The lost continent of Zealandia hides clues to the Ring of Fire's birth
Posted on December 10, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 770 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
The hidden undersea continent of Zealandia underwent an upheaval at the time of the birth of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Zealandia is a chunk of continental crust next door to Australia. It's almost entirely beneath the ocean, with the exception of a few protrusions, like New Zealand and New Caledonia. But despite its undersea status, Zealandia is not made of magnesium- and iron-rich oceanic crust. Instead, it is composed of less-dense continental crust.
[Read More]The Next Cascadian Megaquake May Be Sooner Than You Think
Posted on December 10, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 557 words
| Patria Henriques
Devastating Cascadia megaquakes may rock the Pacific Northwest more frequently than previously suspected.
A new effort to systematically analyze geologic evidence, such as rocks and soil dumped into the ocean by ancient and powerful quakes, hints that the time between massive earthquakes may be up to 200 years shorter than previously thought, according to research presented on May 16 at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America (SSA), in Miami.
[Read More]Want to Live Longer? Move to NYC
Posted on December 10, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 569 words
| Fernande Dalal
While life expectancy in many parts of the United States is dropping, it has increased by 10 years in Manhattan since 1987. Researchers largely attribute that rise — the fastest in the nation — to a crackdown by the New York City health department on unhealthy behaviors.
Manhattanites can now expect to live to the ripe old age of 82, and the average life expectancy across all five New York City boroughs is 80.
[Read More]Woman's sudden dizziness and hearing loss had a rare cause
Posted on December 10, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 549 words
| Patria Henriques
Air bubbles trapped in a woman's inner ear caused her to develop severe dizziness, seemingly out of nowhere, and she required surgery to make the disorienting, spinning sensation go away.
The 51-year-old woman initially went to the doctor after experiencing this strange spinning sensation for about 24 hours, according to a report of the case published Thursday (April 21) in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery(opens in new tab). In addition to feeling as though the room were spinning around her, the woman reported that she felt an unusual blockage or pressure in her right ear and was also experiencing right-sided hearing loss.
[Read More]'Water-Resistant' vs 'Waterproof': A Guide to Understanding Sunscreen Labels
Posted on December 9, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 415 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Sunscreens labeled as water-resistant have replaced those labeled as waterproof, in one of several changes in sun care product labeling that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently introduced.
Year-round protection from the sun is the best way to lower the risk of skin cancer, experts say. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, and more than 3.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with the disease this year.
[Read More]10 Signs That Earth's Climate Is Off the Rails
Posted on December 9, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1148 words
| Patria Henriques
Climate change is happening, it's real and it's our fault. The evidence is overwhelming — our planet is changing faster than it ever has before. Here are 10 stories from the past year demonstrating how Earth's climate has gone completely off the rails.
A polar bear invasion(opens in new tab)Earlier this year, 52 hungry polar bears occupied a small work settlement in a remote Russian Arctic archipelago, much to the displeasure of the town's residents.
[Read More]1st 'atom tornado' created from swirling vortex of helium atoms
Posted on December 9, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 587 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Physicists have created the first-ever atomic vortex beam — a swirling tornado of atoms and molecules with mysterious properties that have yet to be understood.
By sending a straight beam of helium atoms through a grating with teeny slits, scientists were able to use the weird rules of quantum mechanics to transform the beam into a whirling vortex.
The extra gusto provided by the beam's rotation, called orbital angular momentum, gives it a new direction to move in, enabling it to act in ways that researchers have yet to predict.
[Read More]2020 Atlantic hurricane season shatters record
Posted on December 9, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 412 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
With the formation of tropical storm Theta, 2020 has now logged more tropical cyclones than ever recorded.
Theta is 2020's 29th named storm in the Atlantic Ocean. Theta, which doesn't pose a danger to land, formed a few hundred miles off the coast of Liberia Monday (Nov. 9), shattering the record for total number of named storms in the Atlantic hurricane season. (When a tropical cyclone's sustained winds reach 39 to 73 mph (63 to 118 km/h), it is considered a tropical storm and gets a name.
[Read More]6 Crazy Skills That Prove Geckos Are Amazing
Posted on December 9, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 1056 words
| Fernande Dalal
Geckos can hang by their toe hairs, scamper up walls and regrow their tails. They've even gone to space. Geckos are amazing creatures with a toolbox full of tricks that science is continuing to uncover.
Here's a look at six of their super skills and the science behind them.
1. Dewdrop cleaning
How do dirty geckos take a bath? According to a new study, they lather up with dewdrops.
[Read More]7 Allergy Myths (and the Truth Behind Them)
Posted on December 9, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 964 words
| Patria Henriques
From people shunning gluten who may not need to, to those mistakenly skipping the flu shot because of an egg allergy, myths about allergies are common, and sometimes even believed by doctors.
After hearing the same incorrect information over and over, Dr. David Stukus, a pediatric allergist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, said he decided to investigate where such myths came from, and why they are so prevalent.
[Read More]