We wish all reading this a Merry Christmas and hope you are enjoying time with family and friends. We organized articles we found interesting by category (many correspond to existing sections of our academy (and are in bold).
Intersection of art and science
In the spirit of the season, we thought this article about a hidden layer in a Rembrandt painting would be a good read. Yes, scientists found a layer of lead in the painting (which may have helped the canvas survive a more humid environment).
- James Webb Space Telescope reveals crisp view of Uranus and its rings.
- Study finds the universe is significantly older than previously thought. This does challenge the status quo understanding of 13.8 billion years. Of course, this is what scientific inquiry is all about. According to this study, the age is now thought to be 26.6 billion years. Wow. What do readers think about this?
- Suburban backyard in Brisbane is home to over 1,000 species.
- Do bugs deserve more respect? Of course they do…
- Wasps that recognize faces cooperate more.
- CSIRO is gathering citizen data to determine whether Christmas beetle populations are in decline. Yes, there really are Christmas beetles.
- Glasford, Illinois, impact crater. Did you know there was a meteor impact near Glasford.
- This fossilized fruit may be the oldest member of the frankincense and myrrh family. Given the season, we couldn’t help posting this.
- Recent Morocco earthquake had unusual deep slip according to model. The earth ruptured roughly 25 km beneath the surface.
- New species of lizard (fossil) is thought to be the ancestor of modern geckos. This fossil was discovered after examining fossils at the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.
- Personality determines reproductive strategies of poison dart frogs.
- First global estimate of marine aquarium trade to encourage sustainable practices. 55 million marine organisms worth an estimated $2.15 billion are sold annually. This is a valuable as such global industries as tuna.
Things that make us go hmmm…
- AI used to recreate the seven wonders of the ancient world. Most interesting images. Wonder how close they are to what ancients observed?
- Message hidden in a Victorian era silk dress is actually a long lost code. Who knew about this meteorological code used so long ago?