Empty a lotus seed pod of its seeds and, more often than seems reasonable, what's left behind looks like it's mid-scream — two wide "eyes," a gaping "mouth," and an expression that ranges from shocked to mournful depending on the angle. What's Actually in the Picture The pods come from the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), an aquatic plant whose flower gives way to a flat, … [Read more...] about Why Lotus Seed Pods End Up Looking Like They’re Pulling Faces
Drilling Has Begun at Turkey’s ‘Noah’s Ark’ Formation. Here’s What’s Actually Been Found
For the first time since the 1980s, drill bits are going into the ground at one of the world's most debated "biblical" sites — and this time, one of them reportedly broke. What's Actually Happening An international team has begun core drilling at the Durupınar Formation, a boat-shaped mound in eastern Turkey's Ağrı province, about 29 kilometers south of Mount Ararat. The … [Read more...] about Drilling Has Begun at Turkey’s ‘Noah’s Ark’ Formation. Here’s What’s Actually Been Found
A Family Reeled In a Shark by Accident. One Woman Pinned It Down to Set It Free
A day of surf fishing at Cape Hatteras took an unplanned turn when a family's line hooked something much bigger than they expected — and one member of the group ended up wrestling a shark to set it free. The Catch Nobody Was Ready For According to Olivia Talbot, who filmed the encounter, a family fishing at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, hooked a shark that pulled them … [Read more...] about A Family Reeled In a Shark by Accident. One Woman Pinned It Down to Set It Free
New research says rare meteorite struck Mexico and dust, not sulfur, drove dinosaur die-off
The asteroid that ended the age of dinosaurs left almost nothing of itself behind — it vaporized on impact. But a new study says scientists have finally pinned down what kind of object it was, and the answer complicates a decades-old assumption about how it killed. Tracing an Object That No Longer Exists The Chicxulub impactor struck what is now Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula … [Read more...] about New research says rare meteorite struck Mexico and dust, not sulfur, drove dinosaur die-off
Archaeologists Found an Ancient Weapon Not of This Earth
The strange, striking relics unearthed at China's famed Sanxingdui site have long invited wild speculation, with some fringe forums and tabloids even floating the idea of alien artifacts. A newly confirmed discovery from the site won't settle those rumors — because in a very literal sense, part of it really did come from outer space. A Mysterious Object From Pit No. … [Read more...] about Archaeologists Found an Ancient Weapon Not of This Earth