It took evolution 3 or 4 billion years to produce humans. If the climate had completely failed just once in that time then evolution would have come to a crashing halt and we would not be here now. So to understand how we came to exist on planet Earth, we’ll need to know how Earth managed to stay fit for life for billions of years.
Continue reading “Earth has stayed habitable for billions of years. Exactly how lucky did we get?”Seven Wonders of the Modern World
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has chosen the Seven Wonders of the Modern World as a tribute to the greatest civil engineering achievements of the 20th century.
Continue reading “Seven Wonders of the Modern World”New Horizons’ fantastic voyage began with a spectacular launch in 2006 (video)
On January 19, 2006, aboard an Atlas V rocket, NASA’s New Horizons probe started its fantastic voyage of exploration with a spectacular launch from the Florida coast toward Pluto and the mysterious realm of the Kuiper Belt beyond.
Continue reading “New Horizons’ fantastic voyage began with a spectacular launch in 2006 (video)”New Seven Wonders of the World [New7Wonders]
The iconic Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Khufu’s Pyramid, stands alone as the sole survivor among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Remarkably, there was a brief period, lasting less than 60 years, when all these monumental wonders coexisted. This fleeting overlap in history underscored the need for a modern tribute, leading to the launch of the New Seven Wonders of the World (New7Wonders) campaign in 2001. This initiative aimed to recognize and celebrate contemporary marvels, drawing from a diverse list of 200 existing architectural feats.
Continue reading “New Seven Wonders of the World [New7Wonders]”Spain under a snow blanket
On January 12, 2021, the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite (see notes 1) captured this amazing photo of Spain under a snow blanket.
Continue reading “Spain under a snow blanket”An amazing video of a high tide
The beauty of mother nature never disappoints. This amazing timelapse video of a high tide in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, Bretagne (Brittany), France is no exception.
Continue reading “An amazing video of a high tide”What do astronauts eat? [Space diet explained]
What do astronauts eat in space? What food requirements must be met on Earth in order to be allowed to space flights? These and other questions were answered.
After the holidays, interest in diets usually increases. Losing weight is on many people’s “new year’s resolutions” list. We usually want to lose weight as easily as we gained it. On the Internet, it is easy to stumble upon publications about the space diet or the diet of astronauts, promising a miraculous result – minus 20 kg in 20 days. Most of these published “space diets” on tabloid websites are complete nonsense, in fact.
What exactly is the astronauts’ diet? Should they eat the same menu repeatedly, every single day? What food requirements must be met on Earth in order to be allowed to space flights? These and other questions were answered by the doctor of the Russian crew members of the International Space Station Alexander Vasin and the cosmonaut of Roscosmos Ivan Wagner.
Continue reading “What do astronauts eat? [Space diet explained]”Why Crocodiles today look the same as they did 200 million years ago?
One of the most enduring tropes about crocodiles is to describe them as “living fossils”. They are cold, slow-moving, and scaly, so they look like how one might picture a dinosaur. Like many clichés, there is an element of truth to this comparison. The crocodiles from 200 million years ago look surprisingly like the ones we know today.
Continue reading “Why Crocodiles today look the same as they did 200 million years ago?”Can Geothermal Energy Save Us From Climate Change?
What if an unfathomably hot, never-ending, never-varying heat source existed that could be harnessed for energy production? This heat source does exist. Right beneath our feet. The top of the Earth’s mantle hovers around 1000 degrees celsius, achieving access to it would make the efficiency of all other current energy sources pale by comparison. With global ocean temperatures continuing to climb, concerned organizations and individuals continue to seek a solution for our presently unsustainable energy production methods.
Continue reading “Can Geothermal Energy Save Us From Climate Change?”Why Real-Time Big Data Matters to the Maritime Industry
Over 90% of world trade is in the hands of the international maritime shipping industry. Every year, it moves more than USD 4 trillion of goods. For shipping companies, there’s a lot of pressure to remain on schedule, protect the cargo ship and crew, and ensure profitability. And we can’t say it’s easy.
Continue reading “Why Real-Time Big Data Matters to the Maritime Industry”