Do eyelashes exist, in part, to keep our eyes from drying out? (Credit: KDdesignphoto/Shutterstock)
Why do we have eyelashes? The answer might seem simple: those thick hairs on the end of our eyelids simply exist to block intruding particles from landing on our eyeballs.
And in fact, that’s what many scientists have hypothesized. It explains why camels evolved to have long lashes for wandering the dusty desert and why our house pets, in comparison, have stumpy ones.
But it tu ...read more
Volcanic plume from Soufriere Hills on Montserrat, see from the ISS on October 11, 2009. Image: NASA.
Carbon dioxide! Little did we realize 100 years ago how this simple gas would become such a cultural lightning rod. Yet, here we are, battling what might be an existential fight that is focused on how much carbon dioxide humans pump into Earth's atmosphere. It isn't a little bit, either. No, humans might be now be the gold standard in carbon dioxide emissions in the history of the planet. ...read more
(Credit: Rimma Bondarenko/Shutterstock)
In recent years, researchers have pinpointed a group of compounds called FODMAPs that are common trigger foods for people with irritable bowel syndrome.
But it wasn’t immediately clear whether eliminating these foods could also help people with more serious conditions like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis — or if it might actually hurt their already-sensitive guts. Now a new report in the journal Gastroenterology suggests a di ...read more
Do you want to know more about the world around you?
iNaturalist allows anyone, anywhere to contribute to a global record of biodiversity by uploading pictures of plants and animals with their smartphone or computer. In a new podcast episode, co-host Justin Schell talks with Dr. Carrie Seltzer, the Stakeholder Engagement Strategist for iNaturalist, and with representatives and a volunteer from the Appalachian Mountain club.
Tip: add your iNaturalist username to your SciStart ...read more
A flare erupted from our Milky Way's center some 3.5 million years ago. While Earth wouldn't be in any danger if it happened today, the the light would be clearly visible. (Credit: James Josephides/ASTRO 3D)
Astronomers believe supermassive black holes probably lurk in the centers of most large galaxies. These gargantuan black holes can gather swirling disks of material around them as their gravity attracts stars and gases. In some cases, these disks can emit vast amounts of light and even s ...read more
Tasty and toxic? A new study finds elevated levels of PFAS chemicals in microwave popcorn and fast food fans. (Credit: Maxim Larin/Shutterstock)
BPA isn’t the only chemical in our food supply you should be aware of.
A group of manmade chemicals called PFAS have been in use since the mid-20th century and they're in our water, our air, our soil and potentially in your afternoon snack. A new study finds these chemicals may pose much greater health risks than previously thought.
PFA ...read more
NASA’s X-57 Maxwell is the agency’s first all-electric airplane. It's also the first X-plane for NASA in two decades. (Credit: NASA)
NASA is getting ready to test their first all-electric
plane, the X-57 Maxwell, at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards,
California.
This latest version of the aircraft, called Modification II
or Mod II, just arrived at Edwards from San Luis Obispo, California, where the
plane was being developed by Empirical Systems Aerospace.
E ...read more
(Credit: Africa Studio/Shutterstock)
If you get a cut, it'll heal. If you lose some skin to road rash, it'll grow back. But lose a limb, and it's gone for good. Unless you're a salamander, a zebrafish or an axolotl, of course — all of which can regrow missing limbs. Now, scientists find that some of the molecules crucial to that process are at work inside of us.
Specific microRNA molecules are key to limb regeneration in salamanders. It turns out that similar molecules in our own bod ...read more
A reconstruction of the predatory dinosaur's skull based on partial fossils of Siamraptor suwati. (Credit: Chokchaloemwong et al., 2019)
Siamraptor suwati joins the ranks of predatory dinosaurs known to science — and it's the first of its lineage from Southeast Asia, giving its discovery greater significance.
When it comes to bitey dinos, most people think of T. rex and
velociraptors (thanks, Jurassic Park...). But if toothy terrors are
your thing, you should really get to know t ...read more
