The koala is an unusual creature. Native to Australia and a bit bigger than a raccoon, it spends most of its time in eucalyptus trees, gorging on leaves that are toxic to nearly every other animal on the planet. The koala sleeps about 22 hours a day … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Space is full of grease-like molecules, according to a new study that attempted to mimic interstellar dust in a laboratory. The study, conducted by the University of New South Wales in Australia and Ege University in Turkey, sought to better estimate … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Earth and Mars are a bit like fraternal twins that slowly grew apart. Four billion years ago, both planets were warm, sheathed by protective atmospheres, and carved with rivers and pools of liquid water. But today, Mars is an irradiated desert … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
When “Go Set a Watchman” was published in 2015, an Alabama lawyer called me with a catch in his voice. Had I heard that his hero Atticus Finch had an evil twin? Unlike the virtuous lawyer who saved an innocent black man from a lynch mob in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Reconstructions of dinosaurs at theme parks and museums often show their tongues waving — a feature that is completely incorrect. According to new research, published in the journal PLoS ONE, dinosaur tongues were probably rooted to the bottoms of … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
As one of the most famous landmarks in the United Kingdom, Stonehenge is a symbol of scientific achievement during an age when scientific understanding did not seem likely. Stonehenge, located in South West England, is a prehistoric monument with standing … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In selfies, a woman documented a lump under her skin for weeks before doctors were able to remove it — and it didn’t stay in one place, according to a case report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The lump appeared after the unnamed woman, 32, visited … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A “nude” sponge-like animal with no organs and just one orifice that lived 500,000 years ago is offering compelling new clues about a bizarre group of ancient creatures. Though it somewhat resembles a sponge, the newcomer — now called Allonnia nuda … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Exercise could improve the life expectancy of adults who survive cancer as children, even if the activity begins years after treatments end, according to an inspiring new study. But the study also finds that many survivors rarely, if ever, move much. In … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
There are thousands of individual rules for proper grammatical use of any given language; mostly, these are created, and then taught, in order to maximize understanding and minimize confusion. But the English language prohibition against “preposition … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary