How Far Away is the Horizon?
The distance to the horizon is determined by different variables, including the temperature and your height. On a clear day, you can see for miles and miles and miles. The old saying turns out to be just about true. For…
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An astronomer calculated that Earth’s intelligent life is probably ‘rare.’ Here’s what that means
If Earth started over, would intelligent life evolve again? If we all got together and started Earth over, winding time back to the moment right after the land cooled from hot magma and giant meteor showers stopped devastating the planet,…
General Relativity passes the Ratio’s Test
Information about the laws of physics is effectively baked into gravitational waves, the ripples in spacetime created when massive objects such as black holes spiral into one another. At least 3,700 years ago, Babylonian mathematicians approximated the ratio of a…
Why bats don’t get sick from the viruses they carry, but humans can
One of the first questions scientists ask when a new disease appears is, “Where did this come from?” Many viruses jump from animals to humans, a phenomenon known as “zoonotic spillover.” Although it remains unclear which animal was the source…
UFO sighting: Alien craft seen outside Area 51 sparks claims of army UFO testing
A UFO photographed over Southern California may have come from the top-secret Area 51 airforce base, a prominent UFO hunter has claimed. The unidentified flying object (UFO) was photographed over Palm Springs, California, prompting claims of an alien craft in…
What the Heck Happened to This Yo-Yo Champ’s Index Finger?
As seen in this angiogram, blood flow to a yo-yo performer’s index finger was severely constricted, causing the finger to feel cold and turn purple. A striking X-ray image shows the dark threads of arteries and veins carrying blood from…