Andrei Mihai ZME Science

Oldest Message-in-a-Bottle: 108 year old Science Experiment washes ashore in Germany

In 1906, British scientist George Parker Bidder released more than 1,000 bottles in an attempt to study oceanic currents. The bottles were specifically design to float and last, and all bottles contained detailed instructions in English, German and Dutch to return the note to the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, England, in exchange for a shilling. The experiment […]

Nestle Pays $524 to Extract 27,000,000 Gallons of Drinking Water Worth $80,000,000

To say that Nestle is an unethical company would be an understatement – the company’s history is riddled with practices such as child labor, unethical promotion, manipulating uneducated mothers, pollution, price fixing, mislabeling and recently, abusing water resources. Operating under a permit that expired back in 1988, the company drew 27 million gallons (100 million liters) of […]

Curiosity Rover Takes Low Angle Selfie

I’m not a big fan of selfies, but when you’re on Mars, you can take all the selfies you want! NASA’s Curiosity Rover has taken some pretty cool of itself – and the Martian surroundings. This latest picture was taken by the rover at “Buckskin” – the 7th rock the rover will sample for analysis. […]

'Fire Rainbows' - What they are, how they form, and of course, great pictures

With the recent sighting of a fire rainbow in South Carolina, there seems to be a sudden surge of interest for this phenomenon, so I thought I’d come back with some more information. First of all, they’re not ‘fire rainbows’; in fact, they’re not rainbows at all. The correct name is circumhorizontal arc, and it’s […]

China didn't emit as much CO2 as we think it did, Harvard study concludes

China - the world's most populous country and the world's top polluter has a lot of responsibility on its shoulders. China gets a lot of well deserved flak for its often unsustainable ways, but according to a new study, at least some of the flak is undeserved. China's emissions have been overestimated, according to a study published in Nature.

Looking into someone's eyes for 10 minutes alters your state of mind and can cause hallucinations

Staring straight into someone's eyes can be pretty intense, and is usually avoided by most people. But a team of researchers has shown that it's even weirder than you'd think: it actually alters your consciousness, and often causes hallucinations.

Psychosis and violence are not really linked together, study finds

Television has perpetuated the already classic image of a violent, psychotic criminal, up to the point where we basically associate the two. We often tend to think of violent people as psychotic, and psychotic people as violent. But as a new study has found, that's not really the case: there's no strong correlation between violence and psychosis.

Be sarcastic! It's good for you, scientists find

Using and understanding the intricacies of sarcasm is a fine art; one does not simply “become” sarcastic – you must dive into it, let it embrace you. You must become sarcasm. But jokes aside, sarcasm is a strange thing – we don’t know exactly how it appeared and why. The best theory seems to be […]

Scientists find 1.85 million year old human-like bone

Anthropologists have discovered the oldest known fossil of a bone resembling that of humans; the 1.85 million year old bone is the oldest evidence of a ‘modern’ hand and suggests that ancient humans may have been much larger than previously thought. A key feature that distinguishes humans from other species is the ability to create and use […]

Modern minimalist chapel in Austria is a new take on an old concept

Whether you’re religious or not, there’s a good chance this chapel will catch your eye – completed last year, the 7-square-meter Maria Magdalena family chapel is a unique architectural delight in the heart of the Austrian countryside. The minimalist design gives it a sense of tranquility and serenity. Religious references are found throughout the chapel, but […]

New nanotechnology will be able to target and destroy blood clots

A research group has come up with an innovative way of dealing with blood clots through nanotechnology. This technology has the potential to save many lives every year, as blood clots are often associated with life-threatening events.

