Many things can throw one’s microbiome out of kilter. Not eating enough fiber or relying too much on highly processed food can starve the “good bacteria” dwelling in your gut. Frequent and sustained antibiotic use can also unintentionally kill them off. With today’s busy schedule, many people forgo the things that maintain good gut health. “Modern lifestyles hit the microbiome at many different angles," says Christopher Damman, a gastroenterologist at the University of Washington in Se ...read more

The quokka, an adorable marsupial hailing from southwestern Australia, is bound to put a smile on anyone’s face. They’re small and fuzzy, and the distinctive shape of their mouth gives quokkas the appearance of an ever-present grin. And despite their limited range, these herbivorous marsupials have captured the hearts of millions around the world — the viral #quokkaselfie trend on social media features thousands of selfies taken with quokkas.  Yet as the quokka population rapidly declin ...read more

The deeper you go, the bigger they get. This is an adage that applies to much of the life eking out an existence in the crushing depths of our oceans. Near the surface, tiny crabs are terrified of larger predators. In the deep, 13-foot-wide giant spider crabs are usually the predators themselves. Perhaps the most infamous example of this deep-sea gigantism is the giant squid, capable of attaining lengths of over 40 feet and possibly even longer should it stretch out its tremendous tentacles. Gi ...read more

The magnetic field shields Earth from cosmic radiation and the solar wind that the Sun pelts the planet with. In a new study, researchers found our current magnetic field could be the same to what it was 3.7 billion years ago.The findings published in the Journal of Geophysical Research are scientists' oldest estimates of Earth's magnetic field strength. It was found using rocks dating 3.7 billion years old. "This is a really important step forward as we try and determine the role of the ancient ...read more

A giant, tusked salmon was once thought to resemble a fish version of a saber-toothed tiger. But turns out, it looked more closely to an aquatic warthog. A newly reported fossil find is now prompting paleontologists to rethink the nickname of the largest known salmon species — Oncorhynchus rastrosus, according to an article in PLOS ONE. The fish, which grew to nearly nine feet long, lived 3 million to 5 million years ago in the Pacific Northwest.A Saber-Toothed Salmon?When paleontologists firs ...read more

Between the solar eclipse and the upcoming Pink Moon, there are many events in the night sky to take note of in 2024. The moon itself has different phases and different colors that represent changing seasons. Thus giving us the names Pink or Blue Moon.If you’re hoping to see the moon take on a new hue, though, you’re out of luck. The reason behind the Pink Moon’s colorful name is not what you may expect.The Pink Moon Represents a FlowerThe Pink Moon is a full moon that takes place during t ...read more

Solar flares are one of the most powerful phenomena in our solar system. These bursts of radiation sporadically erupt from the Sun and can unleash the energy equivalent of billions of hydrogen bombs in mere minutes. A better understanding of solar flares can provide valuable insight into the nature of our Sun, as well as how these events can affect Earth. Let's dive into the basics of solar flares, from what they are to the dangers they can present. What Is a Solar Flare?Image captured by NASA's ...read more

Earth’s atmosphere is in such constant flux that we have a tired old saying about it: “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” If we lived on Jupiter — where a single storm has been raging uninterrupted for almost two centuries, and possibly much longer — we’d have to muster more patience.But perhaps we wouldn’t have to wait forever. The Great Red Spot, an enormous high-pressure system which astronomers have tracked regularly since the late 19th century, is steadily dw ...read more

Taken most broadly, artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines. We’re seeing it more and more in everything from self-driving cars to facial recognition software to your smart refrigerator. For better or worse, AI is everywhere. According to many experts, it will bring on the next industrial revolution, changing the face of humankind and what we’re capable of in our daily lives. Synthetic reality is the next step in AI, where virtual or digital realities are generated using art ...read more

Living organisms activated a natural light source nearly 300 million years earlier than previously thought, according to a study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. A group of scientists from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History used genetic data and statistical modelling to demonstrate that bioluminescence — the ability of living things to produce light through chemical reactions — first evolved in marine invertebrates called octocorals about 540 million years ago. Look ...read more