Since astronomers first laid eyes on the interstellar object known as ‘Oumuamua in October of 2017 at the Pan STARRS telescope in Hawaii, it's strange behavior and mysterious origins have sparked speculation and debate. The interstellar object appears to have originated from outside of our solar system. 'Oumuamua MeaningThe unique 'Oumuamua name was given by the International Astronomical Union after the Hawaiian phrase “a messenger from afar arriving first.” And nearly five years after i ...read more
Early residents of the Tibetan Plateau, one of the least hospitable places on earth, survived in large part by consuming large amounts of dairy products, according to a new study that chipped away at ancient teeth.Sometimes referred to as the world’s Third Pole, the Tibetan Plateau is beset by dry, cold, unpredictable conditions that would have made life tough for the humans who lived there some 3,600 years ago. Conditions would have stymied efforts to raise crops, such as the barley raised in ...read more
Partway down the list of household dinosaur names, you may know the pachycephalosaurus.Even if you don’t recognize that formality, the dome-shaped head of this creature is notorious, much thanks to its combative force in the Jurassic Park franchise. But plenty of aspects of this dinosaur remain elusive to experts.Pachycephalosaurus FactsThe pachycephalosaurus is the largest in a group of bone-headed dinosaurs, pachycephalosaurids, made up of around 20 species, says Aaron Dyer, a paleontologist ...read more
Just last month, an image of Pope Francis in a stylish, white Balenciaga puffer jacket quickly went viral, convincing thousands that the pontiff was ready for a night on the town. Days before, another series of photos surged across social media, showing the arrest of former president Donald Trump at the hands of riot-gear-clad New York City police officers.There’s just one catch: The images were completely fake. AI-Generated PhotosThese viral sensations were produced by artificial intelligence ...read more
[embedded content]The world's fishing industry largely acts like a sieve separating the larger fish – the keepers taken for human purposes – from the smaller ones, which go on to reproduce. This process creates a kind of evolutionary pressure, according to researchers, affecting the genetic makeup of generations to come.A 2002 study found it took only four generations of such size-focused fishing to shrink the size of the ensuing generations. While the strategy initially produced large yield ...read more