There are a seemingly countless number of different ant species on Earth today. They range from mundane and unthreatening to incredibly aggressive and even potentially deadly. Nearly 100 million years ago, ants roamed the Earth just like they do today, and researchers just found a specimen of one species that reveals how appropriate its nickname “Hell Ant” really is. In a chunk of fossilized tree sap, called amber, a hell ant is seen locked in a battle with another ancient insect. Already known to science, the hell ant’s head is particularly unusual. Rather than a pair of jaws situated...…There are a seemingly countless number of different ant species on Earth today. They range from mundane and unthreatening to incredibly aggressive and even potentially deadly. Nearly 100 million years ago, ants roamed the Earth just like they do today, and researchers just found a specimen of one species that reveals how appropriate its nickname “Hell Ant” really is. In a chunk of fossilized tree sap, called amber, a hell ant is seen locked in a battle with another ancient insect. Already known to science, the hell ant’s head is particularly unusual. Rather than a pair of jaws situated...WW…

Click to Skip AdClosing in...…Click to Skip AdClosing in...WW…

Click to Skip AdClosing in...…Click to Skip AdClosing in...WW…

Click to Skip AdClosing in...…Click to Skip AdClosing in...WW…

Click to Skip AdClosing in...…Click to Skip AdClosing in...WW…

Click to Skip AdClosing in...…Click to Skip AdClosing in...WW…

Scientists from the US and Hong Kong have developed a synthetic eye that functions a lot like the real thing. With sensors that mimic the photoreceptors found in a human eye, the new “bionic” prototype could one day be used to restore vision in individuals that have lost their sight. Referred to as a “biomimetic eye” by the research team, the device is a marriage of modern technology and nature’s own designs. It consists of a hemispherical artificial retina and an array of sensors that capture and relay a live image. Getting it to interface with a human brain is, well, pretty complicated. ...…Scientists from the US and Hong Kong have developed a synthetic eye that functions a lot like the real thing. With sensors that mimic the photoreceptors found in a human eye, the new “bionic” prototype could one day be used to restore vision in individuals that have lost their sight. Referred to as a “biomimetic eye” by the research team, the device is a marriage of modern technology and nature’s own designs. It consists of a hemispherical artificial retina and an array of sensors that capture and relay a live image. Getting it to interface with a human brain is, well, pretty complicated. ...WW…

Earth, as far as any of us know, is the only planet that has all the right ingredients for life. When astronomers gaze out past our solar system in search of new worlds it’s impossible to know exactly what is happening on its surface. Still, by measuring everything that can be measured from afar, we can get a pretty good idea of just how habitable or hostile any given planet might be. Scientists using data gathered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope have stumbled upon a planet that checks a lot of the boxes we’d consider crucial in the search for extraterrestrial life. It’s called...…Earth, as far as any of us know, is the only planet that has all the right ingredients for life. When astronomers gaze out past our solar system in search of new worlds it’s impossible to know exactly what is happening on its surface. Still, by measuring everything that can be measured from afar, we can get a pretty good idea of just how habitable or hostile any given planet might be. Scientists using data gathered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope have stumbled upon a planet that checks a lot of the boxes we’d consider crucial in the search for extraterrestrial life. It’s called...WW…

Construction workers in Buckingham, England got a disturbing surprise when they began clearing land for new residential development recently. The housing development includes 72 flats for retired individuals, the first step in making those new homes a reality was, of course, to dig. Once work began, the excavation crews quickly realized something was amiss. There on the lot, buried in shallow graves, were the remains of 42 individuals. There was no indication that the area was a burial site of any kind. Adding an extra layer of creepiness to the bizarre discovery is the fact that the...…Construction workers in Buckingham, England got a disturbing surprise when they began clearing land for new residential development recently. The housing development includes 72 flats for retired individuals, the first step in making those new homes a reality was, of course, to dig. Once work began, the excavation crews quickly realized something was amiss. There on the lot, buried in shallow graves, were the remains of 42 individuals. There was no indication that the area was a burial site of any kind. Adding an extra layer of creepiness to the bizarre discovery is the fact that the...WW…

A man in Germany has died and his dog is being blamed for his passing. The dog didn’t bite or attack the man in any way, it simply licked him. The bizarre story is the subject of a new paper in the European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine, and it’s an important warning for pet owners. The man first went to the doctor after experiencing three days of fever and difficulty breathing. His condition continued to deteriorate as medical staff attempted to determine the source of his symptoms. Ultimately his doctors narrowed it down to a simple lick from his only pet, a dog. The man...…A man in Germany has died and his dog is being blamed for his passing. The dog didn’t bite or attack the man in any way, it simply licked him. The bizarre story is the subject of a new paper in the European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine, and it’s an important warning for pet owners. The man first went to the doctor after experiencing three days of fever and difficulty breathing. His condition continued to deteriorate as medical staff attempted to determine the source of his symptoms. Ultimately his doctors narrowed it down to a simple lick from his only pet, a dog. The man...WW…

The astronomy community was buzzing in late 2017 after an object believed to have originated from outside our solar system was spotted speeding around the Sun and back out into interstellar space. Observations of the object sparked a debate among scientists who couldn’t decide whether it was a comet, an asteroid, or something else, but one thing was certain: Oumuamua, as the object was named, was not from our neck of the cosmic woods. Now, in an exciting development that began in amateur astronomy circles, another potential interstellar visitor has been identified, and scientists are...…The astronomy community was buzzing in late 2017 after an object believed to have originated from outside our solar system was spotted speeding around the Sun and back out into interstellar space. Observations of the object sparked a debate among scientists who couldn’t decide whether it was a comet, an asteroid, or something else, but one thing was certain: Oumuamua, as the object was named, was not from our neck of the cosmic woods. Now, in an exciting development that began in amateur astronomy circles, another potential interstellar visitor has been identified, and scientists are...WW…

Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered a devastating meltdown back in 2011, and while news about the disaster has died down significantly since then, the actual cleanup and containment efforts have been ongoing ever since. Now, with contaminated water from the plant continuing to pile up, the company handling its storage says it’s just a few years from running out of space to hold it. The tainted water, which is a mix of water from the reactor, groundwater, and rain that gets mixed in with it all, is being stored in tanks, but space is rapidly running out. As TechXplore reports,...…Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered a devastating meltdown back in 2011, and while news about the disaster has died down significantly since then, the actual cleanup and containment efforts have been ongoing ever since. Now, with contaminated water from the plant continuing to pile up, the company handling its storage says it’s just a few years from running out of space to hold it. The tainted water, which is a mix of water from the reactor, groundwater, and rain that gets mixed in with it all, is being stored in tanks, but space is rapidly running out. As TechXplore reports,...WW…