Archaeologists Return to Legendary Birthplace of King Arthur

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  529 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Archaeologists are back at the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. Last summer, researchers discovered traces of early medieval life at Tintagel in Cornwall, on England's southwest coast, where the legendary British monarch was said to have been born. Now, they've returned to the site for another round of digging, to further explore buried buildings dated from the fifth to the seventh centuries. [See Photos of the Archaeological Excavations at Tintagel] [Read More]

Banana Peels May Help Filter Pollutants Out of Water

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  370 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Banana peels are famous for causing slips, but now scientists find they could keep pollutants from slipping into your water. Past research had shown that coconut fibers, peanut shells and other plant materials could remove potentially toxic heavy metals such as lead and copper from water. Mines, factories and farms can all generate such waste, with the potential to harm one's health and the environment. And current methods for purifying water of heavy metals are expensive, with some materials used in the process being poisonous themselves. [Read More]

Chimps Prefer Cooked Food

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  254 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

When early humans mastered the use of fire, their immediate rewards were warmth, light, and protection from nocturnal predators. Investigators have assumed that our ancestors also quickly realized the advantages of flame-cooked food — easy chewing and digestion — though clear evidence has been hard to find. A new study bolsters that idea, showing that we share our fondness for cooked grub with our wild cousins, the great apes. Victoria Wobber and her graduate advisor at Harvard University, Richard Wrangham, along with a third colleague, gave a choice between cooked and raw food to a number of captive apes. [Read More]

Dazzling Images of the Brain Created by Neuroscientist-Artist

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  834 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

The brain has been called the most complex structure in the universe, but it may also be the most beautiful. One artist's work captures both the aesthetics and sophistication of this most enigmatic organ. Greg Dunn earned a PhD in neuroscience before deciding to become a professional artist. "I had been a scientist in my previous life," Dunn said. The patterns of branching neurons he saw through the microscope reminded him of the aesthetic principles in Asian art, which he had always admired. [Read More]

Driven to Drink: Brain Enzyme Linked to Alcohol Dependency

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  403 words  |  Fernande Dalal

The ability to resist drinking alcohol when the urge strikes may partly rely on a certain enzyme in the brain, and alcohol use and dependency may reduce the levels of this enzyme, a new study in rats finds. Some people can't seem to stop drinking, even when consuming alcohol affects them negatively. In the new study, researchers discovered that restricting the brain's production of an enzyme — called Prdm2 and found in the brain's frontal lobes — disrupted rats' impulse control. [Read More]

Fuzzy 'halo' envelops Venus as it cozies up to Jupiter in photo of planetary conjunction

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  430 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

An astrophotographer captured a beautiful picture of two planets aligned in the sky above Rome — and a little rain didn't stop him. Gianluca Masi spotted Venus and Jupiter hiding behind a thin cloud shortly after scuttling a planned livestream of the conjunction Sunday (May 1) on his astronomy broadcast service, the Virtual Telescope Project. "Luckily, I had my imaging gear ready to go on a sturdy tripod, when suddenly I could spot the bright planetary couple through a less dense layer of clouds," [Read More]

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Spawned a Giant, Otherworldly 'Lava Ball'

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  331 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A dark, oblate thing drifts serenely on a surging river of lava , apparently immune to the immense heat and kinetic energy around it. Slowly, it trundles forward until, just in front of the camera, its prow reaches a deep riverbed. There, as if indulging in the display for the sake of the viewer, the black berg cracks open, lewdly spilling its hot, glowing guts. Red and warmed-over and satisfied, it sits in its own goop for a few moments, briefly damming up the flow behind it before proceeding onward downriver in its slow, diabolical way. [Read More]

New Stick-On Device Could Monitor Heart Problems

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  470 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

An ultrathin and stretchable device that sticks to your skin like a sticker could one day be used to monitor your heart rate, according to a new report. The researchers who designed the device say it could be used by patients who need to have their heart rates monitored continuously, such as those who suffer from heart problems like arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms), or who have a greater risk of a heart attack. [Read More]

Ram Statue Unearthed on Christmas Eve May Represent Jesus

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  437 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A hand-carved marble statue of a ram that was uncovered last week along Israel's Mediterranean coast has archaeologists guessing about who carved the creation. Archaeologists found the statue on Thursday (Dec. 24), but they say its unclear whether it was carved by Byzantine artisans, or if it was made by Romans and then later repurposed by the Byzantine church, the Israel Antiquities Authority said. The researchers found the statue during the excavation of an ancient church in Caesarea Harbor National Park, a landmark about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Haifa. [Read More]

Roe v. Wade overturned by Supreme Court

 Posted on October 29, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  714 words  |  Fernande Dalal

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade in a ruling released Friday(opens in new tab) (June 24). In doing so, the justices eliminated the constitutional right to abortion that was established by the 1973 court case and later affirmed by a 1992 case called Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.  The newly decided case concerned a Mississippi law called the "Gestational Age Act" that was enacted in 2018, which banned nearly all abortions where the " [Read More]