Category: Science

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In the Last Two Years, Scientists Have Discovered over 50 Species of Plastic-Eating Fungi

This is great news!

If you feel a pang of guilt every time you throw a piece of plastic away and start spiraling into anxiety about the impending climate apocalypse — here is some news that may brighten your day.

Plastic is infamous for its ability to pollute the environment for years and years without degrading. But because the planet is magical, there are certain organisms that can degrade plastic. Dozens and dozens of them, apparently.

In 2011, students at Yale discovered a plastic-eating fungus in Ecuador called Pestalotiopsis microspora. This fungus can digest polyurethane, even in an air-free environment (like the bottom of a landfill).

Photo Credit: iStock

This breakthrough was already good news, but as researchers continued to turn their attention to the subject, it became clear that Pestalotiopsis microspora is not unique among fungi in its ability to degrade plastic.

Researchers at Utrecht University were able to achieve a similar result with Oyster mushrooms and Split gill mushrooms in the lab; this process even resulted in an edible end product. In 2017, scientist Sehroon Khan and his team found another biodegrading fungus in a landfill in Pakistan called Asperillus tubigensis, which is capable of breaking down polyester polyurethane (packing foam).

Sehroon and his team went on to find over 50 other species of plastic-eating fungus since 2017.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Scientists still have a long way to go before this research is applicable on a large scale as a means of plastic recycling.

Still, this is proof that anything is possible here on Planet Earth. You never know where new solutions are going to come from.

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This Is Why You Have Black Dots on the Edges of Your Car Windows

Know what I’m talking about?

Those black dots on car windshields and windows are something I’ve noticed, but I’ve never really thought about them. They’re just one of those things that exist in the background of my life, seemingly purposeless.

Except it turns out they actually do have a purpose.

I think we can all agree that windshields are important. Back in the day, windshields used to be held in place by metal frames. These days, windshields are held in place by adhesive. Obviously, it’s a really tough adhesive, but it still needs something to grip. That’s where the frit comes in.

The black band running around the edge of windows is called a frit. The frit is a band of ceramic paint that provides a better surface for the adhesive to stick to.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

That’s not the only reason for the frit, though. The frit also keeps UV rays from deteriorating the adhesive, ensuring that your windshield stays put.

That explains the black band, but what about those dots? Well, the dots actually do a few things. First, they provide a bit of shade, which is why there are extra dots behind your rear-view mirror. Second, they’re aesthetic. Glass manufacturers thought that the black dots would look a bit less jarring than just a plain black band.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Third and perhaps most importantly, the dots help with the baking process. The black band heats faster than the clear glass, which could cause warping. The dots prevent that warping so your windshield stays clear.

Who knew those little black dots were so useful?

Oh, and those lines on your rear window? They’re for your rear defroster. They help spread the heat evenly.

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Scuba Divers Captured a Photo of a Human-Sized Jellyfish

Only people brave enough to spend time without immediate access to unlimited oxygen get to see the crazy creatures that lurk under the surface of the sea.

Luckily for the rest of us, some of those people go into the deep armed with cameras – which is exactly how Dan Abbott and Lizzie Daly dove into the Celtic Sea the day they ran across a giant barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo). How giant?

It was the size of person.

Image Credit: Facebook

The giant barrel jellyfish is not the largest species of jellyfish in the world (that title belongs to the lion’s mane jellyfish, which can grow up to 120 feet from top to the end of the tentacles – about the length of a blue whale), but it is the largest species anyone could expect to run into off the Cornish coast.

Image Credit: Facebook

While the lion’s mane jellyfish has a sting full of neurotoxins, the giant barrel jellyfish’s translucent, frilly tentacles are mostly harmless (aside from a minor sting).

The one captured on film by Abbott, an underwater cinematographer, was about 3 feet wide and 6 feet long.

