(Credit: Hector Garrido)
From one end to another, this giant geode is about as long as a small RV. If you wanted, you could comfortably house several adults within its dazzling interior. And the crystalline slabs that jut from its walls may even be taller than you are.
However you slice it, the geode of Pulpí is absolutely gigantic. The interior of the egg-shaped cavity — which measures 25 feet long, 7 feet wide and about 5 feet tall — is encrusted with shimmering cryst ...read more
A rat in its new ride. (Credit: University of Richmond)
Researchers report that they've taught rats to drive cars, knocking human technical superiority down another notch.
It's not quite as amazing as it sounds, of course. The "cars" are simple wheeled platforms controlled by means of electrically conductive bars. And the rats aren't quite navigating the Nurburging Nordschleife yet. But the feat hints at the adaptive skills of these common lab animals, and it could lead to new kinds of te ...read more
(Credit: NASA, ESA, P. Ogle and J. DePasquale (STScI))
The larger the spiral galaxy, the faster it spins. That's a well-known fact for astronomers. But a few years ago, researchers discovered a new class of jumbo-sized spiral galaxies. Astronomers call them "super spirals."
And in a surprise find published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers now say that these super spirals are actually rotating even faster than predicted based on the visible sizes of the galaxies. The fast ...read more
The Dome of the Rock, on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. An ancient road leading to the site was likely built by Pontius Pilate. (Credit: FrancisOD/Shutterstock)
An archaeological excavation begun 125 years ago has wrapped up with a fascinating discovery: A Roman-era street connecting two religious destinations in Jerusalem was likely built by Pontius Pilate.
Researchers were able to date the 720 feet of uncovered road to about A.D. 30, thanks to coins found along the pavement. That lines up w ...read more
A large storm on Saturn, commonly referred to as a Great White Spot. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI)
As serene as it appears in photographs, the gas giant Saturn is not a peaceful place. Its golden gases whiz around the planet at up to 1,000 mph. At times, massive storms thousands of miles wide break out in its upper atmosphere.
In 2018, astronomers spotted a new kind of storm on Saturn. Four large tempests formed one after another, passing by each other and further disturbing the atmosphe ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine