Stars within the center of our home galaxy are constantly threatened by collision, as they orbit around the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A (Sgr A). How close the stars are to Sgr A decides whether they crash into other nearby stars, stuck in a merging steadfast clash, or only lose their outer layer and keep hurtling into orbit."They whack into each other and keep going," said Sanaea Rose, study lead author and astrophysicist at Northwestern University, in a press release. "Th ...read more

While eyes are said to be mirrors of the soul, for paleontologists, teeth are sometimes the key to distinguishing some evolutionary features. Teeth represent the hardest tissues in a mammal's body and are often the most commonly preserved fossil parts. Recent studies examining teeth, jaws, and inner ear bones from evolutionary precursors to mammals called mammaliaforms are redrawing the group’s family tree. Evolutionary Insights From Mammaliaform Teeth are especially important in examining ma ...read more

We live in a light-polluted world, where streetlamps, electronic ads and even backyard lighting block out all but the brightest celestial objects in the night sky. But travel to an officially protected “Dark Sky” area, gaze skyward and be amazed.This is the view of the heavens people had for millennia. Pre-modern societies watched the sky and created cosmographies, maps of the skies that provided information for calendars and agricultural cycles. They also created cosmologies, which, in the ...read more

They gathered in secret, in the dead of night. To find their way, they consulted a map originally drawn more than a century earlier, counting paces and triangulating their position with compasses. When they reached what they hoped was the right spot, they began to dig.It sounds like something from a movie, but it’s a scene that has played out over and over in real life — and will again in about 17 years. The treasure-hunters are a group of scientists at Michigan State University, taking part ...read more

Aerobic exercise like jogging, biking, swimming or hiking is a fundamental way to maintain cardiovascular and overall health. The intensity of aerobic exercise is important to determine how much time you should spend training in order to reap its benefits.As an exercise science researcher, I support the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendation of a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes per week of high-intensity exercise. But what does exercise ...read more

As we age, we start looking for ways to slow down its process. Magnesium supplements might help keep age-related illnesses at bay. Various studies have found that magnesium deficiencies are linked to aging. A survey in Magnesium Research found that when we get older, the magnesium levels in our bodies also decrease because of changes in our ability to absorb magnesium.Our magnesium intake decreases because our ability to absorb it in our intestines also decreases. However, a reduced amount of ma ...read more

Anyone who has ever experienced a migraine knows it’s not just a headache. Worldwide, 12 to 15 percent of the population is impacted by this often debilitating condition. Most migraine sufferers have two to four each month, but people who experience chronic migraines have symptoms for at least 15 days a month.There are a variety of medications that are used to treat migraines. Although many patients find them effective, they can cause unpleasant side effects. A natural option is magnesium, whi ...read more

The solar eclipse is the big event of the second week of Citizen Science Month, with activities for folks who will be in the eclipse path and also for those who aren’t. There are also other great citizen science activities, celebrating National Pet Day, National Library Week, and more! One Million Acts of Science ChallengeCitizen scientists all over the world are sharing their "act of science" on social media (credit: SciStarter)SciStarter is challenging the public to perform one million acts ...read more

Jena, Germany, 1924: Working in near-isolation and with painstaking tediousness, the psychiatrist Hans Berger observes rhythmic electrical activity from the scalp of human subjects. He is convinced the activity arises from within the brain and coins the term “electroencephalogram.”It is 10 years before the scientific community accepts Berger’s work, birthing the field of electroencephalography, or EEG for short.Today, the electroencephalogram – also abbreviated as EEG – is widely known ...read more

Every neighborhood has that one unkempt house with an overgrown lawn no one ever seems to mow. Dandelion flowers sprout from the cracks in the pavement, and the property looks like a prairie dotted with the yellow weed.A neighbor might see an eyesore and a homeowner’s association might see violations worthy of hefty fines. But increasingly, researchers who study nutraceuticals see the dandelion as a natural remedy with chemical compounds that can help with various ailments.   What Is Dandel ...read more