Category: Planet Earth

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Animals Life on Earth

20 Amazing Elephant Facts

African Elephant herd
An elephant herd, led by a Magnificent 'Tusker' bull at a waterhole in the Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa. Source: Deposit Photos

Elephants! Even though these largest existing land animals are loved, revered, and respected by people and cultures worldwide, they are actually close to the edge of extinction. The escalation of poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, and mistreatment in captivity are just some of the threats to both African and Asian elephants. So, we urgently need to take action to protect these amazing (and cute!) animals. Here are 20 amazing elephant facts.

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Life on Earth Animals Technology

This “Salmon Cannon” helps native fish pass over dams

Whooshh Innovations salmon cannon
The Whooshh Fish Transport System, also known as the "salmon cannon," moves fish through a flexible, pressurized tube, safely transforming them from one area to another. This solves a major problem for migratory fish like salmon. The system gives fish a boost over dams so they can swim upstream to spawn.

Hydroelectric dams act as obstacles for wildlife, especially migrating salmon. The Whooshh Fish Transport System, also known as the “salmon cannon,” gives fish a much-needed boost over dams so they can swim upstream to spawn.

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Solar System Astronomy Climate Life on Earth Physics Planet Earth

How Earth Could Die [12 Horrible Ways!]

Collision between two planetary bodies
Artist's depiction of a catastrophic collision between two celestial bodies: an object about the size of our moon slamming into a body the size of Mercury. Such an impact between the proto-Earth and a hypothesized ancient planetary-mass object Theia likely formed the Moon. Photo source: NASA

Now we’re living on a warm, hospitable planet. As Carl Sagan has said “That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.” We, humans, are the unquestionable rulers of our little oasis in a hostile universe. But all things must pass. Life on Earth, even the planet itself, won’t last forever. What’s more, humans may go extinct before our planet (and probably before the life on it) dies out. Here are some possible (and horrible) ways how planet Earth (or, at least, life on Earth) could die.

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Geology

What kills you when a volcano erupts? [It’s not what you think]

Pyroclastic activity at Mount Sinabung, on 24 June 2016 in Karo, Indonesia.
Pyroclastic activity at Mount Sinabung, on 24 June 2016 in Karo, Indonesia. Photo by Getty Images A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that moves away from a volcano about 100 km/h (62 mph) on average but is capable of reaching speeds up to 700 km/h (430 mph). The gases can reach temperatures of about 1,000 °C (1,830 °F). Pyroclastic flows are a common and devastating result of certain explosive eruptions; they normally touch the ground and hurtle downhill, or spread laterally under gravity. Their speed depends upon the density of the current, the volcanic output rate, and the gradient of the slope. Source: Pyroclastic flow on Wikipedia

The blockbuster movie Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) involves more than just dinosaurs wreaking havoc. Humans are sent in to rescue some prehistoric critters on the volcanic island of Isla Nublar, and chaos soon begins. The volcano erupts, and everyone runs away as a roiling cloud called a pyroclastic flow approaches. At one point the main character disappears into the cloud. Luckily, some dinosaurs and humans in a strange glass ball fall over a cliff into the sea, and our hero splashes in not long after.

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Geology

The exact moment of Stromboli Eruption filmed in a sailboat

Stromboli volcano eruption from a sailboat - July 3, 2019
The last eruption of Mount Stromboli took place on 3 July 2019. The exact moment of the event has been filmed in a sailboat. There were two major explosive events occurred on July 3 at around 4:46 PM local time, alongside 20 additional minor explosive events identified by Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

Mount Stromboli, one of the three active volcanoes in Italy (others being Mount Etna on Sicily – continuous activity, and Mount Vesuvius, near Naples – last erupted in 1944), has been in almost continuous eruption for the past 2,000 years. The last eruption took place on 3 July 2019. The exact moment of the event has been filmed in a sailboat.

