Across the world, countless trees, shrubs, and algae perform photosynthesis, where sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water are turned into organic matter by a series of complex chemical reactions. Perhaps you had to memorize some of the steps for a high school biology class. As a process that takes CO2 out of the air and can …
Tag Archives: Science
Ants Clean Wounds & Amputate Limbs
A new paper published in the journal Current Biology has documented an interesting behavior of ants. These small creatures sometimes treat the wounded limbs of other ants from their anthill. The specific ants investigated by the researchers were Florida carpenter ants. Ants have an adaptation known as the metapleural gland that produces antibiotic fluid. The …
Florida’s Ban of Lab Grown Meat
On 1 May, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that banned the industry of lab-grown meat from the state. Lab-grown meat, also called cultivated or cultured meat, is meat that has been grown from stem cells taken from live animals. The cells grow in a medium and are then harvested and shaped into burgers, …
CalTech’s Bionic Jellyfish
Jellyfish lack hearts, and have two nervous systems instead of a centralized brain (although they still have a rudimentary memory despite the lack of a central brain). Many species have no eyes, and must digest their food very quickly so that they can maintain their flotation. Certain types of jellyfish are bioluminescent, and others are …
Iowa Orphans and the Nature of Intelligence
The nature versus nurture debate on the nature of human intelligence and many other traits is nothing new. Yet in the early decades of the 20th century, the scale was tipped largely in favor of the nature side. Most psychologists believed that intelligence was entirely heritable and that environment did not matter. A child born …
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Fusion Energy Breakthrough in July
On 30 July 2023, scientists at the US’ California-based National Ignition Facility (NIF) produced a fusion reaction that produced more energy than it consumed, leading many to renew speculation as to whether using fusion as an energy source is possible. Nuclear fusion occurs when two atoms collide to form a heavier atom. For instance, two …
Ancient Natural Nuclear Reactor – How Did it Work?
Uranium-based nuclear reactors rely on the isotope uranium-235 to make energy. Currently, there is far more uranium-238 (146 neutrons) than 235 (143 neutrons) in naturally occurring ore, where the isotopes vary greatly in their stability. Therefore, uranium goes through a process of enrichment to extract the U-235, since this isotope makes up only about .72% …
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The Amazing Manta Ray
All sorts of incredible creatures live in the ocean, and scientists continue to be surprised by the secrets that the world’s seas hold. One fascinating ocean animal that doesn’t get nearly enough attention is the manta ray. The word “manta” comes from the Spanish word for cloak. Looking at the flat winged body of a …
The Blood Type Diet: Complete and Utter Rubbish
Fad diets come and go over the years and decades. Such diets are particularly popular if they propose some strange idiosyncratic way of eating that doesn’t differ too much from someone’s regular eating pattern. That way, the person can convince themselves that they are making a big change in their health, even if it isn’t …
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Fighting Against Dogma: Ignaz Semmelweis & the Study of Antisepsis
In a modern hospital, great care is taken to sterilize medical instruments and not to transfer infections between surgical patients. At one time, however, such antiseptic measures were not simply unknown to doctors, but actively fought against. The story of the man who tried to implement life-saving cleansing procedures at hospitals – encountering insurmountable resistance …
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Green Humanist 