"Double whirlpools" observed for first time

For the first time, scientists have recorded a bizarre phenomenon in fluid dynamics, which up until now had only ever been theoretically predicted, but never observed in the wild. Huge whirlpools known as eddies, which can measure hundreds of kilometers across, are relatively common, however now it turns out that, under certain conditions, pairs of these swirling vortices can actually join together to form double whirlpools capable...

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Helicopter drone could one day explore Titan

NASA is considering a mission to Saturn's moon Titan that would use a drone to scout across large areas. Titan is a place that, on the outset, appears to possess many things that seem uncannily familiar - oceans, rivers, snow-capped mountains and even an active weather system. Take a closer look however and it soon becomes apparent that Titan couldn't be more alien. Its rivers and oceans aren't filled with liquid water but with an...

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Glowing trees could replace street lights

By using embedded nanoparticles in leaves, scientists at MIT have created plants that glow in the dark paving the way for trees to replace streetlights. The breakthrough, which could pave the way for environmentally-friendly public lighting solutions that don't even require electricity, has the potential to revolutionize how we light up our homes and cities. To give the plants their glowing ability, Professor Strano (the senior...

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'Extinct' mammal found alive in Australia

The crest-tailed mulgara was once widely distributed across sandy deserts in inland Australia. The crest-tailed mulgara - a small carnivorous marsupial - was thought to have died out a century ago. At a time when species are disappearing from our planet on a regular basis, the news that this particular variety of mulgara has survived against all odds is particularly welcome. It was discovered by a team from the University of New South...

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The Ropen

The Ropen (Flying demon) is the local name of a cryptid on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea that glows while flying, and which is held by many cryptozoologists as a possible living pterosaur. Appearance: It is said to produce a light, possibly to attract fish. According to the book Searching for Ropens, it is "any featherless creature that flies in the Southwest Pacific, and has a tail-length more than 25% of its wingspan." On the Island,...

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Google's AI has built another, superior AI

Google's AI can learn and improve over time. The Google Brain project has created an AI that is capable of designing a 'child' AI superior to itself. The new artificial intelligence, which is known as AutoML (Automated Machine Learning), acts as a controller neural network that can develop a child AI network for specific tasks. To demonstrate the system, Google researchers tasked AutoML with developing a child AI known as NASNet...

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Large sphinx head recovered in California

The head is made of Plaster of Paris. Archaeologists discovered the artifact in Santa Barbara County, however all is not quite as it seems. Far from being a relic built by the ancient Egyptians, the 300-pound sphinx head is actually something a little more recent - a prop from the pioneering 1923 movie The Ten Commandments. In an effort to mimic Egypt's sandy landscape, part of the Hollywood blockbuster was shot in the Guadalupe-Nipomo...

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Earthworms can breed in Martian soil

Worms are important for future indoor gardens on Mars. Researchers in the Netherlands have found that earthworms can reproduce in Mars soil simulant obtained from NASA. The result could be important as scientists aim to determine whether people can keep themselves alive on the Red Planet by growing their own crops on Mars soil. The results of a recent experiment suggest that the soil on Mars is likely to be suitable for agriculture. Scientists...

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Big earthquakes to occur more often in 2018

We could be in for a hard time. A periodic slowing of the rotation of the Earth is likely to result in an upsurge in earthquakes next year. In a paper presented last month at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado in Boulder and Rebecca Bendick of the University of Montana in Missoula highlighted the link between seismic activity and the rotational speed of the planet. "The...

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Entire family of mammoths goes on sale

Mammoths roamed earth around 10,000 years ago. The skeletons, which include a one-year-old baby, were discovered by builders in Siberia 15 years ago. For the first time ever, museums are being offered the opportunity to exhibit an entire family of woolly mammoth skeletons thanks to an auction taking place in West Sussex, England today. The prehistoric family consists of an adult male and female, an infant aged 8 or 9 and a young...

