Space is a vast, fascinating expanse that surrounds us at all times. Space is part of the natural world in much the same way as trees and rivers. When you get technical, everything is in “space”: every planet is moving through space. Earth is spinning around the sun, spinning on …
Read MoreThe universe likely got started off with a bang. A big one, at that. That Big Bang saw all of existence go from being subatomic to stretching over billions of lightyears in the blink of an eye. The energy and force of that explosion caused cosmic background radiation that humans …
Read MoreThe Fermi Paradox, first thought of by notable physicist Enrico Fermi, is a thought experiment that postulates how strange it is that humans have not yet detected any other life in the observable universe. Fermi’s explanation holds that the universe is vast enough, and old enough, that if life had …
Read MoreA problem is brewing in the human race’s ongoing battle with bacteria. Before the advent of antibiotics, something as simple as a laceration could cause a runaway infection that killed even an otherwise healthy person. When penicillin was accidentally discovered to have powerful antibiotic effects, the era of people dying …
Read MoreIn 1945, a researcher working with the US Army named Harry Daghlian was performing a criticality test with a 14-pound sphere of plutonium. The plutonium sphere was the same kind of core that could be used in a nuclear bomb, and this exact sphere was intended to have been dropped …
Read MoreHumans are resourceful, and we’ve been advancing rapidly for the better part of 2,000 years. A short 2,000 years ago, our most advanced vehicles were simple wooden boats. Now, our most advanced vehicles can carry humans to the moon and beyond. As we continue to manipulate the earth to generate …
Read MoreSpace is the next frontier of human exploration. While the events transpiring on Earth at this moment are of critical importance to our species, exploration of space is where our descendants will find glory, fame, and the next home for our species. However, they’ll have to combat a particularly thorny …
Read MoreWant to seem like the smartest person at your next Zoom meeting? Looking for a fun fact to drop on a date? I don’t know if these will help you with the hook up – but they certainly won’t hurt! Left-Handedness Did you know that only around eleven percent of …
Read MoreOne of the largest species of insects on Earth is the giant weta, a creature that outsizes nearly all other bugs and even some species of rodents. The insect is a native of New Zealand, and is the namesake for Weta Workshop, the prop and special effects house that worked …
Read MoreThe largest rodent on Earth, the capybara, is native to South America. The large, barrel-shaped rodents can grow to stand nearly a foot-and-a-half at the shoulder, and can weigh as much as 180 pounds! Interestingly, the critters are rather friendly and are often seen socializing with members of other species …
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