Though Venus flytraps do not have a brain, these carnivorous plants can count to five, differentiate between raindrops and prey, and store short-term memories.
Tag Archives: Science & Nature
Top 20 Citizen Science Projects of 2020
What is citizen science? How can you advance scientific research while exploring your backyard or city? Read on to learn the answer to these questions and more.
Evolutionary psychology explains why haunted houses creep us out
An old and dilapidated house being reclaimed by greenery. Creaky floorboards and shifting walls that seem to groan. Intimidating exterior looming in the darkness. All possible elements of a “haunted house,” but what exactly do we find so scary? Read on to discover a psychologist’s take on the subject.
Farming on Mars will be a lot harder than ‘The Martian’ made it seem
Through a series of experiments, scientists have determined that farming on Mars is more science fiction than science without significant alterations to Martian soil.
Kizzmekia Corbett, an African American woman, is praised as key scientist behind COVID-19 vaccine
Learn about the educational path that led to the successful development of a desperately needed vaccine.
Fort Mose: America’s Black Colonial Fortress of Freedom
Fugitive African slaves seeking freedom in early America found refuge at St. Augustine. Granted freedom by the Spanish, these skilled laborers eventually established the first legal free black town in the present-day United States.
Why time feels so weird in 2020
Check out this link to try out some cool interactive perception tests that demonstrate how our sense of time can be distorted.
Former NASA Scientist Predicts “Gold Rush” in Space
Just like the California Gold Rush spurred people to flock to California in search of a fortune, Sailesh Ramakrishnan predicts that companies and investors will make a mad dash to the space sector.
This is What Happened When an Australian City Gave Trees Email Addresses
What would you do if faced with the opportunity to email a tree? Would you write fan mail and love letters? For many Melburnian citizens, the answer is yes!
See 14 animals that have shown us their impressive smarts
Measuring intelligence in animals is tricky business when every animal processes information differently. Read the article and click through the slideshow to learn how different species show their smarts.
Woman describes what it was like to be the only survivor of a flight obliterated by a thunderstorm
Juliane Koepcke recounts surviving a plane crash and eleven days alone in the Peruvian jungle decades earlier.
The Curse of King Tut: Facts & Fable
Is the curse surrounding King Tut’s tomb real? Some people think so— read about why.
How Guide Dogs Work
Learn about what guide dogs do, both on the job and “after hours”; where they come from; and how they are raised and trained.
The emergence of nature phobias: Why more people are afraid of the outdoors
As more and more people live in urban areas and have limited exposure to the outdoors, more people are becoming afraid of nature. Read this article to find out about the dangers of nature phobias on people and the planet.
“Reality” is constructed by your brain. Here’s what that means, and why it matters.
How do we know what is real? This article includes some striking visual illusions and explains how they serve as a good reminder that our perception of reality is not always accurate.
Man shelters 300 dogs from Hurricane Delta in Mexico home
Ricardo Pimentel opened his home to about 300 dogs who, otherwise, may not have survived Hurricane Delta last month.
Study reveals positive connection between nature experiences and happiness globally
Have you ever gone for a walk and felt your worries melt away? It turns out, you aren’t alone, and there is science that supports a positive correlation between nature and happiness.
Like humans, these big-brained birds may owe their smarts to long childhoods
Corvids, birds in the crow family, give new meaning to the phrase “bird-brained.” Read on to learn what these intelligent birds have in common with humans.
Human impact on nature ‘dates back millions of years’
Have humans ever truly lived in harmony with the natural world? According to recent research, the activities of early human ancestors may have caused animal extinctions, not unlike the way human actions threaten many species today.
What happens when the brain feels fear?
Some interesting things happen in our brain when we feel fear, which may explain why some of us choose to seek it.