World's oldest flower found: it's 125 million years old, and it raises some hard questions

We tend to think of flowering plants and ubiquitous, but in truth, they’ve “only” been around for about 125 million years – which geologically speaking… is still a lot, it’s just not forever. Geologists may have just found the oldest flower. Looking through some previously discovered fossils, scientists were thrilled to find a spectacular specimen: […]

Scientists find Salamander in Amber in the Caribbean

Finding insects, plants or even dinosaur feathers trapped in amber s rare and exciting. But finding a fossil salamander in amber… that’s something else – it’s actually unique. But the salamander’s unfortunate fate sparked immediate interest from researchers: not only is it a unique finding, but it’s from a never-before seen species of salamander, and […]

Spectacular tomb of Sarmatian Warrior woman found in Russia

Russian archaeologists have unearthed a trove of warrior jewelry of historical significance: the tomb of a Sarmatian woman warrior who worshiped fire.

Spherical, eco-friendly pod is the perfect backyard workplace

If you’re looking for a home away from home, if you’re setting up the perfect workplace, or if you’re simply not a fan of rectangular spaces, Podzook has you covered. These prefabricated pods are made from eco-friendly materials and in my opinion, they’re a fantastic addition to any backyard. “I could import parts and materials from Shanghai, set […]

China's smog kills 4,000 people each day

We all know that pollution and smog in China is pretty bad, but China has only recently published their air quality data - so we get to know just how bad it is. According to a new study published by Berkeley Earth, smog alone kills 4,000 people in China every day; that's 17% of all premature fatalities.

Study on 79 countries shows Religiosity is linked with anti-gay attitude

Religion affects our lives, directly and indirectly, in many ways. A new study published in the Journal of Homosexuality has investigated how a person’s and a country’s religious orientation impacts their attitude towards gay people. The findings showed that the more religious a person or country is, the more hostile it generally is towards homosexuals. The smallest […]

Journalist Uses GPS Trackers and Fake Elephant Tusks to Reveal Smuggling Route

Every year, over 30,000 elephants are murdered, slaughtered for their tusks. Ivory is an extremely valuable commodity, and many people will stop at nothing to get it and sell it. With this in mind, investigative journalist Bryan Christy set out to see what the smuggling route is, so he commissioned a taxidermist to create two fake ivory […]

Coca Cola give millions of dollars to scientists who say soft drinks don't cause obesity

Taking a page from the oil industry “sponsorship” philosophy, Coca Cola spent millions funding scientists to say that soft drinks don’t make people fat. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with a company funding scientists to study its products, when the result is already known before the study actually starts, that’s not exactly science – that’s […]

Octopus genome finally unraveled, and this is a big deal

The mystery of the octopus genome has finally been solved, and this will allow researchers to answer some intriguing questions: how does it regenerate so well? How does it control its 8 flexible arms and over 1000 suckers? How do they camouflage and mimic the environment, and most importantly - how did a relative of the snail become so incredibly smart?

3D printing living things might revolutionize pastry

We’ve written a lot about how 3D printing can (and has already started to) change our world – but food wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Now, food designer Chloé Rutzerveld has developed a concept for “healthy and sustainable” 3D printed snack – she prints snacks that sprout plants and mushrooms for flavour. “Edible growth is […]

When dams go down, the beaches and the fish win

Hydro-energy is clean, cheap and reliable – in many ways, it’s every man’s dream: you get the reliability of fossil fuels with the eco-friendliness of wind and solar. But hydro also comes at a price, one that we are only recently discovering: it threatens biodiversity and encourages erosion. The removal of a dam on the Elwha […]

World's largest public sauna opens in the Arctic

The Arctic isn’t only for frozen ice and polar bears, it can be also relaxing. With that in mind, a giant “Agora” sauna was created for SALT, the world’s first Arctic arts festival on the remote Norwegian island of Sandhornøya. The creative design features a glass front on a timber structure and can accommodate 150 people; everything […]

Your favorite drinks - under the microscope

Well, microscopic drinks are not really a thing, aren’t they? Not in the clubs where I go, anyway – we like our drinks large. But just stop a moment and think – how would your cocktail or beer look under a microscope? I’d wager this: it’s not like anything you thought. So, this awesome company […]

