Category: Life on Earth

Categories
Life on Earth Animals Geology Planet Earth Prehistoric

If Earth’s lifetime was the distance from LA to New York City

Earth life time from LA to NYC
To put Earth's age into a perspective, Alex Kuzoian of Business insider prepared a beautiful video: you can watch Earth's life span as the distance from Los Angeles to New York City. Along the trip we see the formation of our Moon, the beginning of the life, the evolving of the multi-cellular organisms, and the rise and fall of the dinosaurs. Probably the most interesting part is that modern humans only evolved 175 meters (570 feet) from the finishing line of this journey.

Our old planet, the Earth is 4.54 billion years old. In fact, the human mind can no longer make any sense of large numbers like that. Numbers like 1, 2, 14, 20, 50 are all quantities that we encounter quite frequently in our daily lives. And our brain evolved to conceptualize numbers like that: our ancestors saw two lions; they hunted five deer in one hunting party, the population of their tribe was 20, etc…

But when the numbers are getting big, i.e. 1,000; 10,000… the problem begins: these numbers become increasingly difficult to conceptualize. Now, what happens when we try to conceptualize quantities like billions, like the Earth’s age? We can’t actually rationalize the immensity of such a big number. Because we haven’t a model of 4.54 billion that’s been compressed into something recognizable to the human mind.

Continue reading “If Earth’s lifetime was the distance from LA to New York City”
Categories
Animals Life on Earth

Hybrid Big Cats [Ligers, Tigons, and more, with photos and videos!]

Small liger cub playing with his mother
Small liger cub playing with his mother

Four of the five species of the big cats (the Panthera genus – lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, and snow leopard), the exception being the snow leopard can hybridize with each other to produce numerous hybrids. In fact, most of these animals’ habitats do not overlap, for example, lions live in Africa and tigers in Asia. However, hybrid big cats can be born by accident in captivity.

Continue reading “Hybrid Big Cats [Ligers, Tigons, and more, with photos and videos!]”
Categories
Astrobiology Astronomy Life on Earth Physics

New Study Suggests 92% of Earth-Like Planets Have Yet to Be Born

92% of potentially habitable (earth-like) planets in the universe are yet to be born.
According to a recent study that used data from the Hubble and Kepler space telescopes, 92% of potentially habitable planets in the universe are yet to be born. Image source: NASA

A recent study led by Peter Behroozi of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland suggests that the vast majority of Earth-like planets in the universe have yet to be born. Using computer simulations to model planet formation around stars in the Milky Way galaxy, Behroozi and his team found that only 8% of potentially habitable planets have already formed. This means that the remaining 92% are yet to be born. The study’s findings have significant implications for our understanding of the prevalence of life in the universe and the prospects for finding it beyond our solar system.

Continue reading “New Study Suggests 92% of Earth-Like Planets Have Yet to Be Born”
Categories
Environment Animals Geography Geology Life on Earth Physics

Your Life On Earth [presented by BBC]

How the world has changed
A nice interactive webpage by the BBC - The British Broadcasting Corporation: how you and the world have changed since you were born? You're simply entering your birth date, gender and height; selecting units (metric or imperial/US) and then watching how our planet (and you) has changed in your lifetime.

“Your life on Earth” is a nice interactive webpage presented by the BBC – The British Broadcasting Corporation: how you and the world have changed since you were born? You’re simply entering your birth date, gender, and height; selecting units (metric or imperial/US), and then watching how our planet (and you) has changed in your lifetime.

Continue reading “Your Life On Earth [presented by BBC]”
Categories
Animals Life on Earth Oceans

Scientists Spot Dolphins Surfing on Whales’ Heads

A dolphin rides on the head of a humpback whale
Whales give Dolphins a lift: many species interact in the wild, most often as predator and prey. But recent encounters between humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins reveal a playful side to interspecies interaction. In two different locations in Hawaii, scientists watched as dolphins rode the heads of whales: the whales lifted the dolphins up and out of the water, and then the dolphins slid back down. The two species seemed to cooperate in the activity, and neither displayed signs of aggression or distress. Whales and dolphins in Hawaiian waters often interact, but playful social activity such as this is extremely rare between species.

In two different locations on the coast of Hawaii, scientists have observed unusual interactions between bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales as dolphins rode the heads of whales. Rather than just swimming alongside the whales, the dolphins take things a step further and leap onto their heads, using them as a kind of surfboard. The whales lifted the dolphins up and out of the water, and then the dolphins slid back down.

