Do essential oils expire?
Essential oils have been used for nearly 6,000 years — intended for therapeutic, hygienic, and spiritual purposes — and remain quite popular today. Claims for their benefits range from stress…
Earth has many different minerals, but only a limited supply
Last year, scientists announced the discovery of two new minerals: Elaliite and elkinstantonite. These were fascinating finds, perhaps even more so because they came from a 15-ton meteorite that flew…
Why and where do snakes hibernate?
Snakes are cold-blooded animals, or ectothermic, as they get their temperature from their environment and cannot generate their own body heat. While this can be beneficial, the downside of being…
Restless days on the Alaska Peninsula
A little more than 110 years ago, the remote wilderness of the Alaska Peninsula experienced what probably the largest, more explosive eruption of the 20th century. This eruption covered the…
Largest penguin fossil found in New Zealand
Archaeologists in New Zealand recently discovered nine new specimens of penguins from the Paleocene era, which appeared 66 million years ago and 56 million years ago. The researchers attributed the…
How similar are humans and apes?
As much as we like to think of ourselves as superior, humans are animals. We descend from a common human ancestor shared with what became chimpanzees and bonobos 6 to…
The world may be on the verge of very significant warming
La Niña usually brings a chill across the globe, and that has certainly been the case during its reign over the past three years. Yet despite the ongoing impact of…
Small Wonders: The Antibodies From Camels And Sharks That Could Change Medicine
Every four months, pathologist Aaron LeBeau scoops into a net one of the five nurse sharks he keeps in his University of Wisconsin lab. Then he carefully administers a shot…
The Disturbing World of Primitive Brain Surgery
The Disturbing World of Primitive Brain Surgery ,Without the aid of modern anesthesia or, for that matter, modern disinfection, some Bronze Age practitioner brandished an instrument with a sharp, beveled…