The sight of a pale moon in a clear blue daytime sky is quite a common occurrence. But how does the moon appear during the day? In fact, when the moon is above the horizon, which it is for roughly 12 hours every day, it will be visible in the sky – provided it is …
Why Does the Moon Sometimes Come Out During the Day? Read More »
The gold and silver beetles of Costa Rica look like jewels fit for royalty. But despite their blingy appearance, Chrysina beetles are actually made from the same stuff as dowdy cockroaches and spiders – chitin. The difference is that the elytra, or hard forewings, are made up of layers that bend light waves to give …
How Do Gold and Silver Beetles Get Their Colour? Read More »
It may come as a surprise, but they actually don’t. In fact, they lie low on the ground to hide from predators, with their necks blending in with the ground. As the world’s largest and heaviest bird (which also cannot fly), you’d imagine that it would struggle to survive in a sandy environment. However, it …
Food can be a big incentive in animal behaviour, including fish. Reef fish evade predators such as sharks by hiding in coral reefs, but they venture out at times to eat the algal blooms that are caused by pollution and which threaten coral reefs worldwide. It’s a risky business, however, as emerging from safety means …
The force is strong in the Gaoligong Mountains of southwest China, with a new Skywalker in their midst. An entirely new species of Hoolock gibbon has been discovered there and it has been named after the protagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy. Gibbons are considered mystical beings in ancient Chinese culture and this, combined …
Black holes, the super-dense space phenomena believed to have been formed by imploding stars, cannot be directly imaged. But NASA has just launched a $188 million bid to find out more about them. Sending a trio of advanced telescopes with cameras into space, scientists are hoping to learn more about the gravitational, electric and magnetic …
If you grew up watching Knight Rider and wishing for a car that could interact with you, your dream has come true. New ‘autos with empathy’ will monitor not only vocal tone but even perspiration and pupil dilation to determine your emotional state, playing soft music when you’re angry, or talking to you when you’re …
You’ve heard of animals changing shape, colour or texture for camouflage but you probably haven’t heard of them growing new hair to keep safe. Among 150 other new snail species discovered in Australia, scientists have found one with hairs that may have evolved to help it hide from prey. The quirky mollusc, christened Setobaudinia umbadayi, …
You see the world through rose-tinted glasses at this time of year in South Korea. The country turns a ravishing shade of pink when cherry trees bloom in their millions. Their beauty is fleeting: it peaks over the course of two weeks before the blossoms start to fall. In Korea, it’s called the beot-kkot season …
1. The value of rhino horn by weight has surpassed that of gold, diamonds or cocaine. 2. Rhino horns are not bone and aren’t hollow like elephant tusks. They are made entirely of keratin, which grows throughout the animal’s lifetime, just like our own hair and nails. It is similar in structure to a horse’s hoof. 3. If a rhino is de-horned without cutting …
What did they do? Researchers from Ohio State University put two types of mole salamander on a treadmill, one type was born via male/female sexual reproduction, the other asexually from a single female, and ‘encouraged’ them to walk by poking them in the backside. Why did they do that? The team wanted to know more …
1. Birds and humans aren’t nature’s only singers. The record Songs of the Humpback Whale became a hit in the 1970s, showcasing their complex calls. 2. Recently, scientists have confirmed that some male mice perform songs to attract female mice, but in a frequency beyond human hearing. 3. Animals often sing to show off to …
While many animals give birth to their young in spring, sea otters are often born in the depths of winter. If that were not a chilly enough introduction to the world, the single pup is born at sea, where it will remain for most of its life. Remarkably, the pup cannot swim or dive until …
As the Bajau descend beneath the waves, their bodies are adapted in unique ways to withstand the ocean pressure. Having little body fat reduces buoyancy, making it easy to dive deep without using fins. With every 10m descended, pressure increases by one bar – so at 30m below, the pressure is three times that of …
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