Scientists have solved a 40-year-old puzzle by identifying the origin of the intense radio waves in the Earth's upper atmosphere that control the dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts — belts consisting of high-energy electrons that can damage satellites and spacecraft and pose a risk to astronauts performing activities outside their spacecraft. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

University of Arizona astronomers have pinpointed the origin of powerful bursts from nature's most magnetic objects. The bursts are from "magnetars," some of the most enigmatic objects in the universe. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

The universe’s clock has neither a start nor finish, yet time is finite according to a New Zealand theorist. The theory, which tackles the age-old mystery of the origin of the universe, along with several other problems and paradoxes in cosmology, calls for a new take on our concept of time. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Geologists have discovered 1.43 billion-year-old fossils of deep-sea microbes, providing more evidence that life may have originated on the bottom of the ocean. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Where some of our favorite Muppets got their start in the great mind of Jim Henson!

I have an additional one in the comments! Cheers! picked by muppetmaker 2 months ago

If compasses were around a million years ago, they would not have pointed toward North. That's because the Earth's magnetic field likely underwent a reversal 800,000 years ago. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Of all the military bugle calls, none is so easily recognized or more apt to render emotion than the call Taps. The melody is both eloquent and haunting and the history of its origin is interesting. There is an urban myth about its origins. Here is the real history of Taps. picked by 2manyusernames 3 months ago

From Hedwig & The Angry Inch - a musical. picked by pocksucket 1 year ago

Cassini scientists may have identified the source of one of Saturn's more mysterious rings. Saturn's G ring likely is produced by relatively large, icy particles that reside within a bright arc on the ring's inner edge. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have uncovered the first clues about the ancient origins of a mother's intricate lifeline to her unborn baby, the placenta, which delivers oxygen and nutrients critical to the baby's health. The evidence suggests the placenta of humans and other mammals evolved from the much simpler tissue that attached to the inside of eggshells. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

In research published on Monday, scientists seeking clues to the origins of human language analyzed the way two types of apes genetically closely related to people -- chimpanzees and bonobos -- use such hand and limb gestures to communicate. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Geologists have uncovered evidence of when Earth may have first supported an oxygen-rich atmosphere similar to the one we breathe today. The study suggests that upheavals in the earth’s crust initiated a kind of reverse-greenhouse effect 500 million years ago that cooled the world’s oceans, spawned giant plankton blooms, and sent a burst of oxygen into the atmosphere. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Recent observations from NASA and Japanese X-ray observatories have helped clarify one of the long-standing mysteries in astronomy — the origin of cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are not actually rays at all; they are subatomic particles and ions that zip through space in all directions at near-light speed, with energies tens of thousands of times greater than particles produced in Earth’s la... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

A new interpretation of data from NASA's Viking landers indicates that 0.1% of the Martian soil tested could have a biological origin. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

The UK’s national computing grid, along with their counterparts in the US (TeraGrid) and Europe have helped UCL (University College London) scientists shed light on how life on earth may have originated. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

Hydras have been shown to be the first creature with vision cells. They did not have eyes, but they did have light-sensitive cells all over their bodies, especially near the mouth. These light-sensitive cells improved thanks to evolution and eventually through many small steps became the eyes we are using to read this with. picked by 2manyusernames 10 months ago

Think you know the origin of words? Play this game and find out just how well you do. (I got 8 out of 10) picked by 2manyusernames 1 year ago

Blue Origin, another competitor in the burgeoning private access to space market, has released news(with video) of a successful test flight 11 November. The company is backed by Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos. picked by Fanatic 2 years ago

Some of the universe's first stars might still be lighting up their corners of the cosmos, new computer models suggest. And finding these stellar oldies could reveal something about the nature of dark matter. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

The prehistoric hobbit-sized people who lived on the Indonesian island of Flores were modern humans suffering from the results of an iodine deficiency, and not a new human species, Australian scientists say. picked by mutil8or 6 months ago