Logging in the Amazon rainforest could threaten the health and wellbeing of an isolated tribe known as the Mashco Piro people.
Tag Archives: Science & Nature
This year’s Olympic flame isn’t a flame at all—and that’s a good thing
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris had a goal of being the most environmentally-friendly games in history. One way to meet this goal was by asking the question: “What if the Olympic flame looked like a flame, but wasn’t one?” Learn how engineers came up with the illusion at the heart of the Olympic Games
Science and Poetry: Predation or Symbiosis?
Though poets often draw on imagery from nature, science and poetry often appear to be set in opposition to each other. Can the world of facts mesh with the world of emotions? In this essay, poet and scientist Pireeni Sundaralingam analyzes the complex relationship between the two.
5 ways to face your fears through travel
By traveling to exciting new places, confronting phobias might turn into a thrilling adventure. Explore five sites people can visit to overcome fears such as heights or the dark.
Earthquakes, Megaquakes, and the Movies: Lights! Cameras! Disaster!
Tornadoes, ice ages, asteroids, megaquakes, and sometimes angry aliens: Hollywood sure enjoys disasters! Read this article about the differences between Hollywood’s view of earthquakes and the views of the scientific community. Learn the real-world science behind movie myths and mayhem.
The CIA’s Most Highly-Trained Spies Weren’t Even Human
Pigeons that guide missiles to their targets? Cats that spy on secret meetings? Trained spiders? Read this article to learn why Bob Bailey, the first director of the Navy’s dolphin training program, says he’s never found an animal he couldn’t train—and find out what his animals have been trained to do.
Toddler born deaf can hear after gene therapy trial breakthrough her parents call “mind-blowing”
Opal Sandy, a little girl born with genetic deafness, can now hear for the first time thanks to gene therapy designed to treat certain types of deafness.
Seeing things that aren’t there? It’s called pareidolia.
Have you ever looked at an electrical outlet and thought it looked like a face? Or looked at a cloud and seen a bunny rabbit? If so, you’ve experienced the phenomenon of pareidolia. But why does our mind create faces out of random shapes? Read this article to learn more.
How Retailers Are Using AI To Manipulate Consumer Shopping
Have you ever wondered why some products appear at the top or bottom of online shopping search pages? Or why some items appear twice? Or why you may see identical items with different prices? Artificial Intelligence is powering more and more online and it has a growing ability to influence consumer decisions—and to do so in ways the consumer is unaware of.
Is the Loch Ness Monster a Giant Eel?
While scientists don’t believe there is a giant monster hiding out in Loch Ness, they are considering what creatures could live there based on DNA testing.
Scientists Think They Know What Causes Trypophobia
Trypophobia describes the fear of clusters of holes. While it’s not officially recognized, many are convinced they have it.
The Visual Illusions that Reveal How Our Minds Work
Disney is known for creating magical effects on-screen, but did you know they also use tricks and deception in their theme parks, too? This article discusses a few of the ways Disney–and other theme parks and entertainment venues–use optical illusions to create magical effects in real life.
Experimental robot performs simulated surgical operations aboard space station
A surgical robot originally intended for space has the potential to revolutionize surgery here on Earth.
Naming Apollo: Why NASA chooses Greek gods as names
In 2019, NASA announced that the agency’s efforts to return to the Moon would be named the Artemis program. The goddess Artemis was heavily associated with the moon, and she’s also the twin of Apollo, whose name graced NASA’s first lunar missions in the 1960s. But why does NASA choose mythological names in the first place?
The Amazon’s ancient complex of ‘lost cities’ flourished for a thousand years
A new discovery in the Amazon unveils more information about the vibrant and complex civilization of the Upano people, who populated the region thousands of years ago.
Magician Breaks Down How Illusions Work
Magician David Kwong breaks down magic into what he calls the “7 Principles of Illusion” and explains what goes into the execution of a magic trick.
Beware: He does give some general spoilers for how some magic tricks are done.
Sinkholes: When the Earth Opens Up
Sometimes disasters strike in the strangest of ways. To get a sense of just how strange, take a look at the odd and impressive photographs that accompany this short article on sinkholes. Who’d have thought such a thing could happen—right outside our front doors?
10 Offbeat Things Humans Have Launched into Space
Did you know that Buzz Lightyear has really been to space? Most of the more than 100 space trips have included an odd item or two on board. Read to find out more about the interesting, and sometimes wacky, items that have traveled to space.
Harnessing the Military Power of Animal Intelligence
In the 1990s, the U.S. Navy revealed that sea lions and dolphins were being used to find and retrieve valuable equipment from the sea floor. These animals are also being trained to help clear mines and to protect our harbors. Read to learn about the secret uses of marine mammals!
Eight Ways Your Perception of Reality Is Skewed
Researchers have found that people wearing heavy backpacks perceive the hills they are climbing as steeper than people who aren’t wearing backpacks do. Read this article to find out more about how our perceptions can become distorted.