500-Million-Year-Old ‘Alien Fish Taco’ Was among First Creatures with Jaws A bizarre fossil of a Cambrian creature that looked like an “alien fish taco” reveals how a single group with jaws came to account for around 90 percent of all animal species on Earth By Ashley Balzer Vigil A life reconstruction of Odaraia, which may… Continue reading 500-Million-Year-Old ‘Alien Fish Taco’ Was among First Creatures with Jaws
‘Groups’ Underpin Modern Math. Here’s How They Work.
Mathematics started with numbers — clear, concrete, intuitive. Over the last two centuries, however, it has become a far more abstract enterprise. One of the first major steps down this road was taken in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It involved a field called group theory, and it changed math — theoretical and… Continue reading ‘Groups’ Underpin Modern Math. Here’s How They Work.
Advanced Meditation Alters Understandings of Consciousness
Rachel Feltman: These days, most of us have at least a passing familiarity with the idea of meditation. Whether it’s something you’ve seen portrayed on TV, something you have a casual go at to cap off an occasional yoga practice, or it’s an integral part of your daily routine, the idea of using mindfulness and… Continue reading Advanced Meditation Alters Understandings of Consciousness
The Pittsburgh Paradox Could Hand PA to Trump
Pittsburgh’s transformation from Rust Belt phoenix to progressive tech stronghold was supposed to be the Democrats’ long-term ace in the hole for Pennsylvania. Instead, hubris might just hand the Keystone State to the GOP in 2024. As Allegheny County limps toward another election cycle, Republicans are eyeing an opportunity born not of their own strength,… Continue reading The Pittsburgh Paradox Could Hand PA to Trump
The Zodiac Killer Letters [or Codes? Games?]
Podcast: Download MYS330: We continue our examination of the Zodiac killer who terrorized California in the late 60s. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli look at this extensive correspondence with newspapers and his bizarre claims ask why he wanted so much attention. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow by Email | Watch this… Continue reading The Zodiac Killer Letters [or Codes? Games?]
NASA May Spend $800 Million to Not Send This Revolutionary Rover to the Moon
In early June NASA engineers put the finishing touches on a technological marvel years in the making: a golf cart-sized rover designed to drive into the cold and darkness near the moon’s south pole, on the hunt for water ice. If successful, the $450-million rover—called the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER)—would at last provide… Continue reading NASA May Spend $800 Million to Not Send This Revolutionary Rover to the Moon
To Many, the Justice Dept. Is Honoring Political Neutrality in the Breach Again
By Julie Kelly, RealClearInvestigationsSeptember 18, 2024 Attorney General Merrick Garland broke precedent just weeks before the November election, delivering politically charged remarks at the U.S. Attorneys’ National Conference in Washington – pointedly speaking publicly rather than privately in a departure from his usual practice. Merrick Garland, Attorney General: “We will not allow this department to… Continue reading To Many, the Justice Dept. Is Honoring Political Neutrality in the Breach Again
How Student Athletes Can Avoid Heatstroke
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. High school sports teams start practices soon in what has been an extremely hot summer in much of the country. Now, before they hit the field, is the time for athletes to start slowly and safely building up… Continue reading How Student Athletes Can Avoid Heatstroke
Constitution Day Reflections on America’s Founding Documents
When it comes to celebrating Constitution Day, it may be considered atypical to think of the Declaration of Independence. After all, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were two separate documents authored 11 years apart, written for two very distinct reasons, and penned by different authors. Yet both documents were integral in creating the… Continue reading Constitution Day Reflections on America’s Founding Documents
The Cellular Secret to Resisting the Pressure of the Deep Sea
By the time the molecular part of the project was set to begin, the pandemic had hit. So Winnikoff set up an experiment in his garage. Using a fluorescence spectrometer, he sent rays of ultraviolet light into test tubes filled with small globs of membrane material from the creatures they’d collected. The results puzzled him.… Continue reading The Cellular Secret to Resisting the Pressure of the Deep Sea