ScienceAlert


It's been nearly a century since scientists discovered single-celled organisms capable of spewing methane into the environment.
While these microscopic cousins to bacteria occupy a variety of extreme habitats – under kilometers of ice, among the hot sands of deserts, near hydrothermal vents in the deep sea, and within landfills and wastewater – they have all belonged to the same superphylum within the Archaea kingdom, called Euryarchaeota.



					
			

It turns out, they are not alone.
Around ten years ago, scientists working around oil fields and hot springs uncovered DNA from undescribed microorganisms, which suggested they might produce methane gas. Unlike every other 'methanogen' known...

Whole New Group of Methane-Burping Microbes Discovered in Yellowstone Springs


Simulations of  Mercury's childhood suggest the runt of the Solar System may have inherited a fortune in the form of a 15-kilometer (9-mile) thick layer of solid diamond.
Sandwiched between the core and the mantle hundreds of miles beneath the surface of a world that orbits within a whisker of our blazing hot Sun, the hypothetical bonanza is decidedly safe from any future spacefaring heists.



					
			

But the findings could have implications for the development of rocky planets like Mercury, and possibly explain a thing or two about the tiny planet's mysteriously persistent magnetic field.
A team of scientists from research institutes in...

A Fortune of Hidden Diamonds Could Be Concealed Inside Mercury


Like a mosquito tunneling into the skin to get at the rich feast within, geologists poked a long, narrow drill into Earth's crust last year, pulling out a treasury of geological goodness.



					
			

The result is a long cylinder of rock, known as a core sample, measuring a record-shattering 1,268 meters (4,160 feet) in length. Made up of igneous rock that has been chemically altered by seawater in a process known as serpentinization, the cylinder has now been analyzed and its secrets revealed.
This thread of Earth-skin, extracted from the ocean depths, is a repository of information that can be used to plumb...

Geologists' Record-Breaking Drill Into Earth's Crust Reveals Mantle Secrets


Rampant solar shenanigans are about to slam Earth and make some real purty lights in the sky.
In recent days our Sun has erupted repeatedly, unleashing several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares in Earth's direction. It's unclear when exactly the blasts of CME material will arrive at Earth, but the next few nights are forecast to come alive with dancing auroras.



					
			

The reason? There's a cluster of sunspot regions speckling the solar equator, currently rotating right past Earth as it belches out fire and fury.
At time of writing, the past 24 hours had seen six M-class flares and one X-class...

Cannibal CME Is About to Deliver Spectacular Auroras to Earth's Atmosphere

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

writer

Emily Standley Allard

Marriage is a significant life decision that requires extreme commitment, understanding, devotion and a heck of a lot of compromise. While many people dream of a lifelong partnership, others find the concept of marriage challenging. Astrology offers insights into personality traits and behaviors, suggesting that certain zodiac signs might face more difficulties in maintaining a traditional marital relationship. This article explores the five zodiac signs that are often considered less suited for marriage due to their unique characteristics and tendencies when it comes to lifelong commitment.

The 5 Zodiac Signs Not Meant for Matrimony

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

community_voice

Total Apex Sports & Entertainment

In the charmingly delightful world of astrology, you should know that each of the zodiac signs carries a specific set of traits. Those characteristics influence how individuals navigate the challenges they may meet in life. Some signs are known for their over-the-top boldness. These are the people who usually have such a strong willingness to face conflicts head-on.

3 Zodiac Signs That Hate Confrontation


Studies that suggest alcohol can be good for you in moderation – and even extend your life – may be based on flawed research methods, according to a team of scientists bent on setting this ubiquitous misconception straight.



					
			

This paper is the most recent installment in what is becoming something of a saga between the University of Victoria-led team and the International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research (ISFAR).
Psychologist Tim Stockwell and epidemiologist Jinhui Zhao, both from the University of Victoria in Canada, led the most recent study to verify whether the claim – and the research supporting it – holds up...

Moderate Drinking Is Not Good For You After All, Study Finds

New Hampshire State

In late July, a young fisherman by the name of Joseph Kramer was hauling up his lobster traps off the coast of New Hampshire when he found himself looking at a crustacean positively too beautiful to eat.



					
			

The lobster's shell was a swirling mass of blue, purple, and pink pigments, which looked like glazed, opalescent pottery when wet.

Kramer had once reeled in a bright blue lobster, but he had never before seen one with such a multitude of colors.
The lucky lobster avoided the dinner plate and was taken straight to the Seacoast Science Center, where it is now on display.
There, the...

Gorgeous 'Cotton Candy' Lobster Just Found Is So Rare It's 1-in-100 Million

Herbie J Pilato

Hollywood child stardom has taken its toll on many actors through the decades. Lani O'Grady, for one, found fame in the 1970s on the TV family series, Eight is Enough. O'Grady followed in the footsteps of her brother, actor Don Grady, an original Mouseketeer and member of another popular TV family show: My Three Sons. Their mother, Mary B. Grady, was a talent agent who represented several child actors. But Lani, who would also eventually become an agent, died in 2001 just one week before what would have been her 47th birthday.