Day 7 WILD OCEAN WEEK ? | GIANT Barrel Jellyfish

Diving with a giant barrel jellyfish in Cornwall to celebrate the end of #WildOceanWeek ?Massive throw to Sharkman Dan for the wonderful footage Spend 2 minutes of the end of WILD OCEAN WEEK watching this beautiful moment where I come face to face with a barrel jellyfish THE SAME SIZE AS ME while diving off of the coast of Falmouth ?So excited that I actually say 'Barrel Fish' instead of Barrel Jellyfish ha!!!What an INCREDIBLE experience – both Dan and I have never seen anything like it. I couldn't think of a better way to finish the week in celebrating our incredible oceans.For anybody who is in Cornwall do come on down to Maenporth tomorrow at 12pm for a beach clean. There should be a good crowd of us rounded up now so it will be fun – and it will be followed by a small talk about the trip! See you THEN xMarine Conservation Society Cornish Diving CentreThe Wildlife Trusts @Cornwall Wildlife Trust Falmouth Cornwall UK

Posted by Lizzie Daly Wildlife on Saturday, July 13, 2019

“What an INCREDIBLE experience.” wrote Daly in a Facebook post. “Both Dan and I have never seen anything like it. I couldn’t think of a better way to finish the week in celebrating our incredible oceans.”

Image Credit: Facebook

If you’re hoping to have a similar experience, you’ll probably have to take up diving or snorkeling out at sea. These jellies rarely wander close to the coast, though they occasionally will, if lured by a large plankton bloom like the UK saw in 2002, 2014, and 2019.

Image Credit: Facebook

Make sure and check out the full Wild Ocean Week video if this sort of thing intrigues you – under the sea is definitely one of the last great frontiers!

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15 Photos Of Interesting Creatures in Australia

The great nation of Australia: it’s known for a lot of things, including Crocodile Dundee, kangaroos, and INSANE WILDLIFE.

And these photos are the proof that you might just want to admire Aussie from afar if you happen to fear all kind of scary creatures.

Take a look:

1. NO!

Errrmm hello Mr Batman :-/ . EDITED: BATWING is Fine and dandy… He dried off and flew away as soon as it was night time. HE WAS NOT SICK JUST WET!

Posted by Kristy Garbutt on Sunday, December 21, 2014

2. Holy sh*t

Lizards in Australia from WTF

3. Not in a million years

Believe it or not, this is one of the least dangerous spiders we have in Australia from WTF

4. Buff

Posted by Gumby's Kangaroo And Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday, December 8, 2018

5. Horrifying

This is how Australians ensure their electricity meter doesn’t get read. from WTF

6. Hitchin’ a ride

7. About to explode

Dead whale off bunbury yesterday

Posted by Mark Watkins on Thursday, July 28, 2016

8. Look at that

You know you’re in Australia when frogs eat snakes

9. Ugh

March of the hairy caterpillars from WTF

10. Hell no

A massive earthworm found in Queensland, Australia. from natureismetal

11. Can’t even put gas in your car

Filling up your fuel tank in Australia? Yep that’ll try and kill you too from WTF

12. WTF?

Mother and girlfriend found this on the beach today. Any idea what it is? from whatisthisthing

13. ALWAYS

Why you gotta always "check your shoes" in Australia from WTF

14. Yikes!

A photo sent in for an ID today ?A hatchling brown snake found a hide out in a child’s lunch box! Not really what you…

Posted by Snake Catchers Adelaide on Monday, February 26, 2018

15. That’s enough

This is why you Always have to check the toilet in Australia.

Posted by Meanwhile in Australia on Friday, February 20, 2015

Do you wanna go to Australia? Or did these pics convince you otherwise?

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15 Cute Snake Pictures That Might Help You Conquer Your Fear

Time for me to come clean: I don’t like snakes. In fact, they really scare me. I’m kind of like Indiana Jones in that way. I mean, I’m not quite as bad as Indy, but that doesn’t mean I’m good. See what I’m saying here?

But wait, these extremely cute snake photos might cure me!

I need this. You need this. WE NEED THIS.