Heartbreaking archaeology: 4,000 year old skeletons of mother and child found embraced in 'China's Pompeii'

The loving embrace of a mother and her child lasts for 4,000 years, Chinese archaeologists reported after finding their interlocked skeletons. The mother was trying to shield her child from a massive earthquake that struck China in 2000 BC and triggered massive floods; the event is sometimes referred to as ‘China’s Pompeii’. The site is […]

New diseases threatens world's tadpole population

A new highly infectious diseases has been observed in tadpoles from three continents, threatening global populations. The disease, which was identified and described by British scientists, is a distant relative of an oyster disease. “Phylogenetic analyses revealed that this infectious agent was affiliated with the Perkinsea: a parasitic group within the alveolates exemplified by Perkinsus […]

Natural News is the biggest pseudoscience hub on the internet - stop following them

Did you know that vaccines are dangerous? Or that eating whole lemons (or eggs) prevents cancer? Or that evil doctors kill people to treat them for depression, or that science in general is just bogus studies and money? Those are just some of the headlines you can find on what I believe to be one of the biggest sources […]

2,000 Year Old Cat Pawprint Found in Roman Tile

Society has changed a lot in 2,000 years, but you know what hasn’t really changed? Cats. Cats don’t really care about much today, and they didn’t really care about much 2,000 years ago – and now archaeologists have evidence of that. Paw prints made by a cat 2,000 years ago have been found on a […]

Meet 'Virgin Rainbow': quite possibly the finest opal ever unearthed

As a geologist, I'm not into gemstones and "pretty rocks" - but every once in a while, I see a rock so spectacular that it just blows my mind. Such is the case with "Virgin Rainbow", a glorious opal unveiled by the South Australian Museum in Adelaide.

Astronomers find huge lava lake on Jupiter's moon Io

Scientists analyzing data from the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory in Arizona spotted a huge lava lake on Io, one of Jupiter’s largest moons. We’ve known for a while that Io is quite an amazing (and hellish) place; it’s the most geologically active place in the solar system, with extreme geologic activity occurring as a result of tidal […]

Drinking guidelines are irrelevant for casual drinkers, scientists claim

A study conducted by researchers from the University of Sheffield found that people ignore drinking guidelines, especially as most of them rarely drink during the week but might party heavily during the weekend or on holiday.

Cannabis traces found on Shakespeare's pipe - was the bard into pot?

William Shakespeare – universally praised as one of the best writers in history, eminent dramatist and England’s national poet, is still a controversial figure. There is speculation about the authorship of his works, with some scholars claiming they were written by someone else; there’s also speculation about his sexuality, his religion, and even his looks. Contrary […]

Green 3D Printer Lets You Print With "Organic Ink"

We’ve written extensively about 3D printing and the doors it opens in terms of applications – from teeth to supercars – but this is something else: PrintGREEN is turning 3D printers into on-demand gardeners after designing a “green” 3D printer. The project comes from the University of Maribor in Slovenia, and the “ink” is essentially a mixture […]

Pupil shape reveals what kind of animal you are

Your eyes are a window to your soul, or so the saying goes – but a new research suggests that the pupil shape and size have a lot to do with an animal’s nature. Hunters like cats tend to have vertical pupils, while horizontally elongated pupils are generally plant-eaters. Pupils are the eyes’ aperture – […]

Amateur radio enthusiast chats with the International Space Station

An amateur radio enthusiast from the UK has managed to have a quick chat with the International Space Station using a device he built in his shed. Adrian Lane, of Gloucestershire, sent out a call signal to the ISS and was absolutely shocked when they actually replied to him. “They came back to me and […]

Underwater Stonehenge-Like Monolith Found Off the Coast of Sicily

Archaeologists have uncovered an enigmatic monolith deep off the coast of Sicily, Italy. The 15 tonne Stonehenge-like monolith is at least 10,000 year old and may shed new light on ancient Mediterranean civilizations.

Parasitic wasps turn spiders into zombies... again!

