Hope diamond formed stunningly close to Earth's core

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  907 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Two of the world's most famous diamonds may have originated super deep below Earth's surface, near the planet's core. All of Earth's natural diamonds first form deep underground from our perspective on the surface. But from the perspective of this planet's great bulk, their usual births occur relatively far from the core. Zest the Earth like a lemon, and you'd uncover diamonds growing at the bottoms of tectonic plates. Those diamonds form about 90 to 125 miles (150 to 200 kilometers) deep, under pressure that exists just where the crust meets the more fluid outer mantle, or middle layer of the planet. [Read More]

How Do Other Countries Celebrate Their Independence?

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  700 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Americans have their fireworks, barbecues, and parades. But citizens from other countries, by climbing greased palm trees to get a TV or engaging in competitive kite-flying, demonstrate their own unique traditions as they celebrate their nation's independence. France July 14 commemorates the storming of Bastille, a prison in Paris, which initiated the French Revolution in 1789. During Bastille Day, it is customary for firefighters to organize dance parties. The French president may pardon prisoners. [Read More]

Huge 'UFO Fragment' Discovered in Siberia

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  304 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A metal object the size of a Volkswagen Beetle has been discovered near a remote village in Siberia. Local residents presumed it recently fell to Earth from space, but officials from Russia's space agency examined the object and said it "is not related to space technology." Locals discovered the roughly 200-kilogram (440 pounds) object, which is cylindrical and capped on one end by a ridged dome, March 18 in the forest near the village of Otradnesnky. [Read More]

Mars Was Once Covered in Wide, Raging Rivers

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  484 words  |  Patria Henriques

Mars was wet, until suddenly it wasn't. Scientists have long seen dry riverbeds slashed across the surface of Mars as evidence that water once flowed freely on the planet. And in 2012, NASA's Curiosity space rover sent back images of smooth, round pebbles from the bottom of one such riverbed, their lack of rough edges evidence that water had once flowed over them. Now, a new study published today (March 27) in the journal Science Advances catalogs those rivers and reports that their waters likely flowed heavily well into the last epoch, before Mars entirely dried up. [Read More]

Medieval Metal Whip, Used During Black Death, Found in Abbey

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  502 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

An ancient whip uncovered at a medieval English monastery may be one of only four metal scourges found in the country, according to the Nottinghamshire County Council, which manages the archaeological site. Scourges, whips or cat-o'-nine-tails made of copper-alloy wires braided together were used by people in the Middle Ages to chastise themselves. And this particular artifact, which dates back to the second half of the 14th century, was probably used by monks at Rufford Abbey to whip themselves as a form of penance, and to ward off the Black Death, the council said in a statement. [Read More]

Offerings to Supernatural Deities Discovered in Lake Titicaca in the Andes

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  842 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

A team of archaeological divers has uncovered dazzling treasures at the bottom of Lake Titicaca, including a puma carved out of the blue gemstone lapis-lazuli, gold medallions and a turquoise stone pendant. These riches were likely offered to supernatural deities hundreds of years ago by elite people from the Tiwanaku culture, which established the first large state in the Andes Mountains from about 500 to 1100, the researchers said. [Read More]

Sea creatures' strange circular swimming has scientists puzzled

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  468 words  |  Trudie Dory

Marine animals are swimming in circles, and the scientists who discovered the strange behavior don't know why. Researchers have now observed green sea turtles, tiger sharks, penguins and Antarctic fur seals swimming in consecutive circles at a constant speed — a mystery the scientists think could be tied to the animals' ability to navigate by magnetism. Researcher Tomoko Narazaki first recorded the behavior after moving a group of green turtles away from their breeding ground so that she could study how they would navigate back home. [Read More]

Striking Study Shows How Football Affects the Brain

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  496 words  |  Trudie Dory

A study of the brains of more than 200 deceased football players — including 111 who played in the National Football League (NFL) — reveals that nearly 90 percent of the players had a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is likely caused by repeated blows to the head, according to the Mayo Clinic. People with the condition get worse over time and can develop symptoms such as learning difficulties, memory loss and depression. [Read More]

The Coldest Place on Earth Is Even Colder Than Scientists Thought

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  502 words  |  Trudie Dory

Scientists already knew that the lowest temperatures ever measured on Earth were on a frozen ice ridge in eastern Antarctica, near the South Pole. But they recently discovered that temperatures there can drop even lower than those previously measured. In 2013, analysis of satellite data pinpointed scattered pockets of intensely cold air on the East Antarctic Plateau between Dome Argus and Dome Fuji — temperatures that dipped to a staggering minus 135 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 93 degrees Celsius). [Read More]

The Oldest Known Tree in Europe Is Having a Growth Spurt

 Posted on September 3, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  639 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Perched high on a cliff in southern Italy, a bone-white pine tree has watched the Renaissance come and go, seen dozens of wars rage and resolve, and stood by as thousands of less-persistent organisms lived and died on the rocky slopes below. The tree, nicknamed Italus, has seen a lot. You would, too, if you were more than 1,200 years old. With a life span of about 1,230 years, Italus has been deemed the oldest scientifically dated tree in Europe, according to a new paper published May 16 in the journal Ecology. [Read More]