TV's 'Eight is Enough' Star Lani O'Grady Found Fame Early in Life but Died a Tragic Death

Chicago, IL

Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?


If you select a random person out of a crowd, odds are they won't be the tallest human that ever lived. So why should we expect the same for  dinosaurs?
Of all the Tyrannosaurus rex fossils we've found, it's statistically unlikely that any of them are the largest of their species to have lived. It's even difficult to gauge where they sit on the T. rex height chart.



					
			

A new study estimates that, statistically, the largest T. rex could have been 70 percent more massive than the largest specimen we have on record. That's a whopping weight of around 15,000 kg...

The Largest T. Rex Was Probably Much Bigger Than We Ever Realized

Microscopic worms that live their lives in the highly radioactive environment of the  Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) appear to do so completely free of radiation damage.
Nematodes collected from the area have shown no sign of damage to their genomes, contrary to what might be expected for organisms living in such a dangerous place. The finding, published earlier this year, doesn't suggest the CEZ is safe, the researchers say, but rather the worms are resilient and able to adroitly adapt to conditions that might be inhospitable to other species.



					
			

This, says a team of biologists led by Sophia Tintori of New...

Worms in Chernobyl Zone Appear Mysteriously Unscathed by Radiation


Tiny fragments of microplastics are making their way deep inside our bodies in concerning quantities, significantly through our food and drink.
Scientists have recently found a simple and effective means of removing them from water.



					
			

A team from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University in China ran tests on both soft water and hard tap water (which is richer in minerals), adding in nanoplastics and microplastics (NMPs) before boiling the liquid and then filtering out any precipitates.
In some cases, up to 90 percent of the NMPs were removed by the boiling and filtering process, though the effectiveness varied based on the type...

There's a Surprisingly Easy Way to Remove Microplastics From Your Drinking Water


The warning signs are all there: record-breaking heat, failing health, vanishing ice sheets, and more unpredictable weather.
And yet we're still pumping increasing amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, threatening our very survival.



					
			

A new study by an international team of experts highlights how global methane emissions have been rising rapidly since 2006, particularly since 2020, a trend that's expected to continue unless we do something very drastic very soon.
The study authors have then outlined some strategies countries can use to take action, and developed an online tool to help with this.
This continual climb in methane emissions is largely due to...

New Study Reveals Global Methane Emissions Rising Rapidly, And How We Can Take Action


Llamas – those bored-looking, slow-munching camelids from South America – are prized for their wool and leather. Yet beneath their fur and skin, these domesticated pack animals also hide another powerful tool that humans are trying to make use of.



					
			

When llamas (Llama glama) are exposed to certain deadly human viruses, scientists have found their bodies create powerful immune proteins unlike any produced in our own species.
Using this knowledge, researchers working at the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) have now engineered a human-llama hybrid antibody that can subdue one of the craftiest contagions known to humankind: HIV.
The human immunodeficiency...

A Hidden Defense Inside Llamas Could Be The Secret to Fighting HIV


As health authorities have suspected for some time now, bird  flu is consistently being spread between mammals, increasing the risk of sustained outbreaks emerging among humans in the future.



					
			

"This is one of the first times that we are seeing evidence of efficient and sustained mammalian-to-mammalian transmission," says Cornell University virologist Diego Diel.
The highly virulent B3.13 form of the H5N1  virus has already led to the culling of 90 million domestic birds in the US alone since 2022. The CDC says the risk to the general public from the H5N1 strain is currently low, with the 11 infected so...

Scientists Confirm Bird Flu Is Now Spreading Between Mammals

Florida State

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

contributor

Uncovering Florida

Most people are guilty of doing it at least once in their lives, many people do it by accident, some do it because they find it fun, and others do it for reasons like honoring loved ones. Regardless of the situation, just about everyone has released a balloon. The difference is that intentionally releasing balloons is now illegal by House Bill 321’s standards.

Law Signed By DeSantis Makes It Illegal To Release Balloons In Florida

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Dogs can smell human stress, and a new study reveals the scent may trigger a similar emotional effect in dogs, prompting them to make 'pessimistic' decisions. This is the first scientific evidence of human stress odors influencing emotion and learning in dogs, the UK team of researchers say, and may shed valuable new light on the ancient bond between our species.

Dogs Can Smell Our Stress, And It Affects Them Deeply

An extremely rare discovery has just been made in the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Tel el-Deir in Damietta. There, excavations have revealed dozens of burials that have been untouched for millennia; mudbrick chambers that still contained the precious treasures with which the dead had been interred more than 2,500 years ago.

Gold Treasure Trove Found in Untouched Graves of Ancient Egyptian Necropolis

NewsBreak

Andes Glaciers Are The First to Shatter a Depressing Record


Roughly one out of every four people on Earth depends on freshwater supplied by the glacial regions that cover 10 percent of our planet's surface.
It's also...

Andes Glaciers Are The First to Shatter a Depressing Record

Comments / 0