Gamma rays reveal the galaxy’s star-making power The Milky Way is churning out far more stars than previously thought, according to a new estimate of its star formation rate. Gamma rays from aluminum-26, a radioactive isotope that arises primarily from massive stars, reveal that the Milky Way converts four toContinue Reading
The toilet was found in the Shaanxi province’s Yueyang City Ruins and was likely used by high-ranking officials during the early years of China’s first unified empire. Archaeologists in China have discovered one of the world’s oldest flush toilets, a “luxury object” that was likely used by elite individuals justContinue Reading
During the last ice age, which route was taken by the first humans to reach the Americas, and did they travel by foot, boat or both? Humans first arrived in North America at least 15,500 years ago. Exactly how they got there, however, constitutes one of the longest-standing debates inContinue Reading
The unusual skeleton of a holy woman buried in a crouched position in medieval times has been identified. The skeletal remains of a medieval anchoress — essentially a religious hermit — buried in an unusual, crouched position at a church site in England died with syphilis and arthritis, archaeologists discovered.Continue Reading
A great white shark recently decapitated a Mexican fisher as he was diving for shellfish. But what was the reason for the unusually gruesome attack? A fisher was recently decapitated by a 19-foot-long (5.8 meters) great white shark while diving for ax tripe, a scallop-like mollusk in Mexico. The tragicContinue Reading
A woman’s strange case of “foreign accent syndrome” left doctors unsure of its cause. A woman in Italy who went to the emergency room experienced a puzzling symptom: She suddenly began speaking in a Canadian accent even though her native language was Italian, according to a new report. The womanContinue Reading
Besides chimps, the birds are the only known nonhumans to use a tool kit Forget screwdrivers or drills. A stick and a straw make for a great cockatoo tool kit. Some Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) know whether they need to have more than one tool in claw to topple anContinue Reading
The ring lies outside a typical, mathematically determined distance from the small world The dwarf planet Quaoar has a ring that is too big for its metaphorical fingers. While all other rings in the solar system lie within or near a mathematically determined distance of their parent bodies, Quaoar’s ringContinue Reading
Self-awareness may be more widespread among animals than we once thought Some fish can recognize their own faces in photos and mirrors, an ability usually attributed to humans and other animals considered particularly brainy, such as chimpanzees, scientists report. Finding the ability in fish suggests that self-awareness may be farContinue Reading
The animal might use spines on its throat to recognize potential mates instead of calls A newfound species of frog doesn’t ribbit. In fact, it doesn’t make any sound at all. Many frogs have unusual characteristics, from turning translucent to being clumsy jumpers. The recently discovered amphibian lacks a voice.Continue Reading