A new color, named “olo.”
BBC reports on an odd optical experiment that resulted in human eyes seeing an entirely new color, a kind of super-saturated aqua they’ve dubbed “olo”:
… Read the rest “A new color, named “olo.””By stimulating
Articles by grant
Science Art: Woltmann’s Tachometer, 1882
Oh, hydrology.
This is a device to measure the speed of water flow, as described in A practical treatise on hydraulic and water-supply engineering: relating to the hydrology, hydrodynamics,… Read the rest “Science Art: Woltmann’s Tachometer, 1882”
Nearby galaxies are shredding each other.
BBC Science Focus looks up at the heavens and sees two nearby galaxies — the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) — that, instead of peacefully spinning… Read the rest “Nearby galaxies are shredding each other.”
Too much space junk.
The European Space Agency has an unfortunate report about future satellites. They’re much closer to running out of room because, as Science Alert puts it, there’s just too… Read the rest “Too much space junk.”
Science Art: Mathematical Knot Table 01, by Rodrigo Argenton
These are knots. Not knots used to tie down boats or headstrong horses, but knots used to explore geometries of space.
The display was made by Estes Objethos Atelier, but the photo was taken… Read the rest “Science Art: Mathematical Knot Table 01, by Rodrigo Argenton”
A mysterious trilobite cousin deciphered.
For a long while, paleontologists have been trying to figure out what was up with Helmetia expansa, a prehistoric creature from before the dinosaurs that seemed like a crustacean but not.… Read the rest “A mysterious trilobite cousin deciphered.”
Intelligence evolved at least twice on Earth.
In science-nerd circles, people lately have been really into talking about how many times crabs evolve — that is, how many unrelated invertebrate families wind up mutating into … Read the rest “Intelligence evolved at least twice on Earth.”
Science Art: Portuguese Man-Of-War, Tongued Sarsia, by Philip Henry Gosse
This image comes from Philip Henry Gosse’s A Year at the Shore, specifically, the month of October. (The year isn’t specified, but the book was published in 1865.)
Gosse was… Read the rest “Science Art: Portuguese Man-Of-War, Tongued Sarsia, by Philip Henry Gosse”
Science Art: Periophthalmus koelreuteri, 1942.
This is a mudskipper who is being drawn here solely for the qualities of its bulbous, beautiful eyes.
The illustration is from page 453 of The Vertebrate Eye and Its Adaptive Radiation by … Read the rest “Science Art: Periophthalmus koelreuteri, 1942.”
The smell of Venus de Milo
NPR reports on new findings for classical works of art. It’s pretty well known now that the stark white of ancient Greek marble statues was originally a lot more colorful when they … Read the rest “The smell of Venus de Milo”
Krill sniff penguin poop
And, says National Geographic, it makes them take evasive maneuvers, ready to dodge their Antarctic predators:
… Read the rest “Krill sniff penguin poop”In Antarctica’s Palmer Station lab, scientists put wild-caught krill
AI can’t beat Pokémon
Something for your inner 12-year-old to feel superior about, as published in Ars Technica. Anthropic’s Claude AI, pretty helpful at summarizing documents and parsing transcripts,… Read the rest “AI can’t beat Pokémon”
Science Art: Lincoln’s Measurements, compared with “Old Americans,” 1953 (detail).
This is part of a graphic from a 1953 issue of Natural History, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s magazine. The article it’s illustrating is about taking a life mask… Read the rest “Science Art: Lincoln’s Measurements, compared with “Old Americans,” 1953 (detail).”
Far side of the moon’s fiery past.
Space reveals that the far side of the moon was once a vast, glowing ocean of magma, according to samples retrieved by a Chinese lunar lander:
… Read the rest “Far side of the moon’s fiery past.”The Chang’e 6 mission launched in early
Alcohol and cancer
Nature chats with a few researchers about something that’s been known for more than 30 years but is still not really widely accepted – that there’s a demonstrated link… Read the rest “Alcohol and cancer”