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Oregon prepares for the larges wind farm in the world

Renewable energy has found a considerable support in wind farms, as more and more people seem to be adopting this green and cheap solution as a better alternative towards traditional energy. For example, Samsø, an island near Denmark, gets all its energy from renewable sources; the huge number of wind farms in which are being […]

Aging, a simple error of evolution??

  Everybody pondered at least once in their lives the possibility of being immortal, and this idea sparkled in the immagination of many people throughout history. Now, Stuart Kim, a PhD at Stanford and professor of developmental biology and genetics conducted a study that led to results that shocked pretty much everybody involved, contradicting the […]

Remember last year's G8 summit??

It’s hard to say that during last year’s G8 summit the “world leaders” made promises and predictions that were just words for the voters without feeling ridiculous; I’m not one to fall for fine words that sounds identical to what you want to hear, but I was expecting at least few of those I heard […]

Mexican mangroves 'vital for fishing industry'

A few days ago, I wrote about the damage that a well intended, but wrongly conducted mangrove restoration could cause; the article itself was focusing on the Philippines. It is time to underline (again) the importance that they have on ecosystems which rely on them way more than you would probably guess.Just a few days […]

The price of oil without water

The environmental challenges we have to overcome (fast) cover virtually every field in human activity. Focuses such as finding green fuels, renewable and sustainable sources of energy and other related findings attract more people, more ideas, and visible steps are made towards the right direction. Probably the only concern is how fast and how effective […]

Green reasons to be cheerful

Lester Brown is “one of the world’s most influential thinkers”, according to the Washington Post, and the Calcutta refers to him as “the guru of the environmental movement”. He has been trying to analyze problems and also trying to find solutions to these problems. Books such as Seeds of Change (1970) and Who will Feed […]

California Uses More Gas than China

  Think about China today; the country with the most people in the world, who’s surface is in the top 5 of the world, and who’s industry is really developing, relying almost entirely on pollutant non-green fuels, which caused an increased and even dangerous degree of pollution. Still, despite the fact that it’s area is […]

Gore's Challenge: 100% Carbon Neutral by 2018

Who isn’t paying attention when Al Gore is talking? The impact he has on people from America and all around the world is just huge, hard to comprehend. He’s probably no saint, but he doesn’t have to be. Due to what he promotes, he managed to promote and help “green” ways of living, giving a […]

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the brightest star of all?

Actually, it’s not about the brightest star of all, but the brightest star in our galaxy. It seems there’s a new contender for the title of Milky Way brightest star; it’s near its dusty center, and infrared observations performed by NASA have revealed how bright it is by piercing the dust that surrounds it. The […]

Scientists discover 'world's first bird', and compare it to another

Archaeopteryx has been the subject of many controversies, but it is now widely considered as the world’s oldest bird; however, reptiles were flying for 50 million years when it appeared, even before the world was roamed by dinosaurs. Now, paleontologists have unveiled an extraordinary prehistoric ‘flying’ reptile which lived 235 million years ago.It’s called kuehneosaurs […]

Mystery insect baffles experts at London museum

If you have a bug you want to identify and know everything about, there’s one place which will solve all your problems; the experts at the Natural History Museum in London are proud to say that they can identify species from around the globe, from birds and mammals to insects and snakes. Still, if you […]

High-fructose corn syrup - the mastermind behind obesity?

Whether you want to admit it or now, the world (and most of all America) has a problem with obesity. The fact that people are eating less healthy and working out less is something that can’t be denied even by the most optimistic of us. However, even taking into consideration all those aspects, the numbers […]

The man who farms the sea

Credits A few miles inland from the Sea of Cortez, cracked earth contrasts with the clear, cloudless sky to create a beautiful yet cruel and unforgiving landscape. Here, resources are scarce and people are even fewer. Still, one man fights agains all these adversities; amid mosquitos, cactus, and an almost unbearable heat Carl Hodges manages […]

Moon did hold water

Scientists have believed for years that the moon doesn’t have water, only to find that its interior proved them wrong, challenging our current understanding on how the satellite was formed The current most accepted theory is that it formed in a violent collision between Earth and another planet-sized object.But if this had been the case, […]

Seattle’s Ban on Plastic and Styrofoam

    The city of Seattle is one of the most active cities in the US and in the world in what concerns protecting the environment. They encourage hybrids, green fuels, fight against bottled water and now, there is an issue the people of Seattle have been given the chance to vote for. In another […]

Samsø - The World's Greenest Guinea Pig

If you were to be optimistic, where do you think mankind would get most of its energy a century from now? Most would say from renewable sources. In fact, this project has been going on for a few years now. But just as any project needs, this one has an experiment which so far has […]

Physics of the Impossible - Possible ?

Michio Kaku, a highly regarded physicist and one of the world’s leading authorities on string theory (essentially an attempt to discover a “theory of everything” combining all of the known physical forces) has virtually redefined what is impossible and what is not. He has studied and tried to predict the future of science and physics […]

Three 'Super-Earths' Found Orbiting One Star

It’s not a bird, it’s not a planet, it’s not Jupiter… it’s super earth. Actually, there’s 3 of them. What are they? Well they’re three planets that astrophysicists have found orbiting the same star. They were located with the HARPS instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla, Chile.These Super Earths are […]

Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes

We all know (or really should know) the benefic impact a healthy lifestyle has on your body and mind. But according to a study led by U.S. researchers, exercising and having a balanced diet can not just keep you fit, but it can also lead to some swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level.In […]

5 Mythical Heroes we all want to be like

The salt and pepper of any religion, mythology or folklore is represented by legendary figures, known to us, mortals, as heroes; and with all the fascinating legends and myths, it’s really hard to choose just five of them, which is why there will probably be an epic sequel to this. Heracles Heracles or Hercules (meaning […]

Test could give excuse for laziness

Ever wake up in the morning and just couldn’t get out of bed? Did you ever have something to do and just didn’t have what it takes to do it? Well, all you lazy people, rejoice! In may not be your fault after all. A simple test could show whether difficulty in defeating your laziness […]

The Future Is Now? Pretty Soon, at Least

When I read what Ray Kurzweil said about the future, I was just awed! I mean, coming from somebody else, it would seem ludacris (even from him, I find it really hard to believe), but c’mon, the man is one of the best futurists we have, so he HAS to know what he’s talking about. […]

245 Million Years Old Fossilized Burrows suggest Lizard-like Creatures In Antarctica

For the first time, scientists have found fossilized burrows of tetrapods (four legged vertebrates) in Antarctica dating from the Early Triassic epoch, about 245 million years ago. They’ve been conducted research there since early 2006, and it’s the first time they’ve actually found something of this calibre. The fossils are created in a relatively simple […]

It's official - The Monk Seal is extinct

The Caribbean Monk seal (or West Indian seal) has been announced extinct on Friday. This comes as a shock (at least for me – and many others), as this is the first seal species announced extinct due to human activities; now, it will only be seen in drawings.After five years of futile efforts in which […]

ZME science contest [finished]

It’s not a science contest or a fair, or anything like that; it’s way simpler than that. Here’s how it works: What can you win: Two great books: “Into Thick Air” and “Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet” – I really recommend them, as they’re a very good read. How to win them: All you […]

Everything you wanted to know about Easter Island but were too afraid to ask

Geography Easter Island (Rapa Nui in the native Easter Island language) is situated in the southeastern Pacific Ocean – it’s an overseas territory of Chile. It’s the most isolated inhabited area, and it’s famous for the monumental statues, called moai (pronounced MOE-eye) which have fascinated and baffled people for many, many years; and still, no […]

Girls love ecogeeks! No, really

If you think girls like sport cars, bling, and fancy clubs… you’re so last year! Well that’s not really what I think, but it’s what a study conducted by GM as part of this year’s Challenge X competition showed. I’m not really sure how relevant this is, but the results baffled me to be honest […]

Ice on Mars - seems like a reality

The Phoenix Lander was definitely a marking moment for scientists and researchers, who now have the opportunity of actually seeing what they could have just speculated about before. For example, just take a look at this picture the probe sent back on Friday.     Phoenix scientist Ray Arvidson said there may be ice directly […]

The Seven Wonders (of the Ancient World) - with pics

Seven was considered a magic number by the ancient Greeks. So when it came to naming the most impressive constructions mankind had achieved at the time, it was a must that they settle on just seven. The historian Herodotus and the architect Callimachus of Cyrene made these lists, but their writing remained only as references. […]

Obtaining 2 dimensional time - fact or fiction?

For almost a century, scientists have been trying to figure out what’s good and what’s bad about Einstein’s vision of the universe. Blending the traditional view of physics with the bizarre almost impossible to understand world of quantum physics is no easy task – for anybody. It’s due to our current understanding of these phenomena […]

Scientists heat matter to hotter than surface of the Sun

  Think about the hottest thing that comes to your mind; probably, 90% of people would answer the Sun. But what if you found out that some scientists in Oxfordshire have heated matter to 10 million Celsius, hotter than the surface of the Sun, marking a major landmark in research, you’d probably change your mind. […]

How are rainbows made? The colorful physics behind

What are Rainbows? Rainbows are some of the most spectacular phenomena in nature; they’ve fascinated and stimulated our imagination since the dawn of mankind, and continue to do so to this day. There are all sorts of legends surrounding them, from the treasure at the end of the rainbow to the house of gods for which […]

Pesticides: Germany bans chemicals linked to honeybee devastation

Photo by net_efekt In what is a laudable action, Germany has banned a family of pesticides that are blamed for the deaths of millions of honeybees. This comes after honeybees have had numerous things to suffer from – from climate change to pesticides and diseases which caused millions or even billions of deaths. The German […]