Continue reading “Scientists Spot Dolphins Surfing on Whales’ Heads”
Categories
Life on Earth Animals

Here’s Why Chimpanzees are Stronger than Humans

A female chimpanzee holding a stick
Chimpanzees are one of the closest living relatives of humans, sharing approximately 98% of our DNA. Image source: "A female chimpanzee holding a stick" on Deposit Photos

Chimpanzees are our closest cousins, they share 98 percent of their genes with us. Despite this genetic similarity, chimpanzees possess physical attributes that far exceed the capabilities of the average human. Notably, chimpanzees are significantly stronger than humans, possessing a muscle mass that allows them to lift and carry objects that would be impossible for us. The reasons for this superior strength are multifaceted and have been the subject of much research and debate. In this article, we will explore the various factors that contribute to the physical prowess of chimpanzees and compare them to the abilities of humans.

Continue reading “Here’s Why Chimpanzees are Stronger than Humans”
Categories
Animals Life on Earth

Watch a Killer Whale using bait fish to hunt a bird [video]

A female killer whale named Kalia who lives at SeaWorld San Diego uses a baitfish to hunt a bird!
A female killer whale named Kalia who lives at SeaWorld San Diego uses a baitfish to hunt a bird!

The orcas are amazing! They are known for their high intelligence, curiosity, playfulness, and ability to solve problems. But this female killer whale named Kalia who lives at SeaWorld San Diego takes it one step further: she uses a baitfish to hunt a bird!

Continue reading “Watch a Killer Whale using bait fish to hunt a bird “
Categories
Earth from Space Geology Life on Earth Places Planet Earth

Changing Earth: How Satellites Give us a Unique Perspective on our Evolving Planet

Changing Earth: The decline of Aral Sea between 2000 and 2014.
The decline of Aral Sea between 2000 and 2014.

The ever-changing Earth: our planet is constantly changing over the years. Some changes are part of nature, and some of them are on humanity’s shoulders. Some scientists even suggest that the Earth has entered a new geological epoch defined by human impact, called the “Anthropocene“. Over the years astronauts have taken photos of the Earth from space and documented these changes. NASA’s World of Change series shows how our planet’s land, oceans, atmosphere, and Sun are changing over time.

Continue reading “Changing Earth: How Satellites Give us a Unique Perspective on our Evolving Planet”
Categories
Insects Life on Earth

Here’s how Japanese Honey Bees defend themself against the Japanese Giant Hornet [Amazing Videos]

Japanese honeybee-thermal defence against Japanese giant hornet
The Japanese honeybee (Apis cerana japonica) has a defense against the Japanese Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica) attacks. When a hornet approaches the hive to release pheromones, the bee workers will retreat back to the hive, leaving an opening to allow the hornet scout to enter. At a given point, the bees emerge from their hiding places in an angry cloud formation containing some 500 individuals. They form a tight ball around the hornet that acts like a convection oven when the bees vibrate their wings to direct air over their bodies, warmed by their muscular exertion, into the inside of the ball. The interior temperature of the ball rises to 47 °C (117 °F). The hornet can survive maximum temperatures of 44–46 °C (111–115 °F), but the bees can survive up to 48–50 °C (118–122 °F), so the hornet is killed and the bees survive. It was found that the hornet can survive temperatures of up to 47°C, and temperature alone is not sufficient in killing the hornet via bee ball. The combined carbon dioxide concentrations increasing inside the bee ball coupled with the temperature increase causes the hornet to expire. The ability to withstand heat for the hornet decreases as carbon dioxide concentrations increase.

In the insects world, the Japanese Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica) is a real beast. It is one of the subspecies of the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia), which is the world’s largest hornet. As its name suggests, it is endemic to the Japanese islands, where it prefers rural areas where it can find trees to nest in.

Using its scissor-like teeth that can wreak havoc on its prey, a single Japanese giant hornet can kill up to 40 European honeybees a minute. So, a few of them can decimate an entire colony containing 30,000 European honey bees. Compared to honeybees, it is really a giant: adults can be more than 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) long, with a wingspan greater than 6 centimeters (2.4 inches).

But, the Japanese honey bees have developed an amazing defense against these giants during their evolutionary process.

Continue reading “Here’s how Japanese Honey Bees defend themself against the Japanese Giant Hornet [Amazing Videos]”
Categories
Animals Life on Earth

The Incredible Story of Chito and Pocho: “The Man Who Swims with a Crocodile”