had long been considered a rare subspecies to the golden jackal (C. [Read More]

Ancient Battle Left 'Sea Monster' With Tooth Stuck in Its Face

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  626 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

SALT LAKE CITY — About 75 million years ago, a mosasaur — a dolphin-like, predatory, marine reptile that lived during the dinosaur age — bit another mosasaur so hard that it left its tooth behind, embedded in its foe's face, new research finds. Now, paleontologists are studying the remains of the victim, a creature that sustained not one, but two attacks on its face, likely from different adversaries, said paleontologist Takuya Konishi, an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati. [Read More]

Ancient Maya kingdom with pyramid discovered in southern Mexico

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  802 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

After searching for more than a quarter century, archaeologists may have finally located the capital city of Sak Tz'i', a Maya kingdom that's referenced in sculptures and inscriptions from across the ancient Maya world. But it wasn't archaeologists who made the find. A local man discovered a 2- by 4-foot (0.6 by 1.2 meters) tablet near Lacanja Tzeltal, a community in Chiapas, Mexico. The tablet's inscriptions are a treasure trove of mythology, poetry and history that reflect the typical Maya practice of weaving together myth and reality. [Read More]

Cave Painting Depicts Extinct Marsupial Lion

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  215 words  |  Trudie Dory

Modern Australia lacks big land predators, but until about 30,000 years ago, the continent was ruled by Thylacoleo carnifex, the marsupial "lion." Several well-preserved skeletons of the leopard-size beast have been found. Now, a newly discovered cave painting offers a glimpse of the animal's external appearance. In June 2008, Tim Willing, a naturalist and tour guide, photographed an ancient painting on a rockshelter wall near the shore of northwestern Australia. Kim Akerman, an independent anthropologist based in Tasmania, says the painting unmistakably depicts a marsupial lion. [Read More]

Chinese researchers to send an 'uncrackable' quantum message to space

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  6 minutes  |  1150 words  |  Patria Henriques

Uncrackable quantum messages can now be sent through the air and will soon be beamed into space. Researchers at the University of Science and Technology in China (USTC) worked out in 2018 how to secretly share "quantum keys" between orbiting satellites and ground stations, as Live Science previously reported. That made the connection between the Chinese Micius satellite and three ground sites it communicates with in Europe and Asia by far the largest secure quantum network in the world. [Read More]

Computers Can 'See' People's Dreams

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  454 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

A computer can predict what you're dreaming about based on brain wave activity, new research suggests. By measuring people's brain activity during waking moments, researchers were able to pick out the signatures of specific dream imagery — such as keys or a bed — while the dreamer was asleep. "We know almost nothing about the function of dreaming," said study co-author Masako Tamaki, a neuroscientist at Brown University. "Using this method, we might be able to know more about the function of dreaming. [Read More]

John Deere Recalls Lawn Tractors Powered by Kawasaki Engines

 Posted on February 28, 2023  |  1 minutes  |  121 words  |  Trudie Dory

About 36,500 John Deere X300, X300R and X304 series tractors were voluntarily recalled by Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA of Grand Rapids, Mich. and Deere & Company, of Moline, Ill., in cooperation with the CPSC. Hazard: The cooling fan (A) installed on top of the front mounted Kawasaki engine in the lawn tractor can break. If the cooling fan is not operational, the engine can overheat causing the surrounding plastic to melt, creating the risk of fire and serious injury. [Read More]