The song “Little Fluffy Clouds” was a breakout hit during the dawn of techno music. Turns out, it may also be an apt description of stellar nurseries — the birthplace of stars.These nurseries contain high concentrations of gas and dust and are also called molecular clouds. A study now provides evidence that some stars may have been born from some fluffy versions of these clouds in the early years of our universe, they report in The Astrophysical Journal.“Even today our understanding of s ...read more
Humans are obsessed with staying clean. We bathe or shower regularly (at least most of us do). We trim our hair and nails. Some people even pay for other people to groom them when it comes to pedicures or facials. Hygiene isn’t just a modern fad. It’s an instinct that humans evolved for well before bathtubs, loofahs, and shampoo. Archaeological evidence suggests humans began combing, plucking, and cutting their hair at least 3,000 years ago. While bathing and grooming is an innate part of be ...read more
Every dog owner recognizes the telltale manners of their furry companion, from tail wags to perked-up ears, but another, more subtle behavior likely won’t be caught at first glance: blinking. A dog’s blinking may not seem like a noteworthy function, but a recent study has found that it could actually reflect a subconscious way that dogs socialize, opening scientists’ eyes to a new perspective on canine communication.The research, published in Royal Society Open Science, shows how dogs mimi ...read more
A new fossil discovery may rewrite Australia’s Cretaceous Period evolutionary history. Paleontologists led by Museums Victoria Research Institute and Monash University uncovered what they believe is the oldest known megaraptorid and possibly the first known evidence of carcharodontosaurs from Australia’s Victoria Coast. According to the study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, these findings could change what science has known about predatory hierarchy in Cretaceous Austra ...read more
Scientists using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) have completed two major tasks. They’ve compiled the largest ever sample of dwarf galaxies (systems contain up to a mere several billion stars, compared to the Milky Way’s estimated 2 billion to 400 billion) that host an actively feeding black hole. They’ve also recorded the largest collection of potential intermediate-mass black holes so far.Both results are reported in The Astrophysical Journal and provide new insight into ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine