Hidden Maya Civilization Revealed Beneath Guatemala's Jungle Canopy
Posted on June 6, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 501 words
| Arica Deslauriers
More than 61,000 ancient Maya structures — from large pyramids to single houses — were lurking beneath the dense jungle canopy in Guatemala, revealing clues about the ancient culture's farming practices, infrastructure, politics and economy, a new aerial survey has revealed.
The Guatemalan jungle is thick and challenging to explore, so researchers mapped the terrain with the help of a technology known as light detection and ranging, or lidar. The lidar images were captured during aerial surveys of the Maya lowland, a region spanning more than 810 square miles (2,100 square kilometers).
[Read More]How Stalin used "The Terror" to secure his iron grip on power
Posted on June 6, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 809 words
| Arica Deslauriers
In All About History issue 115(opens in new tab), on sale now, discover how Stalin secured his grip as the dictator of the Soviet Union using a series of purges that locked up or murdered his greatest political enemies. How did the Great Terror begin? Who were its agents? Who were the victims? We look to answer all of these questions and more.
Peter Whitewood, author of "The Red Army and the Great Terror: Stalin’s Purge of the Soviet Military(opens in new tab)"
[Read More]How to Speak Genetics: A Glossary
Posted on June 6, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 465 words
| Fernande Dalal
Ever get confused about what's what when it comes to genetics? We've defined the main terms.
Nucleotide Commonly called "the building blocks of DNA," nucleotides consist of a nitrogen-containing chemical base either adenine, guanine, thymine or cytosine attached to a sugar and a phosphate group. One nucleotide's sugar group will bind to another nucleotide's phosphate group, creating a strand of DNA.
Base Pair A pair of nucleotides on opposite strands joined by a hydrogen bond.
[Read More]Jet-Size Pterosaurs Took Off from Prehistoric Runways
Posted on June 6, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 479 words
| Fernande Dalal
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's a bird … It's a plane … It's a plane-size bird! If humans had lived 67 million years ago in what is now Texas, they would've had a hard time missing the giant flying pterosaur called Quetzalcoatlus, which was the size of an F-16 fighter jet. The biggest animal ever to fly in the history of the world, this pterosaur dominated the sky with its 34-foot (10 meters) wingspan.
[Read More]Obese People Have 'Severe Brain Degeneration'
Posted on June 6, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 368 words
| Arica Deslauriers
A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today.
Those classified as overweight have 4 percent less brain tissue and their brains appear to have aged prematurely by 8 years.
The results, based on brain scans of 94 people in their 70s, represent "severe brain degeneration ," said Paul Thompson, senior author of the study and a UCLA professor of neurology.
[Read More]Photos: Mass Graves Hold 17th-Century Prisoners of War
Posted on June 6, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 272 words
| Patria Henriques
A bloody historyIn 2013, two mass graves were unearthed at Durham University, and scientists now say the once-mysterious graves hold the remains of Scottish soldiers who were captured and held prisoner after the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. New clues are helping archaeologists piece together who the soldiers were and how they died. The research is ongoing, but already the bones are helping researchers learn more about one of the shortest but bloodiest battles of the English Civil Wars.
[Read More]Surprise Fertility Treatment: How a Cancer Drug Helped One Woman Get Pregnant
Posted on June 6, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 663 words
| Patria Henriques
A 35-year-old Florida woman had been unable to get pregnant for 14 years, but her fertility problems were resolved in a most unusual way: A chemotherapy drug that she was given after being diagnosed with cancer triggered her ovaries to function better, a new case report reveals.
The woman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had surgery to remove the cancerous growth. Then, she was treated with the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine.
[Read More]Tonga eruption was so intense, it caused the atmosphere to ring like a bell
Posted on June 6, 2023
| 5 minutes
| 985 words
| Patria Henriques
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption reached an explosive crescendo on Jan. 15, 2022. Its rapid release of energy(opens in new tab) powered an ocean tsunami that caused damage as far away as the U.S. West Coast, but it also generated pressure waves in the atmosphere that quickly spread around the world.
The atmospheric wave pattern close to the eruption was quite complicated(opens in new tab), but thousands of miles away it appeared as an isolated wave front traveling horizontally at over 650 miles an hour(opens in new tab) as it spread outward.
[Read More]'Brazil nut puzzle' cracked by researchers
Posted on June 5, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 399 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Scientists have finally cracked one of physics' nuttiest mysteries: Why do Brazil nuts always find their way to the top of the bag?
If you've ever dipped a hand into a packet of mixed nuts, you may have noticed that you always find the largest nuts, such as Brazil nuts, at the top. The same goes for the bigger items in cereal boxes — particles of varying dimensions tend to separate by size, with larger items working their way up to the top.
[Read More]'Relationship OCD' May Hurt Sex Life
Posted on June 5, 2023
| 5 minutes
| 870 words
| Patria Henriques
People in relationships who constantly question whether their partner loves them, or whether they've found Mr. or Ms. Right, may have a condition known as relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Now, a new study finds that, perhaps not surprisingly, people with these symptoms may be less satisfied with their sex lives than those who don't have this condition.
In the study, people with symptoms of relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD) — which can include behaviors such as constantly reassessing whether you love your partner, doubting your partner's love or thinking about a partner's physical flaws — were less likely to be satisfied with their sex lives than people without these symptoms.
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