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Writer Fuel: Seven Scary Space Things

wormhole black hole - pixabay

Space: the final frontier. The region between our home planet and everything else in the universe is a big unknown — full of untold wonders, celestial objects so big they boggle the mind, and some truly catastrophic events. Here are seven of the most terrifying things in space. Are you ready for a “megacomet”? The … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Do Spiders Dream of Lightning Bugs?

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Imagine a spider hanging from a silky thread, as still as a corpse, until its eight legs unexpectedly tremble. While this might sound like a horror movie, it’s actually a nightly experience for jumping spiders (Evarcha arcuate) who can reach rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the stage in which most dreaming occurs, a new study … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Uhura, Scotty to Head to the Stars on the Vulcan Centaur

Uhura Scotty

The ashes of Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek, will get sent into deep space on a rocket that memorializes her and several other Star Trek veterans. Nichols’ son, Kyle Johnson, donated her ashes after she died in July at age 89. Nichols’ ashes will head to space on a … Read more

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Writer Fuel: A Whole Lot of Nothing Might Be Flinging the Galaxy Apart

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Gigantic deserts of almost complete nothingness that make up most of the universe may be causing the expansion of the universe to speed up, new research suggests. That means these vast tracts of nothingness could explain dark energy, the mysterious force that seems to be flinging the universe apart. Welcome to the desert Zoom all … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Scientists Identify Probable Origin of Mysterious Mineral on Mars

tridymite on Mars - NASA

A mysterious Martian mineral that has perplexed scientists since its discovery seven years ago may have been spat out during an unusual volcanic eruption, researchers have revealed. The mineral, which is normally only found on Earth, was likely formed on the Red Planet more than 3 billion years ago. NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered the mineral … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Fire

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Bright-green fireballs that streaked across the skies over New Zealand last month may finally have an explanation. On July 7, 2022, a bright-green meteor was spotted crashing into Cook Strait between New Zealand’s North Island and South Island. The meteor, likely about 3.3 feet (1 meter) in diameter, struck with explosive power equivalent to 2,000 … Read more

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Writer Fuel: The Difference Between Goths, Visigoths and Ostrogoths

Visogoths

The Goths were a people who flourished in Europe throughout ancient times and into the Middle Ages. Sometimes called “barbarians,” they are famous for sacking the city of Rome in A.D. 410. After the Western Roman Empire diminished, two Gothic kingdoms rose: the short-lived Visigoths and the longer-lasting Ostrogoths. The earliest surviving written records mentioning … Read more

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Space: The Earth is Getting (Slowly) Farther Away From the Sun

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The sun moves in such a predictable way across the sky that you might never suspect that its relationship with Earth is changing all the time. In fact, the average distance between Earth and the sun is not static year over year. So do we know if Earth is getting closer to or farther from … Read more

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Cloning: Scientists Create Mouse Embryos Using Only Stem Cells

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For the first time, scientists have created mouse embryos in the lab without using any eggs or sperm and watched them grow outside the womb. To achieve this feat, the researchers used only stem cells and a spinning device filled with shiny glass vials. The experiment is a “game changer,” Alfonso Martinez Arias, a developmental … Read more

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Writer Fuel: Scientists Find 200 Places Astronauts Could Live on the Moon

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Lunar scientists think they’ve found the hottest places on the Moon, as well as some 200 Goldilocks zones that are always near the average temperature in San Francisco. The moon has wild temperature fluctuations, with parts of the moon heating up to 260 degrees Fahrenheit (127 degrees Celsius) during the day and dropping to minus … Read more