Undersea Mordor Discovered

Researchers discovered a group of 26 volcanoes near Australia that looks like Mordor! But any Hobbits trying to journey there would have to be good swimmers. The volcanoes are underwater! The Bight Basin Igneous Complex is 35 million years old and buried under 820 feet of sediment, so ultrasound-like images were created using 3D seismic reflection.

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Go Nuts About Squirrels

It’s Squirrel Appreciation Day! Over 200 squirrel species fit into 3 types: ground, tree, and flying squirrels. The African pygmy squirrel is only 3 inches long, while the Laotian giant flying squirrel is 3 1/2 feet long! Squirrels are great reforesters; they plant thousands of trees every year by forgetting where they buried their nuts!

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How Ticks Stick

Ticks spread Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and many other diseases, but they might provide a medical use. Researchers in Austria have discovered a glue-like substance in some ticks’ saliva that help cement them onto their victims. The substance could be developed into a medical adhesive. Imagine tick-spit bandages!

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Scythian Tomb Discovered in Siberia

Archaeologists have discovered a giant burial mound over 2800 years old in Siberia. Wider than a football field, the mound could contain Scythian royals and countless treasures frozen into the earth. Excavations are planned to preserve the artifacts. The Scythians were fearsome nomads who had a reputation for making cups from their enemies’ skulls.

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Square Waves Mean Danger

Have you ever seen square waves? It’s a common sight in Isle of Rhe, an island in France. The ocean’s surface sometimes form the pattern of a chess board. The phenomenon is called a cross sea, and occurs when waves from one weather pattern intersect another wave system. But beware: they create dangerous riptides!

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Follow That Thought!

Have you ever lost your train of thought? Maybe a neuroscientist can help you find it. Researchers conducted a study with patients undergoing brain surgery for epilepsy. They gave the subjects a task, then monitored the brain’s electrical activity. They were able to follow a thought traveling through the brain!

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