Admit it, there's nothing more fun than sitting in a dark theatre, munching on a bucket of buttery popcorn, and watching the Earth get demolished. In the latest round of catastrophic flicks, California is destroyed as the famous San Andreas Fault unleashes unimaginable (and unrealistic) devastation across the state. Aren't they still recovering from Godzilla?
In yet another example of avian ingenuity, researchers from Poland and Korea have discovered that birds have the ability to use weight and sound to distinguish more desirable peanuts from their less desirable counterparts.
Throughout human history, people have utilized caves for protection from the elements, as safe havens from predators, and as canvases to display beautiful works of art. Now, a group of scientists from Vanderbilt University are using caves to learn about weather patterns in the past. And what they're discovering may provide insight into our planet's future climate.
Many species of snakes and lizards are able to change color, which helps them avoid detection, regulate their body temperature, and choose mates. But new research on panther chameleons shows that their colorful hides may not only aid in their survival, but might be concealing a range of species never before imagined.
In March 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set aside just over 1,000 acres of land straddling the U.S. and Mexican border in an effort to bolster the rapidly dwindling numbers of jaguars. This beautiful spotted cat, who once roamed from Argentina in South America, all the way up to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, has now been practically wiped out in the United States. But that is irrelevant to the angry ranchers who believe providing room for the cats was "unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious."
A Jacksonville dentist is being investigated for alleged malpractice and has voluntarily relinquished his license following allegations that he was running "a house of horrors," according to a recent lawsuit.
SpaceX is one step closer to being the first privately-owned company to send astronauts to space. And one of the most important aspects of any mission is protecting the lives of the crew. So they recently tested an abort system that would propel astronauts to safety in the event of an emergency. And a point-of-view camera let us come along for the ride.
Antarctica is a truly massive continent. At over 5 million square miles, the whole of the US could fit securely within its borders. It boasts the highest, driest, coldest, and windiest landscape of all seven continents. And the fact that it is losing ice is nothing new. It's the rate at which parts of the continent are melting that is raising new concerns.
She was dressed in a knee-length skirt and a short woolen blouse when she was buried in an earthen mound in southern Denmark. She was only a teenager when she died. Her small body was wrapped in a blanket and placed in an ox hide-lined coffin made of oak. Beside her, tucked within a small cloth sack, were the cremated remains of a six-year-old child. Now, over 3,000 years later, scientists are able to trace the young girl's journey across an ancient landscape.
The long relationship between humans and dogs has just been pushed back by tens of thousands of years, thanks to a small piece of rib bone found during an expedition to the far northern reaches of Siberia. And the genetics show that dogs split from wolves much earlier than we once believed.
If you're going to study something as vast as the world's oceans, it helps if you have a large cadre of scientists to sift through the data. And that's just what an international research team, led by University of Arizona scientists, have done. They are rolling out the results of a three-year expedition in which they cataloged over 150,000 tiny ocean creatures, most of which are brand new discoveries.
Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) are proudly displaying what is the most detailed image ever captured of the vast planetary nebula, Medusa. And what their powerful telescopes have revealed are the beautiful death throes of a dying star.
In 2012, a team of paleontologists were scouring the rocky shores of what is today the small island of Sucia, located within Puget Sound, between Washington State and Vancouver Island. On the hunt for prehistoric shells, they inadvertently stumbled upon the bone of a creature never known to have ranged that far north - a dinosaur.
Dogs have been man's companion for thousands of years. First domesticated by our hunter/gatherer ancestors over 18,000 years ago, they have been part of our culture ever since, providing protection from predators, warning us of danger, and most of all, serving as loving companions. So the fact that they may offer some assistance to those with seizure disorders should come as no surprise. It's how they assist their owners that is truly remarkable.