The megalodon shark and its direct ancestors may have been ‘hyper apex predators’ Whenever paleontologist Dana Ehret gives talks about the 15-meter-long prehistoric sharks known as megalodons, he likes to make a joke: “What did megalodon eat?” asks Ehret, Assistant Curator of Natural History at the New Jersey State MuseumContinue Reading
The International Energy Agency projects that spending on renewables in 2022 will exceed the record $440 billion invested last year Global clean energy spending is expected to surge 12 percent in 2022, reaching $1.4 trillion as the world pours money into renewables, electric vehicles and energy efficiency, according to aContinue Reading
The asteroid will zoom safely past Earth at 47,200 mph. An enormous asteroid four times the size of the Empire State Building will make a close approach to Earth on May 27, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). Fear not: the asteroid, named 7335 (1989 JA),Continue Reading
Monitoring speed-of-light changes in Earth’s gravitational field could speed up hazard warnings Massive earthquakes don’t just move the ground — they make speed-of-light adjustments to Earth’s gravitational field. Now, researchers have trained computers to identify these tiny gravitational signals, demonstrating how the signals can be used to mark the locationContinue Reading
Plant-based milks still need work to boost calcium and vitamin D If you’ve got milk, you’ve got options. You can lighten your coffee or soak a cookie, ferment a cheese or bestow yourself a mustache. You can float some cereal or mix a shake. Replacing such a versatile substance isContinue Reading
This gas was formed in the aftermath of the Big Bang. An extremely rare type of helium that was created soon after the Big Bang is leaking out of Earth’s metallic core, a new modeling study suggests. The vast majority of this gas in the universe, called helium-3, isContinue Reading
Synthetic biology could help displace petroleum as a chemical feedstock Chemicals cost more than just money: Today, petrochemical production spews out nearly 2% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Now, researchers have taken an important step to vastly reduce that footprint, by using bacteria and waste gases from steel plants,Continue Reading
How far could you go without crossing any major bodies of water? Starting from any point on Earth, how far could someone walk without crossing any major bodies of water? You may start by wondering how long it would take you to cross the contiguous United States — a featContinue Reading
Laboratory experiments suggest that these worlds have especially gooey interiors Humble oxygen is more than just a building block of life. The element could also help scientists sneak a peek into the innards of planets orbiting faraway stars, a new study suggests. Laboratory experiments show that rocks exposed to higherContinue Reading
Simulations suggest how a mysterious outburst of light has endured for 85 years A newborn star whizzing past another stellar youngster triggered a cosmic flare-up that began nearly a century ago and is still going strong today, researchers say. In late 1936, a dim star in the constellation Orion startedContinue Reading