We’ve all heard the recommendations about the need for 8 hours of sleep every night, but is this really necessary? A recent study comparing the sleep habits of our human ancestors says maybe not. The study examined the sleeping habits of two African tribes, Hadza of Tanzania and the San …
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What did the Kepler Space Telescope see around star KIC 8462852?
The Kepler Space Telescope has by far been the most effective exoplanet hunter with over 1000 confirmed discoveries and several thousand more potential discoveries waiting to be confirmed. These undiscovered objects get placed on the Kepler Object of Interest list. A few years ago, an object orbiting a star, KIC 8462852, …
Read More »Study shows some dinosaurs may have been warm blooded
It has long been thought that all dinosaurs were cold blooded but recent research suggests that this may not hold true for all species. Birds, that evolved from dinosaurs, are warm blooded but when the transition from warm to cold blooded occurred isn’t known. Cold-blooded creatures can’t regulate their own …
Read More »Newly sequenced genome of ancient human reveals back migration into Africa
The first anatomically modern humans arose in Africa but through a series of complex migrations they came to live throughout Europe and Asia as well. There’s also evidence of a migration back into Africa. These migrations are not well understood though as DNA is very fragile and easily degrades in …
Read More »Wildlife populations thriving in Chernobyl
Nearly thirty years after the Chernobyl disaster, the city of Pripyat, Ukraine and the surrounding area remains abandoned, at least by humans that is. A new study has shown that animal populations are actually thriving in the absence of humans despite the presence of radioactive chemicals. The study used long-term data …
Read More »New maps of Ceres released, bright spots remain a mystery
A new view of the dwarf planet Ceres has been released by the Dawn spacecraft team. Ceres is about 950 kilometres in diameter and resides in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The Dawn spacecraft has been mapping the surface of Ceres over the past few months while in …
Read More »Great wildebeest migration to be streamed online
One of the greatest migrations nature has to offer will now be streamed online by HerdTracker through Periscope. Every year a million wildebeest along with 500,000 gazelles and 200,000 zebras make their way across the Serengeti to the Maasai Mara in search for green pastures to graze on. The migration typically begins …
Read More »Flowing water on Mars confirmed
NASA announced this morning that the major Mars discovery they teased about in previous days is in fact flowing water. It has long been thought that water had existed somewhere on Mars and there are large amounts of frozen water in the polar caps but this is the first concrete …
Read More »Major discovery on Mars to be revealed Monday by NASA
In a post on its website, NASA has revealed that they are set to announce the solving of a ‘major mystery of Mars’. The press conference will take place on Monday at 11:30 am ET and will be broadcast live and can be streamed online. There has been lots of …
Read More »Study finds climate change is driving the evolution of shorter tongues in bumblebees
A new study has shown that the effects of climate change on floral growth may be leading to shorter tongues in bumblebees. Bumblebees and flowers have co-evolved a mutualistic relationship where flowers supply bees with nectar and pollen, important ingredients for hive construction and health, in exchange for transportation of their …
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