George Dvorsky

An Ancient Monolith Has Been Discovered in the Mediterranean Sea

Archaeologists working in the Sicilian Channel between Tunisia and Sicily have discovered a submerged 40-foot-long (8-meter) limestone monolith carved by Stone Age humans some 10,000 years ago. Back then, the Sicilian Channel would have featured an archipelago of several islands separated by stretches of extremely shallow sea. Living on these islands were Mesolithic humans who…

Frequent consumption of spicy foods has been linked to longer life. A 7-year study of nearly a half-million people in China shows that eating spicy foods one or two days a week can reduce death by as much as 14%. But correlation is not causation, leading some to question the study’s findings. Image credit: chrizzel_lu/Pixabay/CC0

Our Planet May Be Sprouting Super-Dense “Hairs” of Dark Matter

Calculations made by a JPL-California research scientist suggest that thin strands of dark matter filaments are spreading out from large planetary bodies like Earth and Jupiter. If true, it’s a possible sign that we may be able to finally detect these hypothetical forms of matter. “As the evidence of dark matter’s existence has become overwhelming,…

Here Are the Winners of National Geographic‘s Traveler Photo Contest

This year, over 18,000 photographs were submitted to National Geographic’s annual Traveler Photo Contest. These ten are the very best. First Place: Whale Whisperers Photographer: Anuar Patjane Diving with a humpback whale and her newborn calf while they cruise around Roca Partida … in the Revillagigedo [Islands], Mexico. This is an outstanding and unique place…

All Signs Indicate a New Monster El Niño Is Coming

Ocean conditions in the Pacific Ocean are increasingly suggestive of a potent El Niño event later this year. While that might seem like good news to the water-starved regions of the United States, the resulting torrential rains could be exceptionally hazardous. Back in March of this year, scientists declared that El Niño conditions had emerged…

Earth Looks Glorious From Europe’s Newest Weather Satellite

Europe’s MSG-4 geostationary weather satellite is up and running after its launch on July 15. Earlier today, it’s Spinning Enhanced Visible Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) snapped its first image of Earth. And yes, we are impressed. Although you wouldn’t guess it from the exquisite photo, MSG-4 is still undergoing its initial commissioning and calibration phase. It…

Crackers Made From Giant Isopods Are Now a Thing in Japan

There seems to be no shortage of ideas when it comes to the manufacturing of new and unique foods. Case in point, these Japanese senbei rice crackers made from giant isopods—those oversized bug-like crustaceans from the ocean’s depths. As reported in The Japan Times, these snacks are now readily available and are becoming quite popular.…

Legos Are Surprisingly Effective at Explaining Synthetic Biology

The emerging discipline of synthetic biology is poised to change many aspects of our lives, from the production of medicines and bio-fuels through to genetic engineering and the development of completely new biological systems. It’s a technologically daunting prospect, but this video from Grist uses Legos and skateboards to make it all so perfectly clear.

8 Craziest Mega-Engineering Projects We Could Use to Rework the Earth

Humans have been modifying the Earth for thousands of years, but we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible. Here are eight dramatic ways we could change the face of our planet. For the purposes of this list, we’re limiting the discussion to megaprojects involving the Earth’s geology, atmosphere, and biosphere. This means no technological…

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence proving that members of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition resorted to cannibalism. The two-ship fleet, dispatched in 1845 to map the Northwest Passage, became hopelessly stuck in the Arctic ice. Remains of 36 bones show signs of cutting, breakage, and bone marrow extraction. Image: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

This Unusually Dusty Comet is Spewing Mysterious Chunks of Debris

A new comet is currently making its inaugural trip to the inner Solar System from the Oort cloud where it likely originated. New images show a tremendous amount of dust streaming away from it, along with strange blobs that have attracted the attention of astronomers. The comet is currently being investigated by Johns Hopkins physicist…

Why Are Dogs So Insanely Happy to See Us When We Get Home?

Unlike a certain companion animal that will go unnamed, dogs lose their minds when reunited with their owners. But it’s not immediately obvious why our canine companions should grant us such an over-the-top greeting—especially considering the power imbalance that exists between the two species. We spoke to the experts to find out why. Call of…

Incredible Robotic Water Strider Jumps Like the Real Thing

Researchers from South Korea have created a robotic insect that’s capable of jumping and landing on an aquatic surface, a unique mode of transportation found only in specialized animals. To reproduce this jumping ability in a robot, Je-Sung Koh and colleagues from Seoul National University studied the way water striders do it. The resulting bio-inspired…

We Actually Learned a Lot From Philae’s Botched Landing on Comet 67/P

The ESA’s attempt to land a probe on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko didn’t go as planned, but the mission has been far from a failure. A recent analysis of Philae’s harrowing journey across the comet has revealed some fascinating clues about its surface, while providing critical insights for future comet missions. A meticulous analysis of Philae’s first…

Before-and-After Pics Show the Extent of Mount Baker’s Dwindling Snow

Located in the North Cascades of Washington State in the U.S., Mount Baker is one of the most heavily glaciated and snow-covered mountains in the region. But as these satellite images show, its perma-snow doesn’t look so permanent anymore. At 10,781 feet (3,286 meters), Mount Baker is the third highest mountain in Washington State and…

Why the Argument Against a Ban on Autonomous Killer Robots Falls Flat

This week, an open letter was presented at an AI conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina calling for a ban on autonomous weapons. The letter has been signed by nearly 14,000 prominent thinkers and leading robotics researchers, but not everyone agrees with its premise. Here’s the case against a ban on killer robots, and why it’s…

An 8-year-old boy has become the youngest recipient of a double-hand transplant. Four surgical teams worked in shifts for 11 hours to perform the operation at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Zion Harvey will have to remain on medications for the rest of his life, but his new hands are expected to function and grow…

T. Rex‘s Serrated Teeth Were Even More Badass Than We Thought

Paleontologists have known for years that Tyrannosaurus Rex and other closely related theropods had jagged teeth to help them chew through flesh. But close inspection of crack-like features at the base of these serrations has revealed there’s more to these fearsome teeth than previously believed. Scientists had noticed these “cracks” before, but they figured they…

Skeletal Remains Found at Jamestown Site Identified as Colony Leaders

Archaeologists have identified the 400-year-old remains of four men considered to be among the first leaders of Virginia’s Jamestown settlement, the New World’s first successful British colony. As the Smithsonian reports, the badly decayed bones were discovered back in 2013 during an archaeological dig at the historic site. The two-year task of identifying the four…

Astronomers Discover a New Class of Freakishly Dense, Compact Galaxies

Imagine what our night sky would look like if its stellar density was a million times greater than it is now. Remarkably, such places actually exist: They’re called “Ultracompact Dwarfs,” and astronomers are calling them an entirely new kind of galaxy. Undergraduate astronomy students Michael Sandoval and Richard Vo from San José University discovered a…