Photos: Gladiators of the Roman Empire

 Posted on February 25, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  724 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Gladiators of the Empire There were several different types of gladiators who fought at the time of the Roman Empire. Wearing different kinds of armor, and welding a mix of weapons, these fighters were pitted against each other in the arena and often enough met their death there. In this photo gallery, Live Science takes a look at some of the more common types of gladiators that fought in the era of the empire. [Read More]

The Barrage of Bad News About Climate Change Is Triggering 'Eco-Anxiety,' Psychologists Say

 Posted on February 25, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  702 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

When news about the environment becomes grim, you might be overcome by an urge to hide or collapse. On last week's episode of HBO drama "Big Little Lies," 9-year-old Amabella did both. The character's metallic boots were found sticking out of a classroom closet following a lesson on climate change, and the internet collectively nodded in recognition. See moreSee moreSee moreIt turns out that anxiety, grief and despair about the state of the environment is nothing new. [Read More]

US Embassy Staff in Cuba Show Unusual Brain Changes After Alleged 'Sonic Attacks'

 Posted on February 25, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  911 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

More than two years after several dozen U.S. embassy workers in Cuba reported experiencing bizarre sensory symptoms, including loud noises and unusual vibrations, exactly what happened to them remains a mystery. Now, a new study adds to the intrigue. The study, which used advanced brain-imaging technologies, revealed distinct differences in the brains of embassy workers who were potentially exposed to the bizarre phenomena, compared with healthy people who were not exposed. [Read More]

500th Eruption! Why Japan's Sakurajima Volcano Is So Active

 Posted on February 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  444 words  |  Patria Henriques

Sakurajima volcano in Japan marked its 500th eruption of the year with an impressive pyrotechnic display on Sunday (Aug. 18) at 4:31 p.m. local time. The island volcano unleashed a pyroclastic flow, which is a superheated mix of volcanic gas, ash and debris that can race down a slope at more than 200 mph (320 km/h), according to Japan's Meteorological Agency. The eruption tossed large volcanic cinders (pieces of hot lava) more than 5,900 feet (1,800 meters) from the volcano's Showa crater, one of two active craters atop Sakurajima. [Read More]

Ancient 'Cockroaches of the Sea' Fossilized While Playing 'Follow the Leader'

 Posted on February 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  638 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

The trilobites go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah … well, at least they did, some 480 million years ago.  New fossils from Morocco show lines of trilobites in orderly queues, likely buried by a storm as they trekked from one place to another under the Ordovician seas in an ancient game of "follow the leader."  "I think people think that collective behavior is something new in the course of evolution, but actually sophisticated behavior started very, very early," [Read More]

Climate Change

 Posted on February 24, 2023  |  1 minutes  |  58 words  |  Trudie Dory

Unusually cold 'Blue Blob' is slowing the rapid melting of Iceland's glaciers, but not for long

By Harry Baker published 17 February 22

A new study into a cold patch of the Arctic, known as the "Blue Blob," has shown that it is slowing the rate Iceland's glaciers are melting, but only for a few more decades.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rbXVnqqcoZWjsKZ6wqikaKyfpbakv46co6Klkamybq%2FHmqWgnVxheW14i2Vj

Copper Socks May Have Helped Treat Chilean Miners' Foot Infections

 Posted on February 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  584 words  |  Patria Henriques

The 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground after their mine collapsed in August 2010 spurred an impromptu experiment, of sorts, into treatments for fungal foot infections. Socks containing copper particles treated the fungal infections the workers suffered better than anti-fungal creams, suggests a report published today in the journal Archives of Dermatology. Within two weeks of living in the hot and humid conditions, many of the miners began to experience skin problems in their feet. [Read More]

Cretaceous dinosaurs come to life in stunning footage from 'Prehistoric Planet'

 Posted on February 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  501 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Tyrannosaurus rex youngsters paddle through shallow ocean water near a sandy shore, their powerful legs working hard to make up for their disproportionately tiny arms. Long-necked sauropods nuzzle their heads together in affectionate mating displays. And packs of duck-billed dinosaurs raise dust clouds as they migrate across vast deserts. These and other scenes in the official trailer for "Prehistoric Planet," a new documentary series from Apple TV+, offer a glimpse of dinosaurs and their Cretaceous neighbors, much in the way a nature documentary would feature dramatic moments in the lives of modern animals. [Read More]

Gelatinous Menace? Jellyfish on Boom-Bust Cycle Worldwide

 Posted on February 24, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  650 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Though some reports suggest jellyfish are taking over the world’s oceans, long-term records of these gelatinous animals fail to show a global increase in jellyfish blooms likely caused by pollution, warming, coastal development and other human influences. While the analysis of a team of researchers who have pulled together records of jellyfish presence going back to the 19th century don't support a rising gelatinous menace, the team did find a surprise: roughly 20-year cycles in the abundanceof jellies. [Read More]

Here's What the Higgs Boson Sounds Like

 Posted on February 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  433 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Atom-smashing physicists have just turned data for a newly discovered particle, likely the Higgs boson, which is thought to give all other particles their mass, into music. What does the possible Higgs boson sound like? The music created from the particle's data is beautiful, with one version having a marimba feel. And now, you can listen for yourself. On July 4, researchers at the world's largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), in Switzerland, announced they had seen a particle weighing roughly 125 to 126 times the mass of the proton that was consistent with the Higgs boson. [Read More]