A promising new marine discovery may change how scientists view the ocean. By using advanced satellite mapping, scientists at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia have discovered that Earth’s global expanse of coral reefs is significantly larger than previously thought. This new research represents a significant advancement in the conservation of these essential coral reef ecosystems. The Importance of Coral Reefs Source: Freepik (www.freepik.com) Coral reefs could be considered the ocean’s equivalent to rain forests, given their immense ecological importance. These vibrant underwater ecosystems are essential for the overall health of the planet. They support an astonishing variety of…
Author: Nicole McFadden
Located in the Indian Ocean there is a particularly interesting country made of tons of tiny islands. This country is the Maldives, and it is home to many who live on these interesting atoll islands. For many years, it has been thought that these tiny islands—about a 1,000 of them—would soon vanish under the rising ocean waters due to climate change. A new study, however, combats this worry. It’s the conservation success story of the century, showcasing nature’s incredible resilience. Where are the Maldives? Source: Wikimedia Commons / Frédéric Ducarme The Maldives is a popular vacation destination. It is a…
Cats: stars of a plethora of animated media, a multitude of memes, and one aptly named musical. Although some of these adorable companions can be a bit outwardly aloof, most are absolute sweethearts when you get familiar with one another. However, even if you own a cat, you may not know why they do some of the strange behaviors they exhibit. Also, if you are thinking about getting a cat, you will want to be familiar with their body language; if you’re cosmically inclined, you will have to make sure that your zodiac sign is compatible with cats, too. In…
The United States is home to a ton of incredibly interesting history. It’s always fun to learn something new about your country, so we’ve compiled a list of some of America’s oldest man-made structures. In order to qualify, we had a short list of criteria: the structure has to still be standing (at least partially), able to be visited by tourists, and constructed by humans. Many of these sites offer tours, museums, and walking trails. This article includes the first half of America’s states when put in alphabetical order. These states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,…
The United States is home to a ton of incredibly interesting history. It’s always fun to learn something new, so we’ve compiled a list of some of America’s oldest man-made structures. In order to qualify, we had a short list of criteria: the structure has to still be standing (at least partially), able to be visited by tourists, and constructed by humans. Many of these sites offer tours, museums, and walking trails. This article includes the second half of America’s states when put in alphabetical order. These states are Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,…
With the right materials, teenagers can create amazing things. From making art projects to scientific gadgets, high schoolers often show off their astonishing smarts and creativity. After all, they are the world’s future leaders…and they can begin changing the planet even as kids. One such outstanding teen hails from the country of Wales. He recently achieved an impressive A* grade on his A-Levels by creating an amazing nuclear fusion reactor. The Terrific Teen Source: Dukes Education The student scientist is a 17-year-old originally from Italy named Cesare Mencarini. He created the nuclear fusion reactor as part of his Extended Project…
In 1999, NASA launched the Chandra telescope into orbit. Chandra’s mission is to detect X-ray emissions in space and to take images so that scientists can better understand our universe. Chandra recently turned 25 years old, and to celebrate, NASA has released 25 jaw-dropping and never-before-seen images that Chandra has captured. All 25 of these pictures are absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring. The Chandra Telescope Source: Wikimedia Commons / NASA/CXC/NGST Chandra is a NASA telescope that is specially designed to detect X-ray emission from regions across the universe. These especially interesting hot regions include clusters of galaxies, stars, and matter surrounding…
Global warming is, quite possibly, the single most important and pertinent disaster world-wide. Earth is changing rapidly and we have to stop these dangerous transformations before it is too late. The changes in our atmosphere are extremely concerning. We have to recognize that our whole planet, including our air, is polluted; there is an overabundance of carbon in our air due to the way that we live. Luckily though, a group of scientists from Texas may have just discovered one way we can work towards a cleaner future: one with far less carbon and climate change. Carbon Pollution and Global…
An English mathematical physicist and Nobel-prize winner named Roger Penrose hypothesized how energy could be extracted from a rotating black hole in 1971. He proposed constructing a harness around the black hole’s accretion disk—where infalling matter reaches near-light speeds—which would trigger an enormous release of energy across multiple wavelengths. Since then, several scientists have proposed that advanced civilizations might use this idea—dubbed the Penrose Process—to power their technology. This technological possibility suggests just one interesting technosignature that scientists looking for life beyond Earth could search for in outer space. Following Hypotheses Source: Unsplash / Aman Pal Building upon this idea,…
A report from imploring scientists who study nuclear fusion has recently come out—they might just know how the United States could ensure that the country stays the global leader in nuclear fusion energy. A team of 24 physicists from the most dominant research institutes in the US has released a paper recommending the construction of a “flexible” stellarator facility in the United States. They argue that this step is crucial for maintaining American leadership in nuclear fusion technology. Additionally, it could pave the way for the development of a future fusion power plant. No Place to Test Theories Source: Wikimedia…