Phoenix Spacecraft lands on Mars

The ball aproaches the field and… touchdown! NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander survived the fiery dive into Mars’ atmosphere Sunday to make a three-point landing in the planet’s arctic regions. This is absolutely a fantastic achievement which included an impressive amount of work and so many people that struggled for this common magnificent objective. “It looks […]

Cats to prevent allergies and asthma development

    A study conducted by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health showed that cat ownership probably has a very good effect on young children of ages up to 5 years. The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. […]

Despite efforts, Creationism Creeps into U.S. Classrooms

    If we were to state the obvious, there are 2 sides: creationists and evolutionists. Creationists are mostly religious people, and they believe humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe were created in their original form by a deity. Of course, evolutionists accept the scientific theory of biological evolution by natural selection or genetic […]

Sleep deprivation makes it hard to make sense of what we see

    It’s still unclear how sleep deprivation affects us, as there are still so many things scientists have failed to understand about sleep itself. But now, neuroscientists at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore have shown for the first time what happens to the visual perceptions of healthy but sleep-deprived people who struggle […]

The dawn of the mamimal? MPs back creation of human-animal embryos

    British scientists have received the green light to research devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using human-animal embryos, after the House of Commons rejected a ban yesterday. Already a wave of contradictions and the scientific world is divided into two camps. An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill was rejected […]

Technique Images Brain Activity When We Think Of Others

Just like when you lie certain things happen in your brain, the same thing happens when you think something about somebody. But what happens in our brain when we judge people or at least when we make an idea about someone? Those (and many other) questions have been tackled by MIT neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe. Her […]

HIV Infection Stems From Few Viruses - New Light Shed

Photo by out of rhythm A recent study has shown one of the world’s most dangerous viruses, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) unprecedented detail. They analyzed just the sexually transmitted version. Scientists found that among billions of HIV variants only a few lead to sexual transmission. George M. Shaw, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the UAB […]

What are Einstein's true beliefs about religion and science?

  I really hope everybody knows who Einstein is, and many people know why he is famous and how he left is mark in the scientific world. Still, aside from his brilliant results in physics (mostly), he is also very well known for his aphorisms, metaphors and overall interesting way of expressing himself. I’ve always […]

Black holes not black at all?

Let’s start with the beginning, shall we ? A black hole is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape its pull after having fallen past its event horizon. That means that electromagnetic radiation (e.g. visible light) is unable to break away from the […]

Science ABC: why are emotional memories of traumatic events so strong?

  Photo by ±‡ U a € ï ¥ a H ‡± Life has ups and downs, reminding more or less of an emotional rollercoaster; but some memories stay in your memory way longer than the others. Emotional memories of traumatic life events (physical or mental), especially cases of accidents or serious illnesses are stored […]

The 4 most spectacular waterfalls in the world

Photo by Wolfgang Staudt In the previous post of this waterfall series, I wrote a list of the 5 tallest waterfalls in the world. I bet some of you were surprised not to hear more famous waterfalls or to see that the ‘big boys’ are not that spectacular – not the massive amount of water […]

Human intelligence - a luxury?

  I’ve always been fascinated by intelligence as a human trait. Smarter and more intelligent people seem to have this sort of aura that surrounds them, but how much of this ability is native and how much can be developed? Ever since the experiments conducted on fruit flies showed that the flies that were taught […]

6 record holding animals you'll never be as good as

Photo by bocavermelha Sometimes, animals are better than humans. Quite a lot of times actually, but that’s not the point here. We’re going to take a look at some record holding animals that are (or do things that are) just unbelievable! The biggest – the blue whale. Photo by Dan Shapiro. Credit: NOAA via pingnews […]

The 5 tallest waterfalls in the world

There's something special about the raw power and beauty a waterfall. There's no sight quite like it. These marvelsserve as a testament to the power and beauty of our planet's diverse landscapes. But while some waterfalls, like Niagara or Iguazu, stand out in terms of water flow, others tend to be taller and slimmer.Now, imagine […]

Breastfeeding Associated With Increased Intelligence

  Or at least this is what a study conducted by scientists from Mcgill suggests. They made the largest study of breastfeeding and the results they found were that it increases both IQ and academic performance. In the article in which the study was published, Dr. Michael Kramer reports the results from following the same […]

Special K for depression

    Well this sure sounds like a good plan to me… Scientists found out that Ketamine (also called Special K if you hang out with the right people), which is used as a horse tranquilizer but also as a club drug could ease depression. Who would have guessed ? Ketamine, which can also cause […]

5 of the world's most polluted cities

Some places in the world are just like heaven, some are just like hell; almost literally. Human activity can sometimes have devastating effects not on just the environment, but on the population too. Here’s a list of five of the most polluted cities in the world, in no specific order. Linfen, China Potentially Affected People: […]
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