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Life on Earth Animals People

Wildlife crossings make animals and people safer

Wildlife crossings save animals
A green wildlife bridge over an "autobahn" in Germany. As of 2015, the country had more than 35 wildlife crossings over major roads. Wildlife crossings are structures that allow animals to cross human-made barriers like roads, railroads, canals, electric power lines, pipelines, etc. safely.

Wildlife crossings over (and under) the highways could make animals (both wild and domesticated) and people safer.

Our expanding network of roads is interrupting and fragmenting the territories of wild (and also domesticated) animals who need to cross our roads in search of food, water, mates, and shelter. Many are routinely struck and killed by vehicles in this most basic quest for survival.

In addition to conservation concerns, animal-vehicle collisions have a significant cost for human populations because collisions damage property and injure and kill passengers and drivers: in the United States only, collisions between wildlife and vehicles have increased by 50 percent in the most recently reported 15 years. These accidents now cost Americans $8 billion every year.

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Biology Life on Earth

Is Cloning the Future of Genomics?

Plasma
Advancements in medicine allow us to live longer and healthier lives today than ever before. Science has shifted the way researchers look at their ability to alter cells in the human body. The use of technologies like cloning might not be as far off in the future as a way to synthetically create organs that match your own. Of course, if this never comes to fruition, it’s vital to know what other methods, such as preventative medicine, can do to protect you and your family. Here’s a look at how genomics, cloning, and the use of prevention can keep you well. Image: Unsplash

Almost every human condition can be linked back to your genes. The list of genetic conditions is lengthy. Diseases like muscular dystrophy, Crohn’s disease, birth defects like spina bifida, and some cancers just barely scrape the long list of ailments that can be passed from one generation to the next. And, it seems that many of us try to overcome our genetics at every opportunity. We work to live a healthy lifestyle, eat the right foods, limit stress, and get enough rest each day. What if there was a better way to protect yourself and those you love from your own genes?

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Life on Earth Astronomy Evolution People

Humans walking on two legs because of exploding stars, new study says

Evolution of bipedalism (walking on two legs)
As the forests shrank, it would have become harder and more time-consuming for individuals to find food. One theory, suggested by anthropologist C. Owen Lovejoy of Kent State University, says "a mutually beneficial arrangement evolved: males gathered food for females and their young and in return females mated exclusively with their providers. To be successful providers, males needed their arms and hands-free to carry food, and thus bipedalism evolved." Another theory considers the efficiency of upright walking. In the 1980s, Peter Rodman and Henry McHenry, both at the University of California, Davis, suggested that "...as forests shrank, hominid ancestors found themselves descending from the trees to walk across stretches of grassland that separated forest patches". The most energetically efficient way to walk on the ground was on two legs, Rodman and McHenry argued.

Walking on two legs is an evolutionary leap that led humans to conquer the world. But, why humans are walking on two legs? It’s still unclear. Now, according to a new study published in the University of Chicago’s Journal of Geology, the reason might be exploding stars a few million years ago.

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Space Exploration Earth from Space Places

Venice from space [amazing photo]

Venice from space (cropped)
This perfectly-timed image of Venice from space was captured by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. A blanket of clouds approaches from the east the historic city's famous lagoon but seemingly stops short against the Lido sandbar (Lido di Venezia)! You can easily spot the S-shaped Grand Canal (Canale Grande). This is a cropped image.

This perfectly-timed image of Venice from space was captured by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. A blanket of clouds approaches the historic city’s famous lagoon but seemingly stops short against the Lido sandbar (Lido di Venezia)! You can easily spot the S-shaped Grand Canal (Canale Grande).

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Places

The shortest international bridge in the world: El Marco

The smallest international bridge in the world: El Marco
El Marco, the tiny bridge between Spain and Portugal is the smallest international bridge in the world. It has a length of 3.2 meters (10.4 feet). Image source: Wikipedia

There’s a bridge called “El Marco” between Portugal and Spain. With a length of 3.2 meters (10.4 feet), it’s the shortest international bridge in the world. It connects the Spanish municipality of La Codosera (located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura) with the Portuguese Arronches (in Portalegre District).

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