Ammonia Detected in Earth's Atmosphere for First Time
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 649 words
| Trudie Dory
In an unexpected first, researchers have discovered ammonia in Earth's lowest atmospheric layer, a new study said.
The detected ammonia was most concentrated in the upper layer of the troposphere above India and China, countries that have experienced population and economic booms in recent years. The gas (NH3) is most likely coming from livestock farming and fertilization in those countries, the researchers said.
Plants and crops need ammonia to grow, but too much of it can harm the environment and human health.
[Read More]Bizarre Egg-Burying Birds Hatch at Bronx Zoo
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 360 words
| Trudie Dory
Three maleo chicks have been hatched at the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Bronx Zoo in New York, where keepers recreated the conditions of the birds' bizarre incubation.
While most birds sit on their eggs to keep their unhatched young warm, maleos bury their large eggs in underground nests, letting heat from geothermal sources, the sun or decaying vegetation do the work for them.
The chicks, when they finally hatch, are quite mature; on day one, they can dig themselves out from under 3 feet (1 meter) of earth, then start flying and foraging without any help from their parents.
[Read More]Catch the full moon (and a penumbral eclipse) on Monday
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 653 words
| Patria Henriques
Skywatchers admiring November's full moon will also get to see another treat: a penumbral eclipse, when the moon passes through Earth's outer shadow, on Monday, Nov. 30, according to NASA.
The moon will be at its fullest for only a moment — on Monday, that happens at 4:30 a.m. EST (9:30 UTC) — but the moon will appear full for three days: from Saturday night through Tuesday morning (Nov. 28 to Dec.
[Read More]Chinese railroad worker house unearthed in Utah ghost town
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1277 words
| Fernande Dalal
Archaeologists excavating in a Utah ghost town have turned up a rare find: a house belonging to 19th-century Chinese workers on the transcontinental railroad.
The house — now just a layer of floorboards scattered with artifacts such as Chinese coins and stoneware — is the first-ever completely excavated Chinese home on the transcontinental railroad. More than 11,000 immigrants from China helped build the railroad, which connected the Eastern lines in Iowa to the San Francisco Bay.
[Read More]Facial Bone Structure Reveals Age
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 479 words
| Arica Deslauriers
It's not just wrinkles that reveal age. A new study finds that changes in bone structure make faces look older, too.
While scientists had known there are general bone changes with age, such as bone thinning, this study is the most detailed look at such alterations.
Using computed tomography (CT) scans, researchers analyzed the facial bones of men and women across different age groups. The structure of the bones differed between age groups, the researchers reported in the January issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
[Read More]Heavy Marijuana Use May Be Bad for Your Bones
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 562 words
| Fernande Dalal
People who regularly smoke large amounts of marijuana may be more susceptible to bone fractures than people who don't use the drug, according to a new study conducted in the United Kingdom.
Researchers also found that the people in the study who used marijuana regularly tended to have thinner bones than the people who did not use pot. Having thinner bones might put people at higher risk for osteoporosis, a condition in which a person's bones become brittle and fragile, the researchers said.
[Read More]Nike FuelBand: Fitness Tracker Review
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1122 words
| Fernande Dalal
The Nike FuelBand is an activity tracker that aims to get you moving, and allows you to compare your activity with others in the Nike+ community. As part of an experiment to become more familiar with activity trackers, I tried out the device to see how easy it was to use, and whether it provided meaningful health information and really inspired me to improve my health.
Overall Rating: 5.1/10The main pros of the Nike Fuelband include that it has a clock, allows you to compare your activity with that of other people and displays your daily progress directly on the device.
[Read More]Shovel-Headed Shark May Be Earth's Oldest
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 257 words
| Patria Henriques
An aquarium in Tennessee is home to what may be the world's oldest bonnethead shark, a feisty 3-foot (1 meter)-long fish in the hammerhead family.
The shark, originally from Florida, is approximately 22 years old, 5 years older than the oldest bonnethead ever caught in the wild. It's also only two years younger than the Discovery Channel's popular annual series "Shark Week," which is ongoing this week.
Bonnetheads are the smallest of the hammerhead sharks, and their curved heads are shaped more like a spade than a hammer.
[Read More]Super-Earths Have Weird Orbits Because They’re Permanently Off-Kilter
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 471 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Throughout the Milky Way galaxy, pairs of "super-Earths" circle distant stars.
At first glance, all seems right with these alien worlds. But when astronomers looked closer, they realized the orbits of these super-Earth pairs didn’t follow the normal rules.
Now it's clear why: These planets are permanently off-kilter — tipped over on their sides, new research suggests. [9 Most Intriguing Earth-Like Planets]
Between 2009 and 2013, NASA's exoplanet-hunting Kepler mission discovered that super-Earths, or rocky exoplanets that are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, orbit approximately 30 percent of known stars that are similar to our sun.
[Read More]These vegetarian ants have steak knives for teeth, new study finds
Posted on October 17, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 672 words
| Patria Henriques
(opens in new tab)What do leafcutter ants and scores of middle-school students have in common? A mouth full of metal-laced teeth.
Tiny arthropods such as ants, spiders and scorpions routinely bite, sting or otherwise pierce tough material like wood and skin. It's a remarkable feat, given that humans have trouble chewing through so much as a piece of beef jerky (let alone a hunk of tree bark), even with our strong jaw muscles.
[Read More]