Cool math trick: Converting between miles and kilometers. Why do humans still have body hair? Human body hair might seem to be useless on today's modern man, but it could help us detect parasites, researchers suggest, adding there's a chance our female ancestors preferred a bug-free mate, and so opted for hairier guys.
Humans appear relatively hairless compared with our ape relatives, but the density of hair follicles on our skin is actually the same as would be expected of an ape our size. The fine hairs that cover our bodies, which have replaced the thicker ones seen on our close relatives, are thought to be an evolutionary leftover from our hairy ancestors. Now scientists find these fine hairs are useful after all — people with more of them are better at detecting bedbugs. "I run a research group that seeks to understand the biology of bloodsucking insects," said researcher Michael Siva-Jothy, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Sheffield in England. The scientists detailed their findings online Dec. 13 in the journal Biology Letters. Related on LiveScience: 10 age-defying celebs: Harry Belafonte. Interested in uplifting stories on the natural world, sustainable communities, simple food, and new thinking on how to live well?
Please enter a valid email address and try again! No thanks. 10 Ways to Green Your Home. Steve Jobs, Stephen Hawking & Albert Einstein. LiveScience Staff | October 06, 2011 01:12pm ET Credit: Apple News of the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs on Oct. 5, 2011, has been received with sadness, admiration and gratefulness for a man considered a "creative genius" who "changed the world" in many ways.
End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears. By Charles Q.
Choi, Live Science Contributor | Credit: © Dgrilla | Dreamstime.comDoomsday fears With more and more technologies able to wreak mass destruction, a greater knowledge of what cosmic threats our planet faces, and more forms of media capable of trumpeting Armageddon, it seems as if there is more hype than ever about one supposedly impending apocalypse or another in 2012, despite all the failed doomsday predictions over the years. Here are 10 apocalyptic scenarios that have raised fears about the end of civilization, in alphabetical order.
Credit: Dreamstime.comAliens Aliens have kidnapped, experimented and killed us en masse — at least in fiction. Of course, no extraterrestrials have been revealed to the world at large yet, so as far as we know we are alone in the universe. Credit: David P HughesZombies There are brain-controlling parasites effectively capable of turning ants into zombies, but no known germs can turn people into the walking dead. Charles Q. Charles Q. Untrue Medical Myths & Common Medical Misconceptions. Robert Roy Britt | January 24, 2012 10:00am ET Credit: sukiyaki | shutterstock Popular culture is loaded with myths and half-truths.
Most are harmless. But when doctors start believing medical myths, perhaps it's time to worry. In 2007, a study published in the British Medical Journal looked into several common misconceptions, from the belief that a person should drink eight glasses of water per day to the notion that reading in low light ruins your eyesight. "We got fired up about this because we knew that physicians accepted these beliefs and were passing this information along to their patients," said Aaron Carroll, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Top Ten Unexplained Phenomena. Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind. By Jeanna Bryner, Live Science Managing Editor | October 09, 2007 01:25pm ET.
5 mind-bending facts about dreams. When your head hits the pillow, for many it's lights out for the conscious part of you.
But the cells firing in your brain are very much awake, sparking enough energy to produce the sometimes vivid and sometimes downright haunted dreams that take place during the rapid-eye-movement stage of your sleep. Today in history May 30th. 10 of the world's biggest unsolved mysteries: Voynich Manuscript. Voynich Manuscript Named after the Polish-American antiquarian bookseller Wilfrid M.
Voynich, who acquired it in 1912, the Voynich Manuscript is a detailed 240-page book written in a language or script that is completely unknown. Its pages are also filled with colorful drawings of strange diagrams, odd events and plants that do not seem to match any known species, adding to the intrigue of the document and the difficulty of deciphering it. The original author of the manuscript remains unknown, but carbon dating has revealed that its pages were made sometime between 1404 and 1438. It has been called "the world's most mysterious manuscript. " Theories abound about the origin and nature of the manuscript.
One thing most theorists agree on is that the book is unlikely to be a hoax, given the amount of time, money and detail that would have been required to make it. 10 of the world's biggest unsolved mysteries: Go figure. X's Heat-Shield Tested At 3,500 Degrees Fahrenheit. New York Mayor Calls for Restrictions on Sugary Soft Drinks. Goodbye, Big Gulps.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is calling for a ban on large-sized sugary beverages from most dining establishments. The new measure would prohibit New York City delis, movie theaters, sidewalk food carts, stadiums and restaurants from selling cups or bottles containing more than 16 fluid ounces of sweetened drinks, the New York Times reports. The ban does not include diet sodas, fruit juices, alcohol, or dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, but applies to energy drinks and pre-sweetened iced tea.
Best (And Worst) Mars Landings Ever. NASA flooded with 400 ideas to explore Mars - Technology & science - Space - Space.com. Scientists have responded in a big way to NASA's call to help reformulate its Mars robotic exploration strategy, submitting about 400 ideas and Red Planet mission concepts to the space agency. NASA's Mars program suffered deep cuts in President Barack Obama's proposed 2013 budget, which was released in February.
In response, NASA pulled out of the European-led ExoMars mission, which aims to launch an orbiter and a rover to the Red Planet in 2016 and 2018, respectively. The agency also undertook a broad rethink of its Mars strategy, to figure out how best to explore the Red Planet with reduced funding. NASA asked the scientific community for ideas and was expecting to get about 200 proposals at its recent Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration Workshop in Houston, officials said. "This strong response sends a clear message that exploring Mars is important to future exploration," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, in a statement. Video: 'I think I want to marry you' - Back Page.