Riding High: Pot-Smoking Drivers Evade Blood Tests
Posted on September 30, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 533 words
| Fernande Dalal
People who drive after smoking marijuana are at greater risk of car crashes, but blood tests to check for the drug may not be a reliable way to catch impaired drivers, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that levels of marijuana's active ingredient — tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — decrease very quickly in the blood. This means that a person who was impaired by marijuana while behind the wheel might not have a positive test result by the time a test is administered a few hours later, the researchers said.
[Read More]Storm Ida could slam into Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane
Posted on September 30, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 514 words
| Fernande Dalal
Tropical storm Ida is gaining strength as it barrels through the Caribbean Sea and is expected to be a "dangerous major hurricane" when it slams into the northern Gulf Coast on Sunday (Aug. 29), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Friday morning (Aug. 27).
The NHC defines a major hurricane as a Category 3 or higher, meaning Ida could reach maximum sustained winds of 111 mph (178.6 km/h) or greater by the time it reaches the Louisiana coast; Ida would be the fourth hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season.
[Read More]What Causes a Charlie Horse?
Posted on September 30, 2022
| 1 minutes
| 166 words
| Fernande Dalal
Most of the time your muscles run smoothly, whether you're resting in the dugout or dodging foul balls in the stands. Your brain constantly monitors muscle positions via signals traveling up the spinal cord. Before you wind up at the mound, your prefrontal cortex plans the pitch (curve ball? slider?) and signals the motor cortex to send impulses back down your spinal cord to the appropriate muscles.
Unfortunately, hiccups can happen anywhere in this sequence.
[Read More]What the Deepest Spot in the Ocean Sounds Like
Posted on September 30, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 525 words
| Patria Henriques
It turns out the ocean is one noisy, riotous place, teeming with the sound of seismic temblors, whale songs and ship propellers — even at the deepest ocean trench.
Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sent an underwater microphone nearly 36,000 feet (10,972 meters) below the water's surface into the Challenger Deep trough in the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot in the ocean. [Listen to Sounds from the Deepest Spot in the Ocean]
[Read More]'Garbage dump' discovered in ancient Egyptian tomb dedicated to fertility goddess
Posted on September 29, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 757 words
| Arica Deslauriers
An ancient Egyptian "garbage dump" discovered within a temple honoring the powerful female Pharaoh Hatshepsut is piled high with offerings to a fertility goddess, archaeologists report.
Archaeologists unexpectedly found the rubbish heap in a tomb within the 3,500-year-old Hathor cult complex, a three-temple complex that sits within the Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahari (also spelled Deir el-Bahri), near Luxor. Even though the dump was hidden in an early Middle Kingdom tomb, many of the artifacts in the dump date to the New Kingdom, which includes the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties that ruled from the 16th century B.
[Read More]COVID-19 spread is fueled by 'stealth transmission'
Posted on September 29, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 482 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Cases of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that fly under the radar — without being detected or diagnosed — may have fueled the rapid spread of the disease, according to a new study.
The study found that people with COVID-19 who didn't get diagnosed, likely because they didn't feel very sick, were the source of at least two-thirds of documented COVID-19 cases in China in the early days of the outbreak.
[Read More]How Does a Solar Racer Work?
Posted on September 29, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 842 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Solar-powered vehicles are becoming more common today. Solar cells power cars, boats, airplanes and satellites in space. Solar racing is a growing sport with competitions around the world. Even some toys get their power from solar panels.
From the most basic toy solar racer to the most advanced solar-powered satellite, the foundational elements date back more than a century. The first dry cell battery was invented in 1895. Electrically powered cars debuted in 1900 and the solar panel was invented in 1941.
[Read More]Hundreds of towering hydrothermal chimneys discovered on seafloor off Washington
Posted on September 29, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 911 words
| Trudie Dory
In the dark ocean depths off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, a magical fairyland of towering spires and hydrothermal chimneys sprout from the seafloor, a stunning new underwater map reveals.
These towers belch superheated liquid warmed by magma deep inside Earth.
The field of hydrothermal chimneys stretches along the ocean bottom on the Juan de Fuca Ridge to the northwest of coastal Washington state, in an area known as the Endeavor Segment.
[Read More]Killer Thrills: How Safe Are Amusement Parks?
Posted on September 29, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 668 words
| Trudie Dory
August is one of the most popular months for visiting amusement parks, but recent accidents have shined a spotlight on a long-debated issue: How well are these parks monitored when it comes to safety?
From rollers coasters to bumper cars and Ferris wheels, amusement park rides attract massive crowds, with an estimated annual attendance of nearly 300 million at the more than 420 fixed-site theme parks in the United States, according to 2008 data from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.
[Read More]Learn about your genetics for just $100 with this Cyber Monday 23andMe deal
Posted on September 29, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 765 words
| Trudie Dory
With this Cyber Monday 23AndMe deal, you can make a great saving as you delve into your ancestry. Have you ever wondered what parts of the world your family is from? What about what your DNA might tell you about which health issues you may be predisposed to? Well wonder no more, as this deal from Amazon gives 50% off the Health + Ancestry service(opens in new tab) — a savings of $100 over its normal price.
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