by Stephanie M. Halmo Scientists from across the globe have discovered four new elements, filling in row seven on the periodic table. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry confirms the synthesis of these elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118. The four new elements are not found in nature. Researchers synthesized
by: Stephanie M. Halmo Researchers at North Carolina State University, Jagdish Narayan and Anagh Bhaumik, discovered a new solid phase of carbon distinct from graphite and diamond. Coined Q-carbon, this phase can quickly be converted to diamond at ambient temperature and pressure without the presence of hydrogen or a catalyst. Before the discovery of Q-carbon,
Everyone knows about the extinction of the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago, the result of a mountain-sized space object colliding with Earth and wreaking havoc all over the planet. However, what most people don't know is that this extinction was not the most devastating in Earth's history. The dinosaur extinction is one of the
I remember sitting down at a traditional Korean restaurant and watching the waitress hand all of my Korean friends chopsticks and then hand a fork to me. That lady didn't know me at all, she didn't know my family history, where I was from — how did she know I wasn't Korean? I know we
by Uma Nagendra It's a big move, turning on the heater. I can ignore the chilly mornings and shrinking daylight for a while, but once the heater is on, I'm no longer in denial that winter is just a calendar page away. For people and creatures alike, winter is a notoriously harsh season. Everyone has
The widespread belief that “humans evolved from apes†is misleading, but almost correct. An extensive study of fossils over the last 50 years has found that humans and apes had a common ancestor and the two lineages split apart about 3 to 13 million years ago. Australopithecus afarensis is believed to be the first
Water holds the key to sustainable development. We need it for health, food security, and economic progress. Yet, each year brings new pressures. — Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, 2013 The distribution and availability of water are defining features of life. As populations increase and global temperatures rise due to human-induced climate change, we will see
The rate of insomnia in the U.S. is climbing, and with it, so too are a host of health problems blamed on inadequate sleep. Getting our eight or more hours per night has become a common concern and has encouraged a growing industry of sleep aids, such as pills, light blocking curtains, and glasses built
Which Species Should We Save? Situated near the center of Jekyll Island is one of Georgia's most well-known and celebrated conservation programs, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC). Since opening in 2007, the GSTC has taken in over 300 injured sea turtles as patients and, impressively, most of them have been released back into the
We cannot talk about streams without first discussing a very important concept: the watershed [1]. A watershed, or drainage basin, is an area between ridges where precipitation collects in creeks and streams, eventually coalescing to form rivers. The way precipitation moves across land is analogous to the way water from a faucet pools in the
For years we've heard about drug and alcohol addictions, but what about food addictions? Is it possible to be addicted to food? Doctors and scientists have debated whether food addiction is real and remains a controversial topic. Until now research on food addiction has been lacking, but new studies have suggested food addiction may truly
by: Stephanie M. Halmo An article published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine linked tapeworm infection and cancer through a novel disease mechanism. It was found that tapeworm cells could become cancerous in a human host. The article followed the case of a Colombian man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a tapeworm
