In the mid-1700s, natural phenomena were so poorly understood in the American Colonies that lightning was considered by many to be an indicator of God’s wrath. Accordingly, if lightning struck a house and caused a fire, neighbors often let the home burn to the ground because they figured this was God’s intention. Then in 1753 Ben Franklin invented the lightning rod because he rightly intuited that lightning was a buildup
Deforestation, coal mining, and carbon dioxide emissions (the primary greenhouse gas emissions from human activities) continue to cause devastating environmental damage, especially given runaway human population growth across the planet. Norway has taken proactive measures to counteract these problems with such operations as wind turbines, a hydrogen hybrid project, and osmotic power plants capable of producing hydrogen fuel generally emission-free. The vast advancements the country has introduced with state-of-the-art technologies in hydroelectric
The anti-vaccine movement has now hit fever pitch and is encroaching on daily life in American culture. A whooping cough epidemic that swept through the U.S. not long ago was dubbed the worst in 70 years, according to the California Department of Health. San Diego was hardest hit with over 1,800 cases reported up to December 2014. This didn’t have to happen. An available vaccine of high efficacy has already
Situated 30 miles northeast of Mexico City lies the ancient holy city of Teotihuacan, one of the oldest acknowledged archaeological sites. Regarded as one of the first great cities in the Western Hemisphere, likely for its colossal size, Teotihuacan’s origins have always remained a mystery to archaeologists. The multi-ethnic city housed a patchwork of different cultures with distinct living quarters occupied by the Otomim, Zapotec, Mixtec, Maya, Nahua, Totonacs and
In 1996, Dolly the Sheep became the first creature ever cloned by science. Now, years later, geneticists have made yet another breakthrough. Using stem cells, a team of researchers at Japan’s Kyoto University were successful in creating the first artificial egg and sperm—of a mouse. Even more astounding, the fertilized egg actually produced offspring. Normal, healthy mouse pups can now be created in a petri dish, more or less. The stem
Humanity faces two options: expand our presence beyond the boundaries of Earth to become a spacefaring species or wait until an inevitable cataclysmic event wipes us out of existence. SpaceX, a private rocket and spacecraft company founded by Elon Musk, looks out to the cosmos to circumnavigate such a doomsday event. The company is currently developing the technologies necessary for deep space missions, with plans to ultimately colonize Mars. However,
