Missing Link Between Simple Cells and Complex Life-Forms Possibly Found

 Posted on November 4, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  920 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Scientists may have unearthed a missing link between simple and complex cells, which make up all animals, plants and fungi.  Scientists consider single-celled organisms called Archaea to lie between primitivebacteria, that lack a nucleus, and more complex cells, or eukaryotes, on the evolutionary timeline. Like their bacterial cousins, Archaea lack a nucleus, but the microbes contain DNA and DNA-replicating enzymes that closely resemble those in eukaryotes. Some scientists theorize(opens in new tab) that eukaryotes evolved about 2 billion years ago from these intermediate organisms, when an ancient archaea grabbed a passing microorganism, sucked it into its cellular belly, and transformed it into a makeshift nucleus. [Read More]

Personality Traits Help Explain Creationist Beliefs

 Posted on November 4, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  785 words  |  Patria Henriques

A belief in the literal Biblical version of creation may boil down, in part, to personality. A new study suggests that people who believe in creationism are more likely to prefer to take in information via their senses versus via intuition. In contrast, religious believers who see the Bible's creation story as symbolic tend to be more intuitive. "Intuitives tend to be much more at home with symbolic things, generally," said Andrew Village, the head of the theology and religious studies program at York St. [Read More]

Photos: 1920s Hollywood sphinx goes on display

 Posted on November 4, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  254 words  |  Patria Henriques

A plaster sphinx, more than 90 years old and weathered by the elements, will make its 21st-century debut at a museum in Guadalupe, California, tomorrow (June 12). Researchers based the reconstruction on old footage and photos of the sphinxes from the 1923 production of "The Ten Commandments." (Photo Credit: Dunes Center, Guadalupe, California.)  Related: Read the full story on the new sphinx exhibit Action!Actors on the set of the movie 90 years ago. [Read More]

Robot Dials 9-1-1

 Posted on November 4, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  301 words  |  Trudie Dory

The U.S. medical system faces an imminent crisis as baby boomers age into retirement, but an army of little helper robots might soften the blow. Researchers designed a two-wheeled robot, known as uBOT-5, with two arms capable of picking up small objects, using a stethoscope and even dialing 9-1-1. Sensors near its video-screen head can also figure out if someone has fallen. “For the first time, robots are safe enough and inexpensive enough to do meaningful work in a residential environment,” said Rod Grupen, a computer scientist at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst. [Read More]

Shackleton's Endurance shipwreck teeming with extreme creatures

 Posted on November 4, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  960 words  |  Patria Henriques

Image 1 of 3This squat lobster seems to be the star of the Endurance shipwreck. (Image credit: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust and National Geographic)Image 1 of 3Sea anemones have taken up residence on the stern of the Endurance, with the name and emblematic polestar. (Image credit: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust and National Geographic)Image 1 of 3Sea anemones have taken up residence on the stern of the Endurance, with the name and emblematic polestar. [Read More]

Storm God Worship: Ancient Cult Complex Discovered in Israel

 Posted on November 4, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  662 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A massive cult complex, dating back about 3,300 years, has been discovered at the site of Tel Burna in Israel. While archaeologists have not fully excavated the cult complex, they can tell it was quite large, as the courtyard alone was 52 by 52 feet (16 by 16 meters). Inside the complex, researchers discovered three connected cups, fragments of facemasks, massive jars that are almost as big as a person and burnt animal bones that may indicate sacrificial rituals. [Read More]

This bacteria can survive on pure hydrogen. Could alien life do the same?

 Posted on November 4, 2022  |  6 minutes  |  1144 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Could aliens that breathe helium and hydrogen live on exoplanets throughout the cosmos?  A new study of life on Earth suggests it's possible. And if so, that would mean the hunt for life in the universe may need to look beyond oxygen-bathed planets to ones with seemingly inhospitable atmospheres. There is no question that an oxygen atmosphere is conducive to life — after all, it's what we breathe on Earth. [Read More]

Yup, Flat-Earthers Think the Falcon Heavy Launch Was a Conspiracy

 Posted on November 4, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  534 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Yesterday's successful launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket also sent an unusual payload into space: a cherry-red Tesla Roadster "manned" by a dummy named Starman and equipped with cameras that provided gorgeous views of Earth against the backdrop of space. But flat-Earthers aren't buying it. "People who believe that the Earth is a globe because 'they saw a car in space on the Internet' must be the new incarnation of 'It's true, I saw it on TV! [Read More]

'Fake Pee' Is In Demand, and Now States Want to Ban It

 Posted on November 3, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  238 words  |  Fernande Dalal

This hot-selling product is a fake ... and that's exactly why buyers want it. Sales of synthetic urine — which people can use to cheat on drug tests — appear to be on the rise in the United States, according to news reports. And the substance has become such a problem that some states are moving to ban it. According to The Washington Post, Indiana and New Hampshire passed laws last year banning synthetic urine, and two additional states — Missouri and Mississippi — introduced bills this year to make the product illegal. [Read More]

Can Humans Hibernate? Idea May Not Be So Crazy

 Posted on November 3, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  941 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Occasionally, seemingly miraculous cases of humans going in and out of hibernation-like states are reported. In 2006, for example, a 35-year-old man was rescued on a snowy mountainside in Japan 24 days after going missing. He seemed to have survived by entering a state of nearly suspended animation: His organs had shut down, his body temperature had dropped to 71 degrees, and his metabolism had slowed almost to a standstill. Subsequently, the man made a full recovery. [Read More]