If you grew up in the United States, you probably learned the United States Customary System (USCS) for weights and measures. USCS terms like inches, feet, pounds, and miles are derived from the British Imperial System, steeped in a long history of application and use. Any introduction to the metric system may have muddied the […]
Shutterstock Alexander Larcombe, Telethon Kids Institute If you asked me what’s in e-cigarettes, disposable vapes or e-liquids, my short answer would be “we don’t fully know”. The huge and increasing range of products and flavours on the market, changes to ingredients when they are heated or interact with each other, and inadequate labelling make this […]
A ‘ghost heart’ is a pig’s heart prepared so that it can be transplanted into people. Provided by Doris Taylor Doris Taylor, University of New Hampshire Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that 17.9 million people lose their lives to it each year, accounting for 32% of […]
A phenomenon called gravitational lensing can help astronomers observe faint, hard-to-see galaxies. NASA/STScI Guido Roberts-Borsani, University of California, Los Angeles The universe we live in is a transparent one, where light from stars and galaxies shines bright against a clear, dark backdrop. But this wasn’t always the case – in its early years, the universe […]
Few of the monsters that evolution created have been so successful at hurting us as the variola virus, responsible for smallpox. The carnage it caused was so terrible and merciless that it compelled humankind, for the first time, to act truly globally. It was one of the greatest wins of our species over the ancient […]
J. Robert Oppenheimer is responsible for a fundamental idea in the field of quantum chemistry. AP Photo/John Rooney Aaron W. Harrison, Austin College The release of the film “Oppenheimer,” in July 2023, has renewed interest in the enigmatic scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life. While Oppenheimer will always be recognized as the father of the atomic […]
Pseudoscience is composed of a set of theories, methods, and assumptions that may resemble scientific practices but lack genuine scientific validity. In the some of the worst cases, proponents of pseudoscience intentionally exploit this resemblance to deceive and take advantage of people. However, even when well-meaning, pseudoscience can prevent individuals from getting the help they […]
UFOs usually have non-extraterrestrial origins, but many have urged the government to be more transparent about UFO data. Westend61/Westend61 via Getty Images Mary Magnuson, The Conversation The House subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs met in July 2023 to discuss affairs so foreign that they may not even be of this world. […]
Starling murmurations form as daylight fades over their roosting sites. Shutterstock / Albert Beukhof Samuel Johnson, University of Oxford The word swarm often carries negative connotations – think biblical plagues of locusts or high streets full of last-minute shoppers during the Christmas rush. However, swarming is essential for the survival of many animal collectives. And […]
Who run the world? Cats! Grace Cary/Moment via Getty Images Jonathan Losos, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go on safari in southern Africa. One of the greatest thrills was going out at night looking for predators on the prowl: lions, leopards, hyenas. […]