The axolotl (scientific name: Ambystoma mexicanum), also known as the walking fish, is a species in the class of amphibians that attracts people’s attention with many features – most notably their “smiling faces”. They are close relatives of the tiger salamander. Here are 10 amazing Axolotl facts:
The Kamchatka brown bear (scientific name: Ursus arctos beringianus) is a subspecies of brown bear. They are native to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, hence the name. They are also known as the “Far Eastern brown bear”. Here are 10 amazing Kamchatka brown bear facts.
Sometimes, animals from different species become good friends. Here are 5 interesting interspecies friendships between animals.
NASA has published a disturbing image of the orbits of potentially hazardous asteroids on the APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) website. The image shows the orbits of the asteroids which are more than 140 meters (450 feet) across and will pass within 7.5 million kilometers (4.66 million miles) of Earth. If hits, a space rock that big could wipe out the entire human race from the Earth.
Despite the old adage “nice guys finish last”, cooperation is common in life – from the scale of genes or cells through to entire societies. Although these two ideas seem to contradict each other, Dr. Egbert Giles Leigh Jr. has demonstrated throughout his career at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama that working together has been the key to the success of multicellular life. Here, he explains his view of how competition and cooperation both played essential roles in bringing forth productive, diverse ecosystems.
The whale shark (scientific name: Rhincodon typus) is the largest member of the shark family and also the largest fish in the Earth’s oceans, can reach up to 18+ meters (60+ feet) in length, but this species is harmless to humans. Here are 10 amazing whale shark facts.
The lifespan of trees varies greatly. Almost all trees outlive us, humans, and some of them can reach very old age (thousands of years!) depending on their species. Here is a list of the oldest trees in the world.
Humans can live up to 100+ years – which is pretty remarkable. But, some animals even outlive us. Here are the top 10 longest-living animals in the world.
It is all around us. Every day in our lives we are in contact with it. In fact, we are made from it: ancient stardust.
All the atoms around us have witnessed the most violent explosions in the universe. Their journeys through space are the longest, roughest and loneliest voyages imaginable.
Ever since the planets first formed, they have been bombarded with space rocks. Asteroid and cometary collisions are so powerful that planetary surfaces fracture and melt beneath them, leaving behind huge craters. These impact events have played an important role in our planet’s history, by shaping the geological landscape, producing valuable minerals, and affecting the evolution of life. Dr. Gordon “Oz” Osinski from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, aims to understand this fundamental process on Earth, Mars, and the Moon – with important implications for space exploration, mining, and understanding the origins of life.