There could be a ninth planet in our Solar System after all — and no, it’s not Pluto. Instead, it’s the theoretical Planet X, also called Planet Nine, a wide-orbit planet that would circle the Sun from far beyond Neptune, and far beyond Pluto, too. Planet X has been hypothesized for years, but how such a planet could have appeared in the outer Solar System has long stumped scientists. A new study in Nature Astronomy reveals a novel theory, however. The research suggests that wide-orbit pla ...read more
Bed bugs are a nuisance that often infect travelers in hotel rooms or used furniture that's brought into a new home. For thousands of years, bed bugs have enjoyed living off their human hosts, and it may have all started when the bugs spread from bats to our Neanderthal ancestors. According to a new study published in Biology Letters, some 60,000 years ago, bed bugs leapt off their bat hosts and onto some unsuspecting Neanderthals that were leaving a cave. Since then, bed bugs that began a rela ...read more
Whales are the largest mammals on Earth and have been living alongside us for millennia. These majestic sea creatures play an especially important role for humans, both modern and ancient, who live in coastal regions. Thanks to an international team of scientists, we now know that coastal hunter-gatherer groups have been using whale bones for practical purposes for 20,000 years.A new study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that the oldest whale bone tools have been discovered in Europ ...read more
We hear it everywhere — from doctors, family members, and the media: reduce stress! Mounting evidence shows how chronic stress takes a toll on both physical and mental health. But before we can tackle it, we need to measure it and that’s easier said than done.A new innovation from researchers at Tufts University might change that. Their experimental study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces displays a special dental floss that detects cortisol levels in saliva, potentially ma ...read more
Key Takeaways on the Green Flash: The green flash is a rare, brief optical event of green, yellow, and sometimes blue that colors the horizon, occurring at sunrise or sunset most often in the western U.S.Refraction and dispersion cause the green flash, and there are four different types of green flashes that can occur.The green flash is tied to pirate folklore.From resolving matters of the heart to promises of good weather, the enigmatic green flash holds a stake in meteorological folklore.Occur ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine