The Blow-by-Blow: Snowmageddon vs. Christmas Blizzard of 2010

 Posted on December 5, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  409 words  |  Trudie Dory

As the Northeast digs out from under the snow dumped by the Christmas Blizzard of 2010, we wondered how this storm stacked up against another big snowstorm from last winter. Below, two "snotorious" storms of 2010 go toe-to-toe. [Related: What's a Blizzard?]. Names: February: Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse, SnOMG, First North American Blizzard of 2010 December: Christmas Blizzard of 2010, East Coast Blizzard, Boxing Day Blizzard Dates: Feb. 5-6, 2010 Dec. 26-27, 2010 [Read More]

This Ridiculously Speedy Star Might Be Running Away from a Rare, Unproven Type of Black Hole

 Posted on December 5, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  513 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Astronomers have discovered a bright, young star that is running away from home. Why? What did the star's parents do to deserve this? According to a study published Aug. 6 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, it's nobody's fault; it seems the young star simply fell in with the wrong crowd — namely, a very hungry black hole.  The star, which is named PG 1610+062, was first observed hurtling across the sky in a 1986 star survey, though little attention has been paid to the stellar renegade's story since then. [Read More]

Through the Years: A Gallery of the World's Toilets

 Posted on December 5, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  218 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Roman ToiletsA Roman-era public restroom in Ephesus, Turkey. Toilets in WartimeLatrines and cooking pots mingle near the front lines during World War I. The soldiers' pit latrines are directly behind the open-air kitchen where three army cooks are preparing food. Bathroom in 1918A typical American bathroom in 1918, as seen in an advertisement for the G. C. Glass Plumbing company. Privy, North Carolina, 1914-1915The less well-off would have made do with a simple outdoor privy. [Read More]

Amazon's Delivery Drones Could Take Off from Beehive-Like 'Airport'

 Posted on December 4, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  541 words  |  Fernande Dalal

If Amazon's package-carrying drones ever become a reality, they may one day pick up deliveries from beehive-shaped buildings strategically placed in cities around the world, according to a patent application filed by the company. The patent, published online on June 22, describes something called the "multi-level fulfillment center for unmanned aerial vehicles," demonstrating how Amazon plans to take package delivery to the next level. These days, Amazon's warehouses "are typically large-volume single-floor warehouse buildings," [Read More]

Bird-Like Dinosaur Sported Bizarre Tail Feathers

 Posted on December 4, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  551 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

A pigeon-sized dinosaur that lived more than 100 million years ago sported four ribbon-like tail feathers that likely helped the creature balance on tree branches. That picture comes from a fossil of a nearly complete skeleton and the well-preserved feathers of Epidexipteryx hui, discovered in Inner Mongolia, China. The finding, detailed in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Nature, fills in gaps about the transition from non-avian dinosaurs to birds. [Read More]

Cancer Doctor's Alleged Poisoning: How Can Ethylene Glycol Kill?

 Posted on December 4, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  424 words  |  Patria Henriques

A cancer researcher in Houston is accused of aggravated assault in the alleged poisoning of a fellow cancer doctor. According to a criminal complaint filed May 29, Dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, a breast cancer oncologist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center spiked the coffee of her colleague Dr. George Blumenschein with ethylene glycol, causing kidney failure and other complications. Gonzalez-Angulo and Blumenschein were in a casual sexual relationship, according to the complaint, which was first reported by the Houston Chronicle. [Read More]

Giant Owls and Painted Snails: Incredible Creatures from Cuba, In Photos

 Posted on December 4, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  406 words  |  Trudie Dory

Island biodiversity"¡Cuba!", a new exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), explores the extraordinary biodiversity across the Caribbean island’s remote forests, mysterious caves, expansive wetlands, and dazzling reefs through immersive exhibits that have been developed with colleagues from the Cuban National Museum of Natural History. Read more about the amazing animals in this exhibit. Giant owlThe largest owl that ever lived was Cuba's extinct Ornimegalonyx. The AMNH exhibit provides a life-sized model of the 39-inch-tall bird which, if it flew, would be the largest flighted bird known. [Read More]

How should you sleep during pregnancy?

 Posted on December 4, 2022  |  6 minutes  |  1141 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

One of the first questions you may ask when you get pregnant(opens in new tab) is how should you sleep during pregnancy? You may have been told it’s essential to lie on your side during pregnancy, and even warned you could be harming your baby if you lie on your back.  Here, we take a look at the science behind the headlines, find out how to get the best night’s sleep for you and your baby, and ask whether products such as pregnancy pillows can help. [Read More]

Humans Managed Rainforests of Southeast Asia for Thousands of Years

 Posted on December 4, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  405 words  |  Fernande Dalal

The "untouched" rainforests of Southeast Asia may have been more manhandled than previously thought. In present-day Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Thailand and Vietnam, humans started burning and managing forests to make way for food-bearing plants as early as 11,000 years ago, soon after the end of the last ice age, a new study suggests. "It has long been believed that the rainforests of the Far East were virgin wildernesses, where human impact has been minimal," [Read More]

Lightning Bolts Create Glowing Auroral 'Elves' and Brilliant Gamma-Ray Flashes

 Posted on December 4, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  621 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Dark fluffy thunderclouds don't just fuel dramatic storms, they also produce some of the most energetic flashes of light on the planet —  and brilliant sky displays known as ultrasonic "elves." Now, new findings have painted a clearer picture of what's going on in the silent interludes of a stormy sky. For a long time, scientists have been searching for gamma-ray flashes in the deep folds of the universe. In 1994, while peering out into space in search for these signals, a NASA instrument happened to pick up on gamma-ray flashes that were emitted from somewhere closer to home — earthly thunderclouds. [Read More]