Month: November 2014

Researchers with the Monterey Ray Bay Aquarium Research Institute acquired footage of the rare Melanocetus fish, more affectionately known as “the Black Seadevil”. These creepy critters are rarely seen in their natural deep-sea habitat. Scientists who captured the wonderful new footage of the Black Seadevil told reporters that the first thing they thought when the spotted the unusual species was “Aaaaagggghhhhh!!!!” As you can see, the Black Seadevil is very, ah, different looking. The shining spot at the end of the “fishing pole” that protrudes from the fish’s head is a glowing lure. The anglerfish uses the light to attract prey in its deep, dark habitat. The pictures of the Black Seadevil were taken from a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at a depth of 1,900 feet. This

While the Philae probe naps on the surface of Comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko, scientists found that the comet is singing a lullaby to the sleepy little probe – albeit not quite the sweet soothing melody your mother sings. Rosetta, the orbiter flying around Comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko while Philae sleeps, measured the magnetic field around the comet and found that oscillations in the magnetic field are being emitted at around 40-50 millihertz, too low for humans to hear with their ears (human hearing ranges between 20 Hz and 20 kHz). But a German composer, curious about what the comet was singing to us, increased the frequency of the oscillations about 100 times to produce sound waves in the range that humans can hear. Scientists are not yet sure how

The Daboia, or Russell’s Snake Viper, is found in Asia throughout the Indian subcontinent, much of Southeast Asia, southern China and Taiwan. Not only is it very aggressive, but it is very poisonous. For the lucky few that survive, they may face a lifetime of chronic internal injuries as a result of the venomous bite. Why does the bite of the Russell’s Snake Viper do so much damage to the human body? Because it causes the blood of the victim to coagulate. Do what? Check out the creepy video below which shows what happens to blood when a single drop of snake venom is mixed with it. Here’s what happens when snake venom is mixed with blood Sources: BBC, Wikipedia

Scientists using the W. M. Keck II Telescope in August captured some pretty amazing pictures of eight massive bright spots on Uranus. Appearing to be massive firestorms, the bright spots are actually the wavelength of storms in the Uranus atmosphere. Scientists believe the flashes of light are caused by methane gas rising into the atmosphere, freezing into crystals, and then reflecting sunlight away from the planet. The strength of the storms are highly unusual – the intensity of which are normally only seen once every four decades during Uranus’s 42-year equinox (which peaked last in 2007). [Editor note: Reeko wants us to mention the cause of the storms but said that under no circumstances were we allowed to insert jokes about scientists sending probes to Uranus.] Sources: Discover

The European Space Agency’s Philae comet probe became the first spacecraft to land on a comet on November 12, 2014.  At over 317 million miles away from earth, Philae’s radio signal takes nearly 30 minutes to reach earth.  Here are the most amazing Philae comet pictures to date.  Click on the picture for a full-size view and details about the pic.

Today the European Space Agency’s Philae comet probe became the first spacecraft to land on a comet! Philae has been hitching a ride on Rosetta spacecraft as it travelled over 317 million miles on its 10-year journey to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (sorry kids, nerdy scientists name these things, not me). Scientists believe Philae landed successfully (bounced actually) but failed to launch the harpoons that were intended to anchor it to Comet 67P/C-G. As such, it may be a rough ride for Philae but we have full confidence that the little guy can ride it out and give us a ton of great pictures and scientific data. ESA scientists say Rosetta initially hit the surface of the comet about 100 meters from the planned landing site, then bounced

Although taken individually, the events are not all that uncommon but when they’re all captured in the same photograph, it’s mind-boggling. This photograph taken by Maciej Winiarczyk is believed to be the first time someone has photographed the Milky Way, Northern Lights, and an erupting volcano – all in the same jaw-dropping picture! Maciej Winiarczyk, from Caithness, Scotland, was at Jokulsarlon Lagoon in Iceland when he took the amazing picture of the Bardarbunga volcano erupting on October 21, 2014 (the Bardarbunga volcano is Iceland’s largest in over 200 years and it's still going today). At the same time, the angle of the photograph allowed him to squeeze the Milky Way into the picture. The addition of the glorious lights of the Aurora Borealis, which were exposed

After being hunted to near extinction by poachers (who want only their horns), white rhinos now have (for the most part), Man on their side. Above is a Northern White Rhino on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya being guarded by an armed four-man team. The team have developed an extraordinary relationship with the rhinos, leaning on them, scratching them, and displaying tremendous affection towards the endangered animals. The rhinos seem to sense the love and walk willingly with the men throughout the day.

Before we begin, let’s get this out of the way: AyeeeeEEEEEEeeeeeee!!! Back in 2009, the Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant put in a call of the most unusual nature when they reported a giant spider web that covered almost 4 acres of their huge indoor water treatment facility. Scientists estimated the giant spider web contained well over 107 million spiders!  See the 4-acre spider web in the picture above. The culprits were orb-weaver spiders that in some cases, filled over 95% of the various sections of the plant. The spider webbing was so heavy, it pulled light fixtures from the ceiling. There are over 10,000 species of orb weaver spiders. In all, they make up about 25% of the planet’s spider population.

In this science experiment we will mix molecules to make a glitter globe (i.e. a "snow globe"). We will combine rubbing alcohol, vegetable oil, and a few other tiny, shiny things to make a cool science toy. How to make a glitter globe Fill a clear plastic or glass bottle 1/4 full of rubbing alcohol. Add one drop of food coloring if you want to give the liquid mix some color (and make it easier to differentiate the alcohol layer from the layer of oil that we will add next).Note: if you want to use your snow globe for decorative purposes, skip the food coloring altogether. Fill the remainder of the bottle with baby or vegetable oil (the oil will sit on top of the alcohol).  Leave a