The Megalodon Spent Tens of Millions of Years Honing Its Lethal, Knife-Like Teeth

 Posted on November 10, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  558 words  |  Patria Henriques

But nature didn't just hand these instant-killing weapons to these prehistoric sharks, called megalodons. Rather, it took millions of years for the teeth to evolve into their final, lethal form, according to a new study published on March 1 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. To understand the evolution of megalodon's killer teeth, researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History carried out some prehistoric dental examinations. They analyzed 359 fossils of teeth found — mostly by amateur fossil collectors — on the Calvert Cliffs, which are located on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. [Read More]

Unproven Treatments for 'Chronic Lyme Disease' Lead to Severe Infections

 Posted on November 10, 2022  |  6 minutes  |  1220 words  |  Trudie Dory

In a small number but growing number of cases, people in the U.S. have suffered severe bacterial infections, bone damage or a life-threatening condition called septic shock — all because of treatments they received for a condition called "chronic Lyme disease." But there is no test for "chronic Lyme disease," and no treatments have been proven to be effective in treating the illness, according to a new report on some of these cases. [Read More]

World's Glaciers Have New Size Estimate

 Posted on November 10, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  542 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

The relatively small glaciers that drape the planet's mountains will play an important role in future sea level rise, according to a new study that estimated glaciers' collective size. Researchers calculated the ice thickness for 171,000 glaciers worldwide, excluding the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, which hold the bulk of Earth's frozen water. Through a combination of direct satellite observations and modeling, they determined the total volume of ice tied up in the glaciers is nearly 41,000 cubic miles (170,000 cubic kilometers), plus or minus 5,000 cubic miles (21,000 cubic km). [Read More]

3 New Species Discovered in Australia's 'Lost World'

 Posted on November 9, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  467 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

During an expedition last March to a remote part of northeastern Australia, where few humans have tread, scientists discovered three unique species of vertebrates: an impressively camouflaged leaf-tail gecko, a golden-colored skink and a rock-loving frog. The researchers were exploring the rain forests on top of the Cape Melville Range, a 9-mile-long (15 kilometers) mountain range located on Australia's Cape York Peninsula, which juts out just south of Papua New Guinea. [Read More]

Could a High-Fat, Low-Carb Diet Someday Replace Dialysis?

 Posted on November 9, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  977 words  |  Trudie Dory

A type of low-carb, high-fat diet that's typically used to manage seizures for children with epilepsy could reverse kidney disease in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics, a new animal study suggests. If successful in humans, the so-called ketogenic diet could have the potential to replace dialysis, which is a procedure that artificially filters blood in place of a damaged or failed kidney, said study researcher Charles Mobbs, professor of neuroscience and geriatrics and palliative care medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. [Read More]

Discovery Rocks Creationists' Claim That Humans Lived with Dinosaurs

 Posted on November 9, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  464 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Ancient images that creationists claim are evidence of humans living alongside dinosaurs are at best just smeared pictures, scientists find. At the site of Kachina Bridge in Utah — an immense sandstone formation resembling an arch more than 200 feet (60 meters) high and wide that was formed by the undercutting of a rock wall by flowing water  — prehistoric cultures decorated the  walls with paintings and engravings known as petroglyphs. [Read More]

Diver Has Epic Nose-to-Nose Encounter with One of the Most Elusive Sharks Lurking in the Deep Sea

 Posted on November 9, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  592 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

You may have heard of megalodon, the massive prehistoric shark, but what about the bluntnose sixgill? This enormous, ancient shark was lurking in the deep long before its extinct cousin — and still exists today at the bottom of the ocean. It's rarely seen even by scientists. But on a recent submarine dive shark expert Gavin Naylor caught amazing footage of one on camera cozying up to his research vessel, seeming to almost flirt and play with the vessel. [Read More]

DIY Halloween Costumes: 7 Geeky Getups for Any Party

 Posted on November 9, 2022  |  6 minutes  |  1078 words  |  Trudie Dory

With Halloween less than a week away, science nerds everywhere are scrambling to put the finishing touches on their costumes. But if you've waited until the last minute to throw an outfit together, don't worry. There's still time to assemble an appropriately geeky getup in time for this weekend's festivities. Here are a few science-themed ideas to get you started. Dark matter It's invisible, intangible, misunderstood and sometimes misrepresented. What is it? [Read More]

Freaky! New Frog Mating Position Discovered

 Posted on November 9, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  557 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A new frog mating position, only the seventh type ever observed, has been discovered in the monsoonal forests of India. Bombay night frogs (Nyctibatrachus humayuni) mate by having the male straddle the female without grasping her, and releasing sperm over her back. The female then lays her eggs, allowing the sperm to run down her back and fertilize the eggs. "Species such as the Bombay night frog, which are endemic to small regions (most often outside protected areas and threatened with anthropogenic activities), definitely require conservation prioritization," [Read More]

Is it possible for anything to be 'germ-free'?

 Posted on November 9, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  593 words  |  Trudie Dory

Everyone has probably done it hundreds of times, especially lately — rubbed hands with sanitizer, scrubbed kitchen counters with antibacterial wipes, patted down a toilet-seat cover in a public restroom and used feet, elbows or shoulders to try to open the bathroom door — all in the name of keeping those nasty, scary, invisible germs away. But what if all of this careful cleaning is an exercise in futility? Is it even possible to keep germs away? [Read More]