The history of clocks is one of tyranny and revolution
On a March evening in 1898, gunfire exploded through Mumbai’s Crawford Market. That night, angry city residents raised their rifles at an unusual target: the public clock tower atop the…
Rocket Report: Chinese launch firm raises big money; Falcon 9 back to the Bahamas
Welcome to Edition 8.30 of the Rocket Report! As I write this week’s edition, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is undergoing a second countdown rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.…
From chickens to humans, animals think “bouba” sounds round
Does “bouba” sound round to you? How about “maluma”? Neither are real words, but we’ve known for decades that people who hear them tend to associate them with round objects.…
Rare gifted word-learner dogs like to share their toys
We love hearing about the latest findings coming out of an Eötvös Loránd University (ELU) research group focused on gifted word learner (GWL) dogs—if only for the pictures of adorable…
Northern Glow Spans Iceland and Canada
Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Northern Glow Spans Iceland… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human…
Groovy! Dive into the world’s largest online slang dictionary
Language can’t stay still for long. It’s constantly evolving alongside the cultures that use them—and slang frequently showcases this complex relationship at its most creative, playful, and strange. While some…
No, Hungary did not construct heated tunnels for its stray dogs
It’s increasingly difficult to keep track of all the generative AI slop currently fooling unsuspecting internetgoers on any given day. Earlier this month, a (fake) image went viral after enough…
Microsoft’s new 10,000-year data storage medium: glass
Archival storage poses lots of challenges. We want media that is extremely dense and stable for centuries or more, and, ideally, doesn’t consume any energy when not being accessed. Lots…
X-rays reveal kingfisher feather structure in unprecedented detail
In Qing dynasty China, artisans augmented decorative pieces by incorporating iridescent kingfisher feathers—a technique known as tian-tsui. Scientists at Northwestern University’s Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts have used…
The tiny tuxedo cat who became a naval hero
One day in March of 1948, George Hickinbottom, a British sailor, was walking around the docks of Stonecutters Island in Hong Kong. When the 17-year-old spotted a small black-and-white tuxedo…