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Mystery surrounds poisoned trees in Norfolk

The trees are protected due to their age and historical significance.  Authorities have been investigating a recent 'attack' on a number of protected 200-year-old trees. The incident, which occurred at Koolunga House in Gorleston, England, saw unknown individual drill holes in the trunks of eight protected trees before pouring a poisonous substance inside. "It's a real mystery as to why anyone would want to do it," said council...

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Prehistoric shark found off coast of Portugal

This ancient species was around during the time of the dinosaurs. Considered to be a 'living fossil', the frilled shark has remained unchanged for over 80 million years. The extremely rare shark, which would have swam the prehistoric seas at the same time Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops roamed the land, is only seldom observed by scientists. Usually found up to 4,200ft beneath the surface, the frilled shark can grow up to 6ft...

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Barbary Lion

The Barbary lion was considered one of the biggest lion subspecies. They had dark, long-haired manes that extended over the shoulder and downwards to the belly. It is said that they developed the colors and size of their manes due to ambient temperatures, their nutrition, and their level of testosterone. It is also possible that they developed such long manes due to the temperature in the Atlas Mountains, which is much lower than other...

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Mysterious void found inside Great Pyramid

Khufu's pyramid was built by Pharoah Khufu during 4th dynasty. Physicists have used the by-products of cosmic rays to reveal a large, previously unidentified chamber inside the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. The find is the first discovery since the nineteenth century of a major new space inside the pyramid. Egyptologists have been quick to dismiss any idea of finding lost treasure in the 30-metre-long void. “There’s...

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Mystery ancient stone structures found in Saudi desert

Several of the mysterious 'gates' can be seen in this image. Over 400 unexplained structures have been discovered in the Saudi Arabian desert using Google Earth. Found by Australian researcher David Kennedy whose team has already identified thousands of archaeological sites in the Middle-East, these peculiar man-made edifices seem to defy explanation. Thought to have been constructed between 2,000 and 9,000 years ago by the ancestors...

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Scorching hot exoplanet 'snows' sunscreen

Artist’s illustration showing the scorching-hot exoplanet Kepler-13Ab, which orbits very close to its host star, Kepler-13A. Astronomers have observed an extrasolar planet with some of the weirdest weather conditions ever seen. Six times more massive than Jupiter and situated at a distance of 1,730 light years from the Earth, Kepler-13Ab, with often sees dayside surface temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, is one of the...

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'Mega-carnivore' dinosaur found in Africa

An enormous meat-eating dinosaur measuring up to 30ft in length once roamed what is now Southern Africa. Discovered by a team of researchers from universities in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, this prehistoric behemoth was part of a group of carnivorous dinosaurs known as 'megatherapods'. Its footprints were found in the Maseru District of Lesotho - a small country in Southern Africa. The discovery of such a large carnivorous dinosaur...

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Supervolcano could erupt sooner than previously thought.

The enormous supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park could erupt with only a few years' warning. The natural beauty and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park attract thousands of tourists from all over the world on an annual basis, but not far below the park's serene surface is an increasingly large chamber of molten hot magma with the potential to erupt at any time. When the inevitable does eventually happen, the Yellowstone...

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New prehistoric marine predator discovered

Palaeontologists have identified a new species that could shed light on the origins of crocodiles. Nicknamed the 'Melksham Monster' after the town in England where it was first discovered, the 10ft predatory reptile, which dates back 163 million years, is officially known as Ieldraan melkshamensis. The find is particularly interesting because the Geosaurini - the sub-family of prehistoric crocodiles to which this new species belonged...

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Can Aliens observe the earth?

Astronomers have identified nine planets from which intelligent aliens could possibly be watching us. While much work has been done over the years to look for signs of intelligent life out there in the cosmos, there has been little consideration of the possibility that someone might be watching us. In a recent study, scientists from Belfast set out to determine where the best vantage points would be for an extraterrestrial civilization...

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'Vampire' kangaroos lived longer than thought

An extinct species of fanged kangaroo survived five million years longer than previously believed. An analysis of fossilized teeth discovered at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in north Queensland has revealed that these wallaby-sized fanged marsupials went extinct around 10 million years ago, which is five million years later than earlier studies had suggested. The discovery means that existing extinction theories concerning...

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