Mercury is rising. And in many more ways than one. As global temperatures go up, the Arctic ice is melting. Sea level rises. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. But below the permafrost, another threat is lurking.
No need to be an atomic scientist, when you’re considering the state of the World today, to understand the picture is an alarming one. Allegorically-speaking, the Earth is now only two minutes away from impending catastrophe.
Continue reading Closer to Midnight… – The Countdown to Doomsday Earth
At the heart of central London, opposite St Pancras’ International station, stands the new Francis Crick Institute – a working building with distinctive ultra-modern architecture. Important science is being done here. Life-changing science.
Continue reading The Francis Crick Institute – Open For Boundless Scientific Discovery
On the whole, Earth scientists agree that melting of land ice greatly contributes to sea-level rise. And one thing’s for sure. Future global warming will exacerbate the risks posed to human civilisation. But… What if you could forecast major floods? You can.
10 rivers on Earth may be responsible for around 90% of oceanic plastic pollution in the World.
Continue reading Ten Rivers on Earth – The Great Plastic Tide
Fingerprint spectrometry analysis – a technology which can detect the brand of hair gel or condom used by a suspect – could soon be admissible as evidence in UK courts.
Scientists found early evidence that Ayahuasca, a ceremonial psychedelic brew used by Amazon tribes for centuries, could help treat eating disorders.
Continue reading Can Ayahuasca Feed Your Spirit?
Part of the European Union’s report on the non-hazardous nature of glyphosate-based herbicides is actually a “carbon copy” of a report published by American giant Monsanto according to the European press.
Continue reading Glyphosate Safety: European Evaluation Report “Carbon-Copy” of Monsanto’s
If the urban myth was true, you’d never be farther than two metres from the nearest rat in London. But as far as neighbours go, wild rats keep to themselves. And why shouldn’t they? We, humans, are their commensal enemy.
Continue reading Don’t Rat on the Neighbours… – An Urban Tale
A large chunk of the Pine Island Glacier has broken free today, the media announced. The giant iceberg is estimated to cover an area of roughly 6,000 km2. About a quarter the size of Wales in the United Kingdom.
Continue reading On the Rapid Demise of the Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica
CERN’s LHCb collaboration has announced the discovery of a new “charming” particle, thought to be instrumental to the strong force – the Xi-cc++. Another particle. So…?
Continue reading Charming New Particle Xi-cc++ Discovered at CERN
Within every object on Earth lies concealed a positive or a negative electric charge. From the very structure of the atom to the essential functioning of our brains, the natural power of electricity is all around us, and it is one of the most potent symbols of our Modern World. Making the story of electricity, the story of life itself…
Continue reading The Spark of Being – A Not-So-Brief History of Life and Electricity
There are 1.3 billion cubic kilometres of water on Earth. Nevertheless, ready access to clean drinking water remains a major issue for millions of people. A much sought-after innovation was developed by a UK-based team of researchers who created a graphene-based sieve capable of removing salt from seawater. The new technology could aid millions around the World.
Continue reading All of the Water on Earth – A Graphene-Based Sieve for Desalination
The role that plants play in absorbing carbon dioxide is one of the great unknowns of climatology. Now, an industrial-scale experiment in a Staffordshire forest has been designed to help fill gaps in our knowledge about climate change.
Continue reading BIFoR FACE In Situ Experiment – Modelling the Response of a Temperate Woodland to Increased Levels of Carbon Dioxide
The Sentinel satellite program was designed to replace the older Earth observation missions, which have reached retirement or are nearing the end of their operational life span. The satellite array will ensure a continuity of data, so that there are no gaps in ongoing studies.
Continue reading Sentinel Is Watching
The Arecibo observatory is a very large radio telescope located in Puerto Rico. In 1974, astronomers used it to broadcast a message into outer space intended to demonstrate human intelligence. Why are we so interested in finding intelligence in the stars, and yet so deaf to the many species who manifest it here on Earth?
Continue reading Arecibo and the Great Silence – Where We Talk About a Parrot Named Alex
The emergence of Big Data has meant that everything we do online leaves digital traces. “Big data” is fairly new. It’s huge and it’s scary – very scary. This revolutionary approach to data-driven communications is said to have played an integral part in Brexit “Leave” campaign and U.S. president Donald Trump’s extraordinary win.
Continue reading Psychometrics and “Big Data” – Who Do They Think You Are?
As the X-Files series enjoy a revival on TV, the American spy agency has decided to place thousands of declassified documents detailing government research into UFOs on its website. The CIA documents also confirm the reality of humans with ‘Special Abilities’ able to do seemingly impossible things.
Continue reading CIA Releases “X-Files”
You. Yes, YOU! You’re rather bright, aren’t you? Intelligent, smart. Let’s face it a little-known genius! And you have a unique opinion on just about everything. Not specifically one subject. Because you’re a contrarian. or as I like to call it: a “brainiac”.
Continue reading Ode to the Contrarian or Why Intelligence May Not Be the Best Strategy in Life
Synthetic cannabinoids were designed for recreational use. Many used them legally in an attempt to recreate the effects of organic cannabis, or to achieve similar psychoactive effects, until they were banned in May 2016. But they promised more than they delivered. Spice is one of them.
Temperature inversions are meteorological phenomena which can occur over busy cities under particular environmental conditions. Retired jet engines could be used as “virtual chimneys”, and draw upwards the resulting smog that clouds the air over some of the World’s most polluted cities.
Continue reading Temperature Inversions, City Pollution and Defunct Jet Engines
Many places in the World have limited sources of drinkable water, whether it is because of limited rainfall or because of polluted water resources. Without sufficient potable water, the health of possibly billions of people remains at risk. In Lima, Perú, a simple technology helps people harvest water from the fog.
Sarin is a deadly compound. Colourless, odourless, and fatal even at low concentrations. A new drug designed to fight against the deadly effects of organophosphorous nerve agents, like sarin, is in sight.
Continue reading Compound Interest: An Antidote to Sarin
Agronomic engineers have managed to improve upon one the most important biological process on the planet – photosynthesis. The increased yield in crop could be as much as 15%.
Continue reading Feeding of the Nine Billion – The Future of Photosynthesis and Increased Crop Productivity
We live on the ever-changing planetary surface of Earth. Now, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s “Eruptions, Earthquakes, & Emissions” (“E3”) web application reveals a time-lapse animation of the data held on volcanic eruptions and quakes on Earth since 1960. The dynamic Earth at one glance!
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