by Adam Frank About 12,000 years ago (give or take a thousand) the glaciers covering much of the northern hemisphere disappeared and an ice age gripping the Earth ended. The planet became warmer, wetter and entered the geological era scientists call the Holocene. Marked by a stable climate, the Holocene has been good to humans. The entire history of our civilization … [Read more...]
Lost City Revealed Under Centuries of Jungle Growth
Hidden for centuries, the ancient Maya city of Holtun, or Head of Stone, is finally coming into focus. Three-dimensional mapping has "erased" centuries of jungle growth, revealing the rough contours of nearly a hundred buildings, according to research presented earlier this month. Though it's long been known to locals that something—something big—is buried in this patch of … [Read more...]
Mysterious Halo Cloud Seen Hovering Over Moscow
A mysterious halo-shaped cloud was seen hovering in the sky over the city of Moscow a few days ago. Lest you believe that this confirms your various conspiracy theories, meteorologists have ruled out any supernatural cause: A spokesman from the city's weather forecast said: 'Several fronts have been passing through Moscow recently, there was an intrusion of the Arctic air too, … [Read more...]
Amazing textile woven from spider silk
A spectacular and extremely rare textile, woven from golden-colored silk thread produced by more than one million spiders in Madagascar, goes on display Wednesday, September 23 in the American Museum of Natural History's Grand Gallery. This magnificent contemporary textile, measuring 11 feet by 4 feet, took four years to make using a painstaking technique developed more than … [Read more...]