A topologist walks into a cafe: — Can I have a doughnut of coffee, please?This is a joke written by the Soviet-American mathematician Tanya Khovanova, who lectures in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. It is derived from the more familiar bon mot: a topologist is someone who doesn’t know the difference between a coffee cup and a doughnut.Khovanova has an impressive history as mathematician having won a gold medal at the 1976 International Mathematical Oly ...read more

The way Earth scientists can be very odd when seen from the outside. It is common to hear us say things like "oh, it was only a million years ago". Most people never consider events that happened a million years ago. Sometimes considering what you had for lunch makes yesterday seem like a long time ago. This is all about perspective and the question we ask of time.Space is BigAstronomers have faced a similar issue to distance. Douglas Adams, famed science fiction author, may have put it best whe ...read more

Planets get most of the attention when it comes to astronomical discussions. Their moons, on the other hand, are a bit more obscure. Neptune, Jupiter and Saturn are well-known names, but what about Enceladus, Io, and Titan?   A whopping 293 moons, most of which are small enough to resemble asteroids, dance around the planets of our solar system. The universe is not concerned about equality here, either: For example, Venus has no moons, Earth has one, and Saturn has a staggering 146.  Thes ...read more

The Spinosaurus, a dinosaur with a large dorsal fin, narrow skulls, and crocodile-like jaws, has fascinated scientists for years. It’s accepted that the Spinosaurus was semi-aquatic, and paleontologists suspect the theropod ate fish and lived in what is now Africa during the late Cretaceous. But how the dinosaur captured its prey is controversial, and there are many ideas.Could it have chased after its prey in the water, snatched up fish with its claws, or dipped its head into the water like a ...read more

In the serene yet treacherous waters of our planet's oceans, sea turtles have thrived for ages, silently helping maintain the equilibrium of aquatic life. These marine reptiles, which are emblematic of both endurance and tranquility, play vital roles in oceanic ecosystems. However, their existence is increasingly threatened by a host of serious challenges. Take a deep dive into the life of sea turtles, exploring their diet, habitat, lifespan, threats to their existence, and what humans can do to ...read more

Zinc and quercetin are both powerful antioxidants that bolster the immune system. Many people associate zinc with fighting colds and the flu, but it also offers other health benefits. Zinc appears in every cell of the body, yet our bodies can’t produce it naturally. While quercetin may not have the same name recognition as zinc, it gained popularity during the pandemic for its potential antiviral effects, which include inhibiting inflammation. The body also can't create it. Together, these two ...read more

Sometimes opposites attract. And sometimes it only seems that way. In February 2024, a female stingray at an aquarium in North Carolina started showing signs of pregnancy while sharing her tank with several male sharks, spawning theories that the male sharks had impregnated her. But some scientists state that these theories are as improbable as they sound: No matter the circumstances, they say, sharks cannot impregnate stingrays.So, why were some people so convinced that a stingray and a shark m ...read more

One pandemic was bad enough. But in the summer of 2022, just as people were getting over the shared fear and trauma of the COVID global outbreak, world health officials declared a new public health emergency, thanks to the spread of the so-called monkeypox virus.It’s fair to say that a lot of people went ape over the news. What the heck was monkeypox? Was it anything like chickenpox … or worse, smallpox? Was this the start of another pandemic? Just how deadly was this new viral threat?Luckil ...read more

Around 13,000 years ago, humans made their way into the Amazon Basin region of South America, imparting distinct traces of culture such as massive ochre cave paintings. Revealing new information about early human migration, research spearheaded by archaeologists at the University of Exeter; the University of Antioquia, Medellín; and the University National of Colombia, Bogotá has delved into the lives and activities of ancient humans who took shelter in caves throughout the region. The finding ...read more

Looking up at the night sky can fill you with awe as you sift through the tiny points of light. Some stars are more luminous than others because of their proximity to Earth and the closest stars to Earth will appear the brightest. In astronomy, brightness is measured in negatives. This means, the larger the number, the dimmer the object. For example, Earth’s moon has a magnitude of -12.6 and our Sun has a magnitude of -26.7. The farthest stars are not seen with the naked eye, but only seen wit ...read more