Science

May 21, 2024

Ed Dwight, America’s First Black Astronaut Candidate, Finally Makes It to Space at Age 90

In 1961, an Air Force pilot named Ed Dwight was chosen to be the first Black astronaut. Having graduated in the top half of his class, he even had the support of president John F. Kennedy, who aimed to diversify the country’s space program. Unfortunately, Dwight was passed over—a choice many attribute to racism and the politics of the time. Now, over 60 years later, Dwight's dream has come true.

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May 18, 2024

Take a Shocking Look At What Earth Will Look Like 250 Million Years From Now

You probably learned about Pangea, also spelled Pangaea, the prehistoric supercontinent that once hosted the earliest dinosaurs. Around 200 million years ago, the process known as continental drift began to shift portions of land apart. Riding the tectonic plates, the continents separated and migrated to their current locations. Yet Earth's surface is not static. Continents continue to shift, causing the Himalayas to rise slightly each year and the continents to continually, slowly move.

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May 13, 2024

Best Photos From This Weekend’s Extraordinary Northern Lights

When you think about viewing the Northern Lights, places like Iceland, Norway, and Alaska come to mind. But people living much farther south got a treat on Friday when a severe geomagnetic storm made the aurora visible across the United States, Europe, and even New Zealand as Southern Lights. The internet began lighting up with incredible photos of the phenomenon, as many were amazed by what they witnessed. “Aurora Borealis? At this time of year?

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April 28, 2024

Tiny Fish the Size of a Fingernail Can Produce Noises as Loud as an Elephant

A recent study discovered that a transparent fish native to Myanmar called Danionella cerebrum is capable of making sounds that exceed 140 decibels, which rivals the sound of a firecracker, an elephant blowing its trunk, or an airplane taking off approximately 330 feet away. Producing noise of that volume would be an accomplishment for any creature, but it becomes even more impressive upon learning that the fish is no more than half an inch (13.

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