Our Planet

6 Reasons Why Life is Based on Carbon Instead of Silicon

Every living thing on Earth, from giant trees and whales to tiny bacteria, has one surprising thing in common: they all rely on carbon. It’s a bit of a mystery when you think about it. Carbon isn’t the most common element around; that title goes to oxygen. It’s not the most stable, like helium, and it’s far less abundant than other elements, like nitrogen which fills most of our atmosphere. But still, carbon is everywhere in us, making up a fifth of our bodies. So, why did life choose carbon, especially when there were other elements in greater supply? Let’s dive into the story behind why nature might have picked carbon as its building block of choice.

Why are whales unlikely to get cancer? [Peto’s Paradox explained]

Peto’s Paradox is a captivating conundrum in the realm of evolutionary biology and cancer research, prompting scientists to ponder a perplexing question: Why don’t large-bodied or long-lived animals, like whales and elephants, with their multitude of cells and extended lifetimes, exhibit a proportionally higher incidence of cancer compared to smaller species?

Named after the epidemiologist Richard Peto (see source 2 at the bottom of this post), this paradox challenges conventional understanding, suggesting that creatures like whales or elephants, despite having many more cells that could potentially turn cancerous over longer lifespans, don’t necessarily suffer from cancer more frequently than humans do. Unraveling the mystery behind this phenomenon could offer profound insights into cancer resistance and inform future therapeutic strategies.

5 Reasons Why We Should Search for Exomoons

In his video titled “Why Exomoons Are So Important,” astrophysicist David Kipping passionately elucidates five compelling reasons behind the significance of exploring exomoons. With a career-long dedication to the subject, Kipping artfully dissects the role of exomoons in shaping our understanding of the cosmos. Delving into themes like habitability, the Rare Earth hypothesis, moon formation, and the quest for biosignatures, he underscores their profound impact on our perception of exoplanets and their potential to harbor life. Through lucid explanations and vivid analogies, Kipping invites us to recognize exomoons as more than mere satellite companions; they represent a new frontier of astronomical exploration that could revolutionize our comprehension of the universe.

Conspiracy Theories in the Digital Age

“Easy to make everything a conspiracy theory when you don’t know how anything works.” [Brandon Bradford]

In today’s digital age, information is abundant, yet so is misinformation. One of the emerging challenges for the modern era is the widespread belief in conspiracy theories. The quote above provides a succinct analysis of why they emerge: a lack of understanding. But there’s more to the story. Here’s a closer look.

India’s Chandrayaan-3 Achieves Moon Landing Success

India’s recent Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touched down on the moon on August 23, 2023, marking a triumphant moment following the 2019 failure of its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2.

Moon landings: all-time list [from 1966 to 2023]

In the history of Space Exploration, numerous space missions have been undertaken to study Moon, the Earth’s natural satellite. Here’s the list of successful moon landings (crewed and uncrewed) with dates and mission summaries.

How Machine Learning Enables Personalized Experiences in AI Assistants and Chatbots

Ever been amazed when Siri plays your favorite tune or when an online chatbot seems to guess just what you’re after? A few years back, this might’ve felt like magic. Now, it’s as normal as checking our smartphones. We all want that personal touch, and thanks to machine learning, our tech gets to know our quirks and preferences. So, let’s dive into how the integration of machine learning (ML) into our everyday life is reshaping and personalizing our experiences in the modern age and reshaping tomorrow.

What is Galileo Gambit? [Explained]

Portrait of Galileo Galilei in cartoon style illustration

The “Galileo Gambit” (also known as the “Galileo Fallacy”) refers to a rhetorical strategy or logical fallacy where someone claims that if their ideas or theories are ridiculed or rejected by the mainstream, then they must be correct, or at least worthy of serious consideration because Galileo Galilei faced similar criticism and was later vindicated.

Biggest crocodile ever recorded: Story of Lolong

Lolong was the largest crocodile ever measured: from snout to tail, this fascinating beast was 6.17 meters (20 feet 3 inches) in length.

The biggest crocodile ever held in captivity, also the largest crocodile ever properly measured, Lolong, a saltwater crocodile, stretched an astonishing 6.17 meters (20 feet 3 inches) and weighed a colossal 1,075 kg (2,370 lb). In 2011, his immense size caught the attention of Australian crocodile specialist, Adam Britton from National Geographic. Upon careful measurement, Britton confirmed Lolong’s title as the world’s largest captive crocodile. Tragically, on February 10, 2013, this magnificent creature succumbed to pneumonia and cardiac arrest. Here is the story of Lolong.

There’s an emotional support alligator and it helps a man with deep depression!

When one imagines an emotional support animal, images of furry dogs or purring cats might be the first to come to mind. But for Joseph Henney of Dover, Pennsylvania, it’s a 5.5 feet long (1.7 meters) alligator named Wally who helps him navigate the waves of life’s emotional tides. The huge reptile is actually the emotional support alligator of Henney!