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The Most Interesting Articles, Mysteries & Discoveries

By Owen Jarus about 2 hours ago 8-10 minutes

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Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on the ceiling of Hypostyle Hall within the Temple of Hathor in Egypt.

How do we decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics and other ancient languages?

By Owen Jarus

Here's how experts decipher ancient languages.

Though originally identified as a type of long-horned beetle, Pulchritudo attenboroughi belongs to the frog-legged beetle group.

49 million-year-old beetle looks like it was squashed yesterday

By Mindy Weisberger

Meet "Attenborough's Beauty," an ancient beetle that was so exceptionally well-preserved you can still see the colorful patterns on its wing case.

The first borehole drilled by NASA's Perseverance rover.

Why Perseverance rover fumbled 1st sampling attempt on Mars

By Chelsea Gohd

NASA's Perseverance rover's first sample collection didn't go as planned due to trouble with a "unique" and unexpectedly powdery Mars rock.

EU satellite imagery shows an extreme heatwave in Greece and Turkey in early August. A new report found July 2021 to be the hottest month on Earth in recorded history.

July 2021 was officially the hottest month ever

By Brandon Specktor

July 2021 was the single hottest month in history, according to a new NOAA report.

Adults of the Asian giant hornet can be distinguished from other hornets by their big “cheeks” (which hold muscles for savage biting), teardrop-shaped eyes and a scalloped structure above the mandibles in between the eyes.

Invasive 'murder hornets' are officially back in the US

By Jeanna Bryner

An invasive and destructive "murder hornet" has been spotted in Washington state for the first time this year, and the alien-looking insect was behaving accordingly — attacking a hive of paper wasps.

Planet Earth

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EU satellite imagery shows an extreme heatwave in Greece and Turkey in early August. A new report found July 2021 to be the hottest month on Earth in recorded history.

July 2021 was officially the hottest month ever

By Brandon Specktor

July 2021 was the single hottest month in history, according to a new NOAA report.

A man cools off in a fountain in Piazza della Rotonda in Rome. A scorching heat wave is fuelling deadly fires across the south of the country.

Highest recorded temperature in European history reported in Italy

By Ben Turner

Fires have raged across the Mediterranean for more than a week, burning many villages and forcing thousands to evacuate.

Space and Physics

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The first borehole drilled by NASA's Perseverance rover.

Why Perseverance rover fumbled 1st sampling attempt on Mars

By Chelsea Gohd

NASA's Perseverance rover's first sample collection didn't go as planned due to trouble with a "unique" and unexpectedly powdery Mars rock.

An image of the asteroid Bennu produced by the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Scientists fine-tune odds of asteroid Bennu hitting Earth

By Meghan Bartels

If the possibility of an asteroid called Bennu slamming into Earth a lifetime from now was keeping you up at night, NASA scientists think you can rest a little easier.

History

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Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on the ceiling of Hypostyle Hall within the Temple of Hathor in Egypt.

How do we decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics and other ancient languages?

By Owen Jarus

Here's how experts decipher ancient languages.

Archaeologists in Leicester, England found a Roman era key handle featuring a lion attacking a barbarian.

Ancient Roman key shows lion devouring barbarian

By Laura Geggel

About 100 years after the Romans invaded Britain, a crafter created an elaborate key handle depicting a lion devouring a wild-eyed barbarian.

Health

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A manure pit on a farm.

3 men die in manure pit: Here's why it's a 'death trap.'

By Rachael Rettner

Decomposing manure produces hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide.

A nurse checks on a patient in the ICU Covid-19 ward at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Aug. 4, 2021.

How deadly is the coronavirus delta variant?

By Rachael Rettner

Early data suggests the delta variant may cause more severe disease.

A vaccine syringe and vial.

FDA to authorize 3rd COVID-19 vaccine dose for immunocompromised people

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

The FDA is planning to update the emergency use authorizations for Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines to include a third dose for immunocompromised people.

Animals

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Though originally identified as a type of long-horned beetle, Pulchritudo attenboroughi belongs to the frog-legged beetle group.

49 million-year-old beetle looks like it was squashed yesterday

By Mindy Weisberger

Meet "Attenborough's Beauty," an ancient beetle that was so exceptionally well-preserved you can still see the colorful patterns on its wing case.

A close-up view shows a split mammoth tusk at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility. Blue stain is used to reveal growth lines. Samples were taken along the tusk using lasers and other techniques, allowing an isotope analysis that provided a record of the mammoth's life.

Woolly mammoth's epic 50,000-mile journey retraced

By Mindy Weisberger

An adult mammoth's preserved tusk revealed how far the animal ranged across Alaska during its 28-year lifetime.

The mysteries red jelly may be a new species previously unknown to science, NOAA researchers say.

Mysterious blood-red jellyfish may be rare species unknown to science, researchers say

By Brandon Specktor

NOAA researchers spotted a mysterious, blood-red jellyfish deep off the New England coast. It may be a new species unknown to science.

Strange News

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A drop of liquid metal is covered by a thin later of water, which has turned a golden yellow after taking on metallic qualities

Scientists transform water into shiny, golden metal

By Nicoletta Lanese

In a new experiment, scientists turned water into a shiny, yellowish metal.

Baking soda cleaning

Why are vinegar and baking soda so good for cleaning?

By Stacy Kish

Why are common household items like baking soda and vinegar such good cleaning agents?

The Baker Day explosion at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, as recorded by an automatically operated camera on a nearby island. Notice the mushroom cloud forming immediately after the explosion.

Why do nuclear bombs form mushroom clouds?

By Randyn Bartholomew

Here's why nuclear bomb explosions lead to a mushroom-shape cloud.

Culture

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Concept of a narcissistic and egoistic man.

There are 2 types of narcissists. Here's what makes each tick.

By Nikhila Mahadevan

Chances are you've met a narcissist. Here's what's behind the gigantic ego.

German mathematician Emmy Noether (shown here in this portrait) was born on March 23, 1882, in Erlangen, Germany, and died April 14, 1935, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Math genius Emmy Noether endured sexism and Nazism. 100 years later, her ideas still ring true.

By Tamar Lichter Blanks

Albert Einstein described Emmy Noether as a "creative mathematical genius" who, despite "unselfish, significant work over a period of many years," did not get the recognition she deserved.

May 9, 1938: Fascism leaders, German dictator Adolf Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini standing in the back of a car, on display as they drive through Rome.

What is fascism?

By Mindy Weisberger

Fascism is a political ideology usually characterized by authoritarianism and nationalism. However, many scholars say the concept is difficult to define.

Tech

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The terraforming of Mars, to a world not unlike ours.

Could we really terraform Mars?

By Paul Sutter

With its frigid temperatures, remoteness from the sun and general dustiness, changing Mars to be more Earth-like is more challenging than it seems (and it already seems pretty tough).

Proteins are complex structures in the body. Here, the brightly colored and twisty blobs represent different immune system proteins on the outer layer of a T-cell, a type of white blood cell that helps the body to identify foreign invaders.

DeepMind says it can predict the shape of every protein in the human body

By Stephanie Pappas

AI firm DeepMind says it can predict the shape of every protein in the human body and in 20 species of research animals.

Blue Origin made history when four passengers, including Jeff Bezos, lifted off and made it to space aboard New Shepard.

Blue Origin record-breaking rocket launch just brought Jeff Bezos to space and back

By Mindy Weisberger

The Blue Origins rocket New Shepard launched to the edge of space today, with former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and three other passengers onboard.