Science

A frog named Toughie, likely the last of his species, died quietly in his enclosure at the Atlanta Botanical Garden this week. Toughie was the last known living Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frog in captivity. Toughie was estimated to be about 12 years old. Zoo Atlanta scientists and the Atlanta Botanical Garden led the effort to discover and formally name the ... Read More »

The Swedish Association for Sexuality Education has released a PSA asking NASA to rocket some condoms to space. Today it’s World Contraception Day – A day dedicated to contraceptives that give humans the option to decide if and when to have kids, one of the most important decisions a person can make. The condom might look simple, but it is ... Read More »

Unusually warm Pacific Ocean temperatures contributed to a massive bloom of toxic algae off North America’s west coast last year, says a recent study. Nicknamed “the blob,” the bloom closed important fisheries and disrupted marine life including seabirds and sea lions. Scientists at the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration connects the unprecedented West Coast toxic ... Read More »

Ghost Minitaur is a medium-sized legged robot platform. Its high-torque brushless outrunner motors and specialized leg design let this machine run and jump over difficult terrain. High-speed and high-resolution encoders let the machine see the ground through the motors and adapt faster than the blink of an eye, Jiren Parikh, CEO of its manufacturer, Ghost Robotics, says it can even ... Read More »

The new technology of genome editing, which is set to transform every aspect of genetic engineering in fields from medicine to agriculture, requires “urgent ethical scrutiny” according to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. Using the new technology, known as CRSPR-Cas9, does not require a high level of scientific knowledge, raising concerns that malicious “biohackers” or careless enthusiasts might create something ... Read More »

A new research from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has offered a surprising twist of how life began on earth, questioning the likeability of the “RNA World” Hypothesis and proposing that DNA may have also existed when life began. “Even if you believe in a RNA-only world, you have to believe in something that existed with RNA to help it ... Read More »

There happens to be the possible existence of a hidden salty ocean beneath the planet Pluto’s heart. A new study published in Geophysical Research Letters has used computer modeling to show there is a liquid ocean on Pluto more than 62 miles deep with salinity similar to the Dead Sea right here on Earth. Read More »

There’s a Northern Lights fever ranging in Iceland, even for locals who are pretty used them. The reason is that they’re particularly vivid this week and can be seen clearly even above the lights of the capital. The Iceland Met Office predicts great viewing conditions in South Iceland with just a slight veil of clouds. The Northern Lights should start ... Read More »

Blue-green algal bloom confirmed on Bass Lake, Manitoulin Island. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has advised the Sudbury & District Health Unit that results from samples taken September 26, 2016, from Bass Lake are positive for blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). The samples contained a species of cyanobacteria that can produce toxins. Read More »

On the same day wolf and coyote hunting seasons were set to open in most wildlife management units, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) announced its decision to impose an immediate ban on wolf and coyote hunting and trapping in 40 Ontario geographic townships. “Due to the difficulty in visually distinguishing the Algonquin wolf from coyotes and other ... Read More »

Elon Musk, the SpaceX CEO, will share his plans for creating colonies on Mars. He will do so in a speech “Making Humans an Interplanetary Species” on September 27 at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. Elon Musk acknowledged that the company is already developing a giant rocket, larger than the Saturn 5 moon rocket or the Space Launch ... Read More »