1. Get a load of that

Snake with a unicorn hat from aww

2. Hello!

Happy Snek & Happy Human from aww

3. Cute

Baby Asian Vine Snake!! from aww

4. Good lookin’ creature

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/752×49/a_snake_with_a_pumpkin_on_its_back/

5. TINY

Young Ground Snake in my wedding ring

6. Workin’ hard

Snakes Like Warm Computers Too from pics

7. Oh, come 0n!

View post on imgur.com

8. Noodle

Found this cute little noodle today! Caught the perfect picture! from snakes

9. Colorful

Baby snek

10. Saying hi

View this post on Instagram

#scalelesssnake #scalelesscornsnake #cutesnake

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11. Fetch

12. Congratulations!

You a dad, snek

13. Don’t be scared

14. Santa

15. Cute and happy

Cute and Happy Snek from aww

Okay, I think I’m cured. Mostly…

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If the Apollo 11 Mission Had Failed, This Is the Speech President Nixon Would Have Given

The mission to the moon embarked upon by the crew of Apollo 11 fifty years ago is one of the greatest achievements in the history of humankind. But as the country cheered liftoff, leaders silently prepared for catastrophe.

Photo Credit: NASA

The US National Archives has released a speech written specifically for President Nixon to deliver if astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin were ultimately marooned – which would have meant that they were going to die on the moon.

Written by William Safire, the speech begins:

Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.

Safire, who would eventually write for the New York Times, continues poetically:

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

Photo Credit: U.S. Archives

Safire’s speech concludes:

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

Photo Credit: U.S. Archives

As beautiful and poignant as Safire’s speech is, we are grateful we never heard it. On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle on the lunar surface before returning safely to earth, June 24.

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A Study Found That Great White Sharks Are Scared of Killer Whales

Sharks are pretty fearsome creatures – plenty of people are pretty scared of them. So you might not imagine that even one of the largest, fiercest predators in the world fears something else.

And no, it’s not human beings (though with the rate we’re demolishing the shark population, it probably should be – we kill between 100 million and 273 million).

According to new research published in Scientific Reports, the great whites off the Northern California coast turn tail when a pod of orcas show up – and then they avoid the area for up to a year afterward, says scientist Scot Anderson in a statement.

“These are huge white sharks. Some are over 18 feet long, and they usually rule the roost here.”

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Quero que assista esses dois vídeos e sinta a vibração depois, feche os olhos se puder, ouça os sons de cada um deles. Quando estão livres, consegue sentir a energia? Se conecte com o som, com o sonar. Por trás das risadas do segundo vídeo, consegue sentir? Existe um ser senciente, que de assassino não tem nada. Muitos não sabem, mas o filme que deu origem a esse nome, baleia, orcas são golfinhos, e assassina, é sobre uma orca que busca vingança dos pescadores que matam sua família. Sentem. Tem família. Se reconhecem. Sim. Mas vingança não. São seres evoluídos, desenvolvidos e infelizmente por isso foram colocados em tanques de cloro e sabem que se não fizerem o que comandam não irão se alimentar. Isso é ser? Não há ser em ser humano. E pessoas ainda continuam visitando, continuam rindo, mais lugares como esse são abertos. Pesquisa? Sim eles têm muitos dados, mas temos outro caminho e esse, eu não escolho. Fale por eles. Compartilhe ? #Tilikum #SaveOrcas #WildAndFree #EmptyTheTanks

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Every September and December, great white sharks migrate to the Farallon islands to hunt elephant seals – a meal that orcas also enjoy. And when the latter decide to show up for dinner, the former decline to share hunting grounds.

“When confronted by orcas, white sharks will immediately vacate their preferred hunting ground and will not return for up to a year, even though the orcas are only passing through,” confirms Dr. Salvador Jorgnsen, a scientist at Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the lead author of the study.

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Morbidity and Mortality of Orcas Living in Captivity: Causes of Illness and Death (Part 6) – A 1979 review of the causes of death of 17 captive orcas in North America who had died since 1965 revealed that infectious diseases were the primary cause of death. Published statements and records from the US National Marine Mammal Inventory and USDA Inspection Reports demonstrate that, between 1971 and 2017, there have been 35 documented orca deaths at SeaWorld facilities alone. Regarding the causes of death, the most commonly implicated conditions were viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, gastrointestinal disease, and trauma. Despite “world class" veterinary care and therapeutic intervention, at least 15 of the 22 orcas who have died in US marine theme parks between 1990 and 2010 succumbed to infectious and inflammatory diseases, including eight who reportedly died of pneumonia; three of encephalitis; three of bacteremia; and one of leptomeningitis. – Many of the infections captive orcas succumb to are opportunistic infections – infections by pathogens that are usually harmless but can cause disease under certain unnatural, unhealthy, or compromised conditions. These include a weakened immune system, chronic exposure to chemical irritants or trauma to the skin, excessive or improper use of antimicrobials, and an imbalance in the microbiota of the body or environment (which may exist in tanks). Jett and Ventre found that another common cause of death of captive orcas was gastrointestinal ulceration. Gastric ulceration is typically caused by prolonged stress, as well as being associated with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Gastric disorders such as ulcers have also been associated with behavioral stereotypies in other captive animals. – Although unreported – and unlikely, due to their kinetic nature and time spent below the surface – in free-ranging orca populations, mosquito-transmitted diseases have killed at least two captive orcas in marine theme parks. – Continued Below “The Harmful Effects of Captivity and Chronic Stress on the Well-Being of Orcas” edited by @cetacean.inspiration

