George Dvorsky

Unusual Land Temperatures Reveal A Winter Of Stark Contrasts

If last month’s weather seemed a bit off to you, you’re right. Depending on which half of North America you dwell, February was characterized by either bitter cold and winter storms, or unusually warm temperatures. This new map from NASA shows just how anomalous — and divided — our current winter has been. This is…

Sheep use their brains to avoid dehydration. A new study shows theycan dramatically reduce water loss by using their brain’s built-in heat exchange system to cool down their blood. When sufficiently calm, sheep can save up to 80% of daily water intake by using this method. Image: Steven Walling/Vertigogen/CC

New Footage Shows Wreck Of Japanese Super Battleship Sunk In WWII

Last week, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced the discovery of the sunken Japanese super battleship Musashi. His team has now released a second video showing the historic wreck in extraordinary detail. The 73,000-ton Musashi, along with her sister ship, the Yamato, were the largest and most heavily armored battleships the world had ever seen. Commissioned…

See The Wellcome Trust’s Best Science Photos Of The Year

The finalists of the 2015 Wellcome Image Awards have been announced. From insectoid eyes and cat tongues to curved spines and boll weevils, here are the most spectacular science photos of the past year. Top image: The boll weevil as seen through a scanning electron miscroscope (Daniel Kariko/Wellcome Images). “The breath-taking riches of the imagery…

This Ancient Fossil Just Rewrote The History of Human Evolution

This jawbone pushes back the evolutionary origins of our genus by nearly half a million years, researchers reported today. Photo: Brian A. Villmoare Paleontologists working in Ethiopia have uncovered the lower jaw and five teeth of an unknown hominid that lived 2.8-million years ago. Remarkably, the fossil exhibits a blend of primitive and modern features,…

Experts Assess The Damage Wrought By ISIS At The Mosul Museum

Late last week, a disturbing ISIS propaganda video emerged showing the wanton destruction of ancient artifacts at the Mosul Museum in Iraq. After a careful examination of the video, antiquities experts say the damage inflicted by the stunt is “absolutely devastating.” In the video, Jihadists can be seen toppling sculptures, smashing them to bits with…

Humans Unconsciously Sniff Their Hands After Handshaking

Unlike dogs and other animals, humans — for the most part — don’t sniff each other. Well, at least that’s what we thought. A rather unsettling new study from the Weizmann Institute shows that practically all of us sniff our hands after handshaking — a possible sign of social chemosignaling behavior. The new study, published…

Scientists Bioengineer TB-Resistant Cattle By Injecting A Mouse Gene

Bovine tuberculosis is a serious problem in many parts of the world, resulting in the culling of thousands of cattle each year and at tremendous cost. Now, Chinese scientists have produced a herd of transgenic cows that exhibit an improved ability to ward off the disease. Cattle that were genetically modified to carry a mouse…

How To Meditate (And Get The Most Benefit Out Of It)

Neuroscientists and psychologists keep discovering more health benefits from mindfulness meditation. And luckily, it’s a simple practice, that virtually anyone can do. But how do you get started, and how do you get the most rewards from the practice? Here’s our quick and easy guide to meditating. Mindfulness meditation, or focused attention, turns out to…

This Treadmill Test Can Predict Your Odds Of Surviving Another Decade

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have devised a simple treadmill test and formula to calculate your odds of surviving the next ten years, and it goes like this: FIT Treadmill Score = %MPHR + 12 (METS) – 4 (age) + 43 (if female). Here’s how it works and what it means to your health. “The…

No, It’s Not Illegal To “Spock” Your Fives In Canada

In the wake of Leonard Nimoy’s death, a number of Canadians have taken to the practice of converting the portrait of Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier on the Canadian $5 bill into the iconic image of Mr. Spock. According to the Bank of Canada, defacing bills is not illegal — but it’s not without consequences.…

Genghis Khan’s Lost Fortress Uncovered In Western Mongolia

A team of Japanese and Mongolian archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 13th century military outpost thought to belong to Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan. As reported in The Asahi Shimbun, the discovery is shedding light on the Mongol Empire’s strategy on western expansion and trade routes between the 13th and 14th centuries: The researchers…

200 Skeletons Have Been Discovered Beneath A Supermarket In Paris

Archaeologists in Paris have found the skeletal remains of 200 individuals laid out neat rows in a communal grave. The site, once the cemetery of a hospital that operated from the 12th to 17th Century, is now a supermarket. The Monoprix Réaumur-Sébastopol supermarket called in archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research…

The 7 Least Plausible Solutions To The Fermi Paradox

One of the greatest conundrums to face humanity is the question of extraterrestrial life. Many explanations have been posited over the years to explain why we have yet to make first contact, some better than others. Here are seven of the weakest solutions to the vexing problem known as the Fermi Paradox. For those of…

A Baby Star Pierces Through Its Blanket Of Interstellar Dust

Behold V1331Cyg, a young star located 1,800 light-years from Earth. This object, which is illuminating the dark cloud around it in spectacular fashion, is in the process of contracting as it becomes a main sequence star similar to the Sun. This strikingly vivid image of a snail-like reflection nebula was recently captured by the Hubble…

Discovery Of 8,000-Year-Old Wheat Could Rewrite Ancient British History

A DNA analysis of wheat found in an ancient peat bog suggests early Britons were more commercially sophisticated than previously thought. The presence of wheat on the British Isles a full 2,000 years before farmers began cultivating cereal grains means these hunter-gatherers may have established important trade connections in Europe. Archaeologist believe that farming didn’t…

This Ancient Crocodylian Has Set The Record For The Most Powerful Bite

Paleontologists have determined that Purussaurus brasiliensis, a massive caiman that lived in South America during the Late Miocene, evolved the strongest bite of any four-limbed animal. At 15,500 pounds of force, its bite was twice as powerful as the T-rex’s. Top illustration: Tito Neto This crocodylian was truly a monster. Adults could reach as long…

All These Gifts Were Given To An 8-Year-Old Girl By Crows

Since the age of four, Gabi Mann of Seattle has forged a relationship with the neighborhood crows by offering them food. Then suddenly something unexpected happened — the crows, in an apparent act of reciprocation, started to present various trinkets to Gabi in return. As BBC’s Katy Sewall reports, it all started quite innocently when,…

This Spectacular Super Jet Will Be The Most Eco-Friendly Ever

Designer Oscar Viñals has sketched out the designs for a concept aircraft called the “Progress Eagle.” The dramatic three deck, 800-seat super jet would utilize an advanced hybrid engine system for taking off and cruising, resulting in reduced noise and zero contaminant emissions. Early last year, Viñals unveiled his designs for the Sky Whale, a…

This Is The First Baby Wooly Rhinoceros Ever Discovered

Siberian hunters have stumbled upon the remains of a 10,000-year-old baby wooly rhino. It’s the first discovery of its kind, and one of only several wooly rhino specimens ever found. As reported in The Siberian Times, the rhino, dubbed “Sasha,” was about 18 months old when it died. Its wool was well preserved, while an…