Home » Science » Page 31

Science

Henry Cavendish, noted for his discovery of hydrogen, was a “notoriously shy man”. He communicated with his female servants only by notes. By one account, Cavendish had a back staircase added to his house to avoid encountering his housekeeper.

Henry Cavendish For other people named Henry Cavendish, see Henry Cavendish (disambiguation). Henry Cavendish FRS (/ˈkævəndɪʃ/; 10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was an English natural philosopher, scientist, and an important experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. He is noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he termed “inflammable air”. He described the density […]

Henry Cavendish, noted for his discovery of hydrogen, was a “notoriously shy man”. He communicated with his female servants only by notes. By one account, Cavendish had a back staircase added to his house to avoid encountering his housekeeper. Read More »

11,000 year old footprints of giant sloths have been found preserved in gypsum in New Mexico. Some also have human footprints within them, which effectively records all the action of a sloth hunt

New Mexico Desert Captures Evidence of Sloth Hunt A desert in the American Southwest provides evidence of a hunt from long ago. Scientists found footprints from a hunt involving ancient human beings and a large prehistoric sloth. They discovered the footprints in what is now the White Sands National Monument in the state of New

11,000 year old footprints of giant sloths have been found preserved in gypsum in New Mexico. Some also have human footprints within them, which effectively records all the action of a sloth hunt Read More »

The speed of light was first estimated in 1676 by a Danish Astronomer who was timing the eclipses of Io caused by Jupiter. He noticed the period between eclipses increased with Earth’s distance from Jupiter and guessed it was because light had to travel a longer distance.

Rømer’s determination of the speed of light Ole Rømer (1644–1710) was already a statesman in his native Denmark some time after his discovery of the speed of light (1676). The engraving is probably posthumous. Rømer’s determination of the speed of light was the demonstration in 1676 that light has a finite speed and so does

The speed of light was first estimated in 1676 by a Danish Astronomer who was timing the eclipses of Io caused by Jupiter. He noticed the period between eclipses increased with Earth’s distance from Jupiter and guessed it was because light had to travel a longer distance. Read More »

Pumpkins evolved to be eaten by wooly mammoths and giant sloths. Pumpkins would likely be extinct today if ancient humans hadn’t conserved them.

Without us, pumpkins may have gone extinct People in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving each year with a feast that includes pumpkins. But it turns out that pumpkins—along with the rest of Cucurbita, the plant genus that includes gourds and squash, have us to thank, too. More than 10,000 years ago, the extremely bitter-tasting wild

Pumpkins evolved to be eaten by wooly mammoths and giant sloths. Pumpkins would likely be extinct today if ancient humans hadn’t conserved them. Read More »

In 1985, Wong-Staal became the first person to clone HIV and to generate a genetic mapping of the virus which would be used for the research and design of treatments for AIDS.

Flossie Wong-Staal KEYWORDS: Yee Ching Wong, Flossie Wong-Staal, AIDS, HIV SHE THOUGHT IT Flossie Wong-Staal is a Chinese-American scientist who holds a bachelor’s degree in Bacteriology (1968) and a PhD in Molecular Biology (1972) both from the University of California in Los Angeles. Her professional career in a laboratory started in the early 1970s when

In 1985, Wong-Staal became the first person to clone HIV and to generate a genetic mapping of the virus which would be used for the research and design of treatments for AIDS. Read More »

Scientists used 2,000 year old seeds to regrow an extinct species of date tree. The tree long disappeared from the Judean desert but archeologists found seeds on digs. Surprisingly, the seeds worked and grew a male and female of the species. They hope to use them to produce biblical era dates.

Dates Like Jesus Ate? Scientists Revive Ancient Trees From 2,000-Year-Old Seeds The world’s most remarkable date palm trees might not exist if Sarah Sallon hadn’t gotten sick while working as a doctor in India in 1986. Antibiotics didn’t help. What cured here, she thinks, were some traditional herbal remedies. “It was just amazing. It was

Scientists used 2,000 year old seeds to regrow an extinct species of date tree. The tree long disappeared from the Judean desert but archeologists found seeds on digs. Surprisingly, the seeds worked and grew a male and female of the species. They hope to use them to produce biblical era dates. Read More »

Wild orangutans use medicinal plants to sooth joint and muscle inflammation. The apes chew leaves of the Dracaena cantleyi plant to create a white lather, which they then rub onto their bodies. Local indigenous people also use the plant for the same purpose.

Orangutans Use Plant Extracts to Treat Pain Medicine is not exclusively a human invention. Many other animals, from insects to birds to nonhuman primates, have been known to self-medicate with plants and minerals for infections and other conditions. Behavioral ecologist Helen Morrogh-Bernard of the Borneo Nature Foundation has spent decades studying the island’s orangutans and

Wild orangutans use medicinal plants to sooth joint and muscle inflammation. The apes chew leaves of the Dracaena cantleyi plant to create a white lather, which they then rub onto their bodies. Local indigenous people also use the plant for the same purpose. Read More »

Almost all shells open on the right-hand side, with the exception of a few snail species whose shells open on the left. If you find a shell that opens on the left (as long as it’s from a normally right-hand species), you have a rare shell sometimes highly sought by collectors.

Gastropod shell Most gastropod shells are spirally coiled. The majority (over 90%) of gastropod species have dextral (right-handed) shells, but a small minority of species and genera are virtually always sinistral (left-handed), and a very few species (for example Amphidromus perversus) show a mixture of dextral and sinistral individuals. There occur also aberrantly sinistral forms

Almost all shells open on the right-hand side, with the exception of a few snail species whose shells open on the left. If you find a shell that opens on the left (as long as it’s from a normally right-hand species), you have a rare shell sometimes highly sought by collectors. Read More »

The common black garden ant queen has an average lifespan of 15 years, with some living up to around 30. And while under laboratory conditions, workers can live at least 4 years. Watch your step!

Black garden ant Black garden ant with a spider’s mandibles The black garden ant (Lasius niger), also known as the common black ant, is a formicine ant, the type species of the subgenus Lasius, found all over Europe and in some parts of North America, South America, Australia, Asia and Australasia. The European species was

The common black garden ant queen has an average lifespan of 15 years, with some living up to around 30. And while under laboratory conditions, workers can live at least 4 years. Watch your step! Read More »

People with sensitive noses are capable of smelling when it’s about to rain due to atmospheric chemicals reacting and creating ozone, which has a pungent, sweet smell.

Storm Scents: It’s True, You Can Smell Oncoming Summer Rain When people say they can smell a storm coming, they’re right. Weather patterns produce distinctive odors that sensitive noses sniff out. This year’s peculiar weather patterns—such as drought in the Midwest and a “super derecho” of thunderstorms earlier this summer—are no exception. In fact, as

People with sensitive noses are capable of smelling when it’s about to rain due to atmospheric chemicals reacting and creating ozone, which has a pungent, sweet smell. Read More »