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The Perils of an Early Spring
A brief discussion of how the trend toward an earlier onset of...
Saving Sharks in the 2020s
Shark populations worldwide have been declining as a result of...
How Do Glowworms Glow?
A variety of structures and a special chemical reaction give...
Tuskegee Trains the Majority of the United States’ Black Veterinarians
The Alabama HBCU has a widely recognized veterinary program.
Incredible Facts About Bees
Beyond the black and yellow stripes.
Is the Number of Hurricanes Increasing?
A brief discussion of recent hurricane activity and how it relates...
What Is the Difference Between a Grain and a Seed?
Learn why grains and seeds can be difficult to disentangle.
How Fast Is the Universe Expanding?
Learn why the Hubble constant doesn’t seem to be very constant.
What Does Photosynthesis Produce?
Learn about the chemical process of photosynthesis.
How Is Light Both a Particle and a Wave?
A very brief explainer about how light can be two things at once.
Why Do Animals Have Tails?
Animals’ tails are as varied as their uses, but they all exist...
Is Honey Sweeter Than Sugar?
Learn the science behind the sweetness of honey and sugar.
What’s the Difference Between a Grasshopper and a Cricket?
Learn how crickets and grasshoppers are different.
What Is Earth’s Velocity?
Find out why Earth is moving at different velocities.
What Are Matrices Used For?
Learn more about matrices.
Is Mount Everest Really the Tallest Mountain in the World?
Tallest by what standard?
What Is the Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana?
Why is one more controlled than the other?
Why Is Grass Green?
Find out how grass gets its lovely color.
How Do Hurricanes Get Their Names?
Major weather organizations, such as the World Meteorological...
How Do You Balance a Chemical Equation?
Learn an essential chemistry skill to deepen your understanding...
When Does Summer Start?
Summer is the season of the year that stretches between spring...
How Do You Read Phylogenetic Trees?
Can’t make heads or tails of a phylogenetic tree? We’re here...
Can Anything Break if You Hit It Hard Enough?
If you hit it with enough force, or hit it in just the right...
Why Do Dogs Circle Before They Lie Down?
Scientists speculate that dogs inherited the behaviour of circling...
What Is the Most Aerodynamic Animal?
Cheetahs, black marlins, and peregrine falcons are the world’s...
Why Do Our Noses Have Two Nostrils?
Having two nostrils helps people breathe and detect scents at...
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
The term super typhoon is used when a typhoon’s...
Why Does the Tropic of Cancer's Location on Earth Move Over Time?
The position of the Tropic of Cancer is directly related to the...
Why Are Some Metals More Conductive than Others?
A metal’s electrical conductivity depends on the purity and chemical...
What Is the Difference Between a Meteotsunami, a Seiche, and a Storm Surge?
A meteotsunami is a large sea wave, a storm surge is the...
How Do Scientists Predict Tsunamis After Earthquakes?
To determine the probability that a tsunami will occur after...
What Causes a Volcano to Erupt?
Volcanic eruptions are caused by convection in Earth’s mantle...
How Do Cockroaches Breathe?
Cockroaches and other insects take in oxygen and expel carbon...
How Does the Human Body Maintain Its Temperature?
Human body temperature is regulated by the hypothalamus in...
How Do We Know What Dinosaurs Sounded Like?
Many dinosaurs likely made vocalizations, because they possessed...
Why Does the United States Have More Tornadoes than Any Other Country?
The U.S. has more tornadoes than any other country because it...
What Is the Difference Between DNA and RNA?
DNA is the master blueprint for life, and RNA codes for the structure...
How Do You Rewild an Environment?
The removal of invasive species and the reintroduction of native...
Why Are the Babies of Mammals Cute?
Evolutionary triggers and an innate drive to nurture our young...
Why Does a Mushroom Cloud Look Like a Mushroom?
A mushroom cloud can be created from any massive release of heat.
Why Are Sloths So Slow?
Sloths are slow because they have no reason to be fast.
Why Does -saur Appear So Often in Dinosaur Names?
The suffix -saur or -saurus points to the lizardlike...
Why Do Scientific Names Have Two Parts?
The two parts of a scientific name are the genus and the species.
Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?
A number of pigments are involved in producing beautiful autumn...
Why Are Tomatoes Red?
In short, lycopene.
Why Are Elephants’ Ears So Big?
An elephant’s large ears assist it with thermoregulation, hearing,...
Why Is Predicting the Weather So Difficult for Meteorologists?
Weather prediction is complex because of the interplay between...
Do Hurricanes Happen on Other Planets?
Other planets do not have hurricanes, but some planets have incredibly...
How Do We Know That Dinosaurs May Have Had Feathers?
Fossil evidence suggests that some dinosaurs possessed feathers—or...
Could We Lose All the Soil on Earth?
Given that soil is found nearly everywhere on land, it is unlikely...
Why Is There Fresh and Salt Water on Earth?
The water cycle replenishes fresh water on land and leads to...
How Do Ocean Currents Affect the Biosphere?
Ocean currents move nutrients and organisms from one part of...
Why Do Wet Dogs Have A Wet Dog Smell?
It seems counterintuitive that a clean wet animal could be so...
Why Does Your Voice Change as You Age?
Your voice deepens as you enter adulthood and may change even...
How Does Soap Work?
Soap has some pretty nifty chemical properties that allow oils...
Is Earth Going to Change the Direction in Which It Rotates?
Earth will continue to rotate in the same direction unless a...
Why Don’t Birds Have Teeth?
Using a toothless beak to break food into smaller pieces has...
Is It True That Squirrels Forget Where They Bury About Half of Their Food?
Squirrels remember where they bury some nuts, but they also forget...
How Old Is Niagara Falls?
Melting ice from retreating glaciers helped form this natural...
How Do Chameleons Change Colour?
The chameleon's colour is controlled by a complex interaction...
What Purposes Do Mosquitoes Serve in Ecosystems?
Mosquitoes are important pollinators and a major food source...
When Were the First GMOs Developed?
Many genetically modified organisms have traits that would be...
Do Plants Emit Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide at Night?
Most plants release only one gas at night, but there are exceptions.
Why Do Bees Buzz?
Most bee buzzing is actually the sound of the insects’ tiny wings.
How Can Some Trees Survive for Thousands of Years?
It takes a bit of luck, a simple body plan, and some clever cellular...
Why Did Adult Humans Start Drinking Milk?
Could ancient famines have driven the spread of lactose tolerance?
What Was the Science Behind Medical Bloodletting?
For centuries bloodletting was thought to be the cure for almost...
Do Mongooses Make Good Pets?
Find out about the practicality of keeping a mongoose as a pet.
Why Is the Platypus a Mammal?
The platypus has a bill and webbed feet like a duck and venom...
Are Chimpanzees Cannibals?
Chimpanzees are usually herbivores, eating berries, fruits, leaves,...
Does Ball Lightning Exist?
Fantasy, phenomenon, or weapon? How ball lightning has eluded...
Is It Still Important to Learn Roman Numerals?
Find out whether Roman numerals are still valuable to know.
What did Jan Ingenhousz discover about photosynthesis?
What did Jan Ingenhousz discover about photosynthesis?
How Albert Einstein Developed the Theory of General Relativity
Learn how one of history’s greatest minds came up with one of...
The Anthropocene Epoch: Adding Humans to the Chart of Geologic Time
On August 29, 2016, the Anthropocene Working Group recommended...
What Is the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Ecological Succession?
Learn more about how ecosystems change over time.
10 Fascinating Facts About Megalodon
Learn more about megalodon, the biggest fish that ever lived.
What Is Known (and Not Known) About Contrails
A condensation trail, or “contrail,” is a streamer of cloud sometimes...
Unidentified Flying Objects: What We Know
Everything we know (and only what we know) about the phenomenon...
Louis Pasteur’s Contributions to Science
Learn more about this influential scientist’s work.
How the Nitrogen Cycle Works
The nitrogen cycle is the circulation of nitrogen in various...
6 Interesting Facts about Srinivasa Ramanujan
Some things to know about one of the world’s greatest mathematicians.
A Brief History of Press Freedom
Freedom of the press from the 1700s to today.
Understanding Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion
Find out why planets move the way they do.