There was a time when giant cranes did not dot the city skyline and when bulldozers, backhoes, and excavators did not yet exist. But even before these pieces of seemingly critical technology were invented, we had palatial estates, temples, churches, pyramids, and the like, all of which were built with none other than human ingenuity.But how were these mega-structures of yesteryear built? Let’s take a closer look. 1. The Great Sphinx of Giza(Credit: gumbao/Shutterstock) The Great Sphinx of Giz ...read more

Most space mission systems historically have used one spacecraft designed to complete an entire mission independently. Whether it was a weather satellite or a human-crewed module like Apollo, nearly every spacecraft was deployed and performed its one-off mission completely on its own.But today, space industry organizations are exploring missions with many satellites working together. For example, SpaceX’s Starlink constellations include thousands of satellites. And new spacecraft could soon ha ...read more

Earth’s oxygen is something of a puzzle. Until recently, scientists believed it is produced entirely by photosynthesis — plants using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.But earlier this year, oceanographers discovered an entirely new source of oxygen. Deep in Earth’s oceans, they found oxygen levels much higher than can be explained by photosynthesis alone, which typically occurs near the surface where sunlight can penetrate.The researchers concluded that ...read more

When you think of a fearsome, sharp-toothed predator, a squid probably isn’t the first animal that comes to mind. But these complex creatures have sophisticated eyesight, a strong beak to crush shells, and agile tentacles that help them snatch up prey.Oh, and they have teeth in their suckers. The serrated teeth inside the suction cups on their tentacles allow them to latch onto prey.While most hard tissues in animals are mineralized, with calcium fortifying their bones, shells, or teeth, the s ...read more

Imagine being charged by a woolly mammoth. You hold a wooden spear with a razor-sharp stone tip. Do you hurl it at the 10,000-pound animal and hope it pierces its thick leathery skin? Or do you stay put, plant the base into the ground and trust that the beast will impale itself?The conventional wisdom — both scientific and cultural — has long favored the first version. But archeological evidence and an experimental approach shows that the second may have been more realistic and common during ...read more

Antlers are like giant, imposing cradles, sometimes stretching out from an animal’s head in a bowl-like shape with horns reaching for the sky.And there is variation in horns and antlers among many animals. In a recent study published in Communications Biology, researchers found that ruminant headgear may have evolved from a common ancestor that lived 15 million years to 20 million years ago.“There’s some sort of genetic predisposition that this family has towards ornamentation,” says Zac ...read more

Paleontologists have uncovered one of the best-preserved dinosaurs ever found in the United Kingdom on the Isle of Wight. In a recent study, the team presented Comptonatus chasei as a new species of iguanodontian that roamed Earth around 125 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous.The research team described it as one of the most complete fossil dinosaurs discovered in the U.K. in the last century; the last incredibly well-preserved specimen was also a species of iguanodon. It’s the latest i ...read more

While the American Psychiatric Association only formally recognized attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in the late 1960s, the traits associated with the now commonly diagnosed conditions are embodied by famous individuals throughout history. Famous People in History with ADHDAlexander the Great, for example, was born in 356 B.C.E. and was the ancient Macedonian king known for his bold conquests and impulsive acts. “Probably by today's standards [he] would have ADHD,” says Nikki ...read more

Some 48 light-years away, in the constellation Cetus, lies an ice-covered planet straight out of Star Wars central casting. One hemisphere always faces the host star, creating a small melted ocean on the permanent day side that gives it the appearance of a gargantuan eyeball. What’s more, this watery orb, almost twice as large as Earth, may be our best shot at finding habitable conditions elsewhere in the universe.The latest picture of LHS 1140 b (named because it orbits a red dwarf star calle ...read more

In the modern age, the search for extraterrestrial life requires a unique mind. A researcher must have the openness and creativity to imagine something beyond our current knowledge of the universe. At the same time, the researcher, if they are to be taken seriously, must also be skilled enough to analyze high-powered astronomical imagery through supercomputing, artificial intelligence, or other means.The researchers behind project Hephaistos, a Swedish-based effort to identify traces of alien li ...read more