Wasps are a nasty bunch; you don't want to mess with them no matter who you are. Not only can they sting you really bad and ruin your day, they can actually control your mind, force you weave a web for their offspring and then kill you - well, if you're a spider at least.

First species of venomous frog found in Brazil

The first venomous (yes, venomous – not poisonous) frog was discovered in Brazil by mistake. A frog head-butted Carlos Jared in the hand, and after a while he started feeling a strange pain; it took him a while to connect the dots and realize that the frog was responsible for the pain he was feeling and […]

Biologists fear salmon kill in Klamath river

It's a tough year for salmon all around the world - now, a new health advisory issued by the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Reclamation and PacifiCorp raises concerns about the future of salmon in the Klamath river in Oregon and California.

Understanding the Role of Local Communities in Forest Conservation

This is an article by Kristin Drexler, faculty member, Human Ecology and Forestry, School of Science, technology, Engineering, and Math at American Public University. The active participation of local communities is a critical component to the conservation of protected areas like national parks and preserves. Ironically, while these areas are most often thought of in […]

Tiny Cabins From Reclaimed Wood Look Like Fairytale Houses

Dan Pauly is a rare type of artist; he builds guest cottages, playhouses, garden sheds, and saunas – all of which look as taken from an enchanted forest. The odd shaped asymmetrical buildings usually feature an elongated crooked chimney, a slanted roof, and a charming porch and garden. To make things even better, everything is built […]

Scientists discover new abyssal angler fish

For all we know about other planets and even other galaxies, there's still much to learn about our very own planet - especially its oceans. The oceans are teeming with life of which we know nothing or very little about; now, Florida researchers have discovered a new species of angler fish that dwells 1 km below sea level (3200 ft).

Huge warm water blob off the Pacific coast causes mass death of sea species

Sea animals are dying off in huge numbers off the Pacific coast from Baja, Mexico - all the way to Alaska; there's a good chance we can't really do anything about it.

More Dutch cities may join in Basic Income experiment

In June, we were telling you about the Dutch city of Utrecht, which will start a new social and economic experiment: basic income: a new concept that could revolutionize society as we know it. Basic income is a type of social security in which all residents receive an unconditional sum of money, regardless of whether or not they have another source of income. Now, more Dutch cities announced their interest in participating in the initial trials.

#FieldWorkFail - When Science is Awesomely Messy

We sometimes think of scientists as calculated, precise people in white lab coats, buzzing around their controlled experiments and complicated models. But as anyone who’s actually worked in science will tell you, field work is often messy – incredibly messy for that matter. A new hashtag has taken Twitter by storm: #FieldWorkFail. Here are some […]

Divers find car-sized blob of squid eggs

It seems almost too surreal to be true – a gelatinous, four meter across blob of squid eggs – but that’s exactly what divers found off the coast of Turkey, some 20 meters below sea level. Even up close, the spheroid blob looked almost invisible, but when touched, it felt “very soft” and seemed gelatinous. […]

Bonobos use flexible "baby communication"

Researchers have found that just like babies, bonobos exhibit a type of communication in which they use the same sound with different intonations to say different things. They use these high pitch "peeps" to express their emotions.

Scientists find why earthworms are so good at fertilizing the soil

They're a gardener's best friend, and our fields wouldn't be the same without them. The humble earthworm plays a major role in organic matter recycling in soils worldwide, and now researchers have figured out how. The secret lies in their metabolic system and how they digest their food.

Controversial study finds that people would rather live next to a rehab center than to a mosque

People from Finland would rather live next to an alcohol or drug rehab center than a Muslim prayer room or Mosque, a new survey has found. In fact, the unpopularity of the Mosque was surpassed only by a drug users’ needle exchange center.

We need to stop emitting CO2, there's no 'technofix', scientists warn

According to a new study conducted by German researchers, even somehow magically removing massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere won't solve our climate problems - we need to find ways to stop emitting.

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