Homo Sapiens have always had the ability to walk upright. The key to this biological ability is our foot’s remarkable design. For example, short toes give us the ability to run long distances. Surprisingly, another critical design feature appears to be the transverse tarsal arch — the horizontal curve that runs across the top of
The calendar says this is June 8, 2022, but did you know it is Best Friends Day? It’s also Name Your Poison Day and Upsy Daisy Day. The truth is every day on the calendar has a designation for something to celebrate. June 9 will be Donald Duck Day, Earl Day, and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Three years ago, Jillian Peterson, an associate professor of criminology at Hamline University, and James Densley, a professor of criminal justice at Metro State University, constructed a database of every mass shooter since 1966 who killed four or more people in a public place, and every shooting incident at schools, workplaces and places of worship
I have read that the world’s largest animal is a blue whale, and the largest living organism is a fungus (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/). But what is the largest plant? Whatever it was before, we have a new winner. Scientists have determined a 110-mile-long meadow of seagrass in Shark Bay, Western Australia is actually a single plant. It has
One of my short stories published on the Bewildering Stories website, in Issue 864, turned out so well I just kept writing. Forty-two thousand words later, I have With a Little Help From My Friend: A Mystery Story from Solstice Publishing. You may order from Solstice Publishing at https://solsticeempire.com/products.aspx?categoryid=538 The book is also available from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Little-Help-My-Friend-Mystery/dp/B09FS2VXWQ/ref=sr_1_1?)
Granted that the Star Wars universe is in a galaxy far, far away, just how realistic are the technological advances from that world? According to the article “May the 4th be with you: 7 Wild ‘Star Wars’ Technologies Scientists Are Building Right Now” by Brandon Specktor, they may be more realistic than you think. The
People of my generation probably remember the animated TV show “The Jetsons,” a whimsical look at the future that initially ran in prime time from September 23, 1962 to March 17, 1963 on ABC, then later aired in syndicated reruns, with new episodes produced from 1985 to 1987. Among the show’s many futuristic elements were flying
“Don’t trust the maps” was good advice for much of human history. The book The Un-Discovered Islands: An Archipelago of Myths and Mysteries, Phantoms and Fakes by Malachy Tallack, illustrated by Katie Scott, makes this point vividly by revealing the stories behind lands that weren’t really there. For example, the 1783 Treaty of Paris that
Zombies aren’t the only ones looking for brains. Used brains of all kinds are needed for medical research to advance the discovery of better treatments and cures for brain diseases, disorders, and injuries. If this interests you, check out the Brain Donor Project at https://braindonorproject.org/. This topic is especially timely because there is a campaign
The African country of Niger had a serious environmental problem. Decades of drought, clearing of land, and the need for firewood had decimated the native trees. The farming needed to feed the world’s fastest-growing population in one of the world’s poorest countries was preventing new trees from growing. The government had recognized the problem, but