ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 639

Here’s How The White House Would Deal With A Huge Solar Storm That Could Send Us Back To The Dark Age

Space





Photo credit:

Massive solar flares can send out masses of charged subatomic particles which break through our magnetic field and affect electrical equipment. NASA

The worst solar storm to hit the Earth in recorded history happened in 1859. Known as the Carrington Event, it generated auroras as far south as Cuba and caused havoc with the primitive electrical system of the time, generating fires in telegraph stations. It’s estimated that such a large solar storm will occur roughly every 150 years or so.

How Languages Evolved

Environment





Photo credit:

Pressmaster on shutterstock

Bonjour! Namastē! Hyālō! However you say “hello,” it might surprise you to learn that over 400 Indo-European languages may have come from one single language spoken mainly in ancient Anatolia, which is now modern-day Turkey. Indo-European languages are a specific language group of over 400 languages, including Spanish, German, Hindi, Portuguese and Urdu.

How To Make The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich With Science

Chemistry





Photo credit:

a katz/Shutterstock

Whether you’re a gouda groupie or a gruyère kinda guy, all grilled cheese sandwich enthusiasts can agree: The gooier the better, when it comes to this student staple.

In this video by the American Chemistry Society’s YouTube channel Reactions, they detail the precise science behind cheese and its gloriously gloopy properties.

Why You Can Blame Evolution For Your Back Ache

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

Wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.

Back pain is the largest contributor to disability worldwide, according to the most recent Global Burden of Disease study. This comes as no surprise to health practitioners, but why do so many of us suffer from back pain? Researchers suggest that evolutionary biology can help us to unravel the mysteries of lower back pain.

Check Out This Great Footage Of Space Junk “WT1190F” Burning Up In Atmosphere

Space





Photo credit:

Farewell, WTF. IAC via YouTube

This morning, a piece of space junk given the designation “WTF” – technically WT1190F – crashed into the Earth. Fortunately, it didn’t make much of a mess: It splashed down as predicted into the Indian Ocean, just off the Sri Lankan coast, at 06:18 GMT today.

This Week in Science (Nov. 8 – 15)

This is a collection of the 10 best and most popular stories from science and technology over the past 7 days. Click the individual images below to read the stories and follow the This Week in Science on wakelet (here) to get these weekly updates straight to your inbox every Sunday.

Why Drinking Wine Is Like Drinking Koala Pee

Chemistry





Photo credit:

This koala ain't driving home tonight. PeanutChuck

Mmm, crisp and fruity, subtle notes of blackberry with a tangy finish of…koala pee? Yes, oenophiles everywhere may be disgusted to learn that there is one component found in both fruitier-smelling wines and the urine of the native Australian herbivorous marsupial, the koala.

Great White Sharks Like Heavy Metal Music

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Travelbag Ltd/Flickr. (CC BY 2.0)

Thrashing yet graceful, aggressive yet misunderstood – if one species in the animal kingdom is a metalhead, it would have to be the great white shark.

DON’T OFFEND ISLAM!

The attacks in Paris led to a conversation about Islam that offended people. How are we going to fix an issue if we can’t honestly address a problem? The fundamentals of Islam command Muslims to terrorize and kill nonbelievers. Let’s call it for what it is.

To those who think Islam is peace: http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/quran/023-violence.htm

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Watch A Glass Mantis Eating Eating A Fly

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

C, YouTube

The Glass Mantis is a curious looking creature. Its body is nearly completely see through, so check out this footage from YouTube user Precarious333 of the creature munching a tasty snack: You can literally see the chewed up bits of fly sliding down its throat.

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puQTJ...]