Each day, you leave digital traces of what you did, where you went, who you communicated with, what you bought, what you’re thinking of buying, and much more. This mass of data serves as a library of clues for personalized ads, which are sent to you by a sophisticated network – an automated marketplace of advertisers, publishers and ad brokers that operates at lightning speed.The ad networks are designed to shield your identity, but companies and governments are able to combine that inform ...read more

Dig into your pockets and pull out some change. If you’re in the U.S., you’ll probably find some crumpled cash and a couple not-so-shiny coins. They may not look like much, but what you’re holding is a handful of history.Your beaten-up buck is part of the long line of dollar bills printed in the U.S. since 1862. The quarter was introduced in 1796, and the penny appeared three years prior, in 1793. You probably have some in your possession, abandoned at the bottom of your bag. Of course, th ...read more

Throughout history, specific technologies have revolutionized the way we live, work and play. This has often occurred gradually, but occasionally through dramatic, sweeping changes in society. The technology behind the industrial revolution -- the steam engine, the spinning jenny and the cotton engine, for example -- accelerated economic growth by an order of magnitude, creating an explosion of innovation that still reverberates around the planet.By contrast, other technologies have had more mod ...read more

A passenger jet flies at about 575 mph once it’s at cruising altitude. That’s nearly nine times faster than a car might typically be cruising on the highway. So why does a plane in flight look like it’s just inching across the sky?I am an aerospace educator who relies on the laws of physics when teaching about aircraft. These same principles of physics help explain why looks can be deceiving when it comes to how fast an object is moving.Moving against a featureless backgroundIf you watch ...read more

Ever go to the movies or a rock concert and been blasted by the sound? You may not realize it while it’s happening, but ongoing exposure to loud sounds at these venues can damage your hearing.Our ears are highly sensitive to loud noise. Even very short exposures to high-level sounds – that’s anything above 132 decibels – can cause permanent hearing loss for some people. That’s true even if it’s just a brief blast; a single gunshot or fireworks explosion can cause immediate damage to ...read more

Modern and early birds, plus feathered dinosaurs, have all sported feathers made of the same material, according to a new study.The researchers investigated 125-million-year-old feathers from a dinosaur and an early bird to identify the proteins present. Both lived in China during the Early Cretaceous Period, about 25 million years after the first birds evolved.Established science holds that they should have found spiral-shaped alpha proteins, which set ancient feathers apart from modern ones.� ...read more

The world of archaeology has been illuminated by the tireless efforts and groundbreaking discoveries of archaeologists throughout history. From King Tut to our oldest human ancestor "Lucy," archaeologists have not only enriched our knowledge of the past, but have also ignited a passion for uncovering the secrets buried beneath us.6 Famous ArchaeologistsThese six archaeologists deserve more time in the limelight because of their great contributions to their respective canons, continued commitment ...read more

Since the first satellite, Sputnik 1, was successfully launched into Earth's orbit on October 4, 1957, humans have launched more than 5,000 large objects into space. The list includes satellites, spacecraft, rovers, probes and other scientific equipment. In addition, thousands of fragments produced by accidental collisions or deliberate destruction of original materials exist beyond Earth. Since the 1990s, space archaeologists have studied this material culture in an effort to preserve it. “Fr ...read more

There are always volcanoes erupting on Earth. Likely since the planet was formed over four and a half billion years ago, volcanic eruptions have rocked some part of the planet. Sometimes it might be an explosion only noticed by the wildlife near a remote volcano. Other times, the blast might catch the world's attention and we feel the impacts for months or years. As you sit there reading this paragraph, somewhere between 10-20 volcanoes are doing their thing.A Planet of VolcanoesThe Smithsonian ...read more

Researchers recently cleaned up a family of dinosaurs that once served as a “waste basket” for loosely related species. The group now represents small herbivores that appear to be unique to Europe, according to a new paper.The study announces the discovery of Vectidromeus insularis, a specimen found in the fossil beds that line the coast of the Isle of Wight, off the coast of England. These fossils belonged to a juvenile, chicken-size dinosaur with bird-like hind limbs that lived about 125 m ...read more