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Everyone is afraid of something, I suppose, and from what I know of orcas, I wouldn’t be hanging around while they were eating, either!

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Think You Know What the World Looks Like? Here’s the True Size of Each Country.

Maps maps maps!

There were maps on the walls of our classrooms every year of our childhood. We look at them to get around (some of us even use maps on paper!), and Google uses them to help us get from point A to point B.

But it turns out those maps aren’t entirely accurate.

Because it is likely that every map you’ve ever seen is based on the Mercator projection, which was designed almost 450 years ago and has some pretty serious flaws.

It was presented by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, and though it’s been useful for exploration – it allows for the plotting of a straight-line course on a globular planet and maintains the true shape of a country – translating a three-dimensional globe into two-dimensional map distorts both size and distance the closer you get to the poles.

So, maps haven’t been reflecting the size of many countries accurately since, well…forever.

Not only that, but the map has been accused of having political undertones that reinforce a Eurocentric colonial view of the world.

Now, though, companies like Yahoo and Google are using an Equal Earth projection map created by a group of contemporary cartographers in 2018 – one that overcomes many of the numerous issues with the Mercator projection.

Climate data scientist Neil Kaye created a map visualization that alternates between the Mercator projection and the true projections, and the resulting GIF is pretty fascinating to watch.

Russia, Canada, and Greenland completely changed size, while parts of Europe, Asia, and the Americas also shrink quite a bit.

In original maps, Greenland appears larger than Africa when, in reality, they’re not even close – Africa is 14x bigger than Greenland.

“Each country is projected to the spherical projection and placed at the center of where it appears in the Natural Earth projection,” he explained on Reddit. “There was then some manual tweaking of countries that are closer to the poles. …This demonstrates you can’t fit shapes on a sphere back together again once you put them on the flat.”

So even though this map gives us more accurate country size, it still doesn’t give us entirely accurate country shape.

That’s just a reality of geometry – you can’t reproduce the surface of a 3-d object entirely faithfully on a 2-d plane.

But in the name of people who enjoy accuracy everywhere, I say bring on the (more) correct maps of the world!

I wonder how many classrooms are going to need new maps, though.

Oh, well, I’m sure the teachers can afford it. (sarcasm font)

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Gorillas like to Sing “Little Food Songs” When They Eat

Now this is a story we can all get behind!

A German scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology who was working in the Republic of the Congo recently reported that gorillas hum and sing while they eat.

Yummy songs, if you will.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Eva Luef, primatologist from the institute based in Seewiesen, Germany, studied two families of western lowland gorillas in Congo, and identified the two types of sounds.

While calls regarding food have been observed from chimpanzees, this behavior has never before been officially recorded in gorilla study.

Two different types of sounds have now been observed coming from dominant silverback males at meal time. One is a low hum that may show contentment or happiness. You can listen below:

The other sound–a short series of notes like a song–may be used to call other members over to the food. You can listen below:

Since the males are the leaders, they are the ones that call family over for dinner. It appears to be the males’ way of holding on to their females and keeping them fed and happy. Luef also observed the songs are made up by the big males for each meal time, rather than being the same tones repeated.

More chimps make the nom-nom sounds–not just the dominant males. This may be because chimpanzees have a much more fluid society when it comes to who hangs with whom.

Photo Credit: Pixnio

Researchers think they may have found a clue into how language among humans evolved. Because of the variation in the songs, food calls may have been a start to the way early humanity communicated.

Because no species can evolve on an empty stomach.

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