View larger. | A new theory proposes that humanity – and other analogous forms of intelligent life in the universe – might not be as extraordinary or improbable as previously thought. Instead, we might represent the probable outcome of biological and planetary evolution. The new theory challenges the decades-old hard steps” theory of human evolution. … Read more
The best way to address science misinformation? Build conversation and community. Image via Geralt/ Pixabay. Science misinformation is an area that scientists are having to address more and more. Sharing facts is not always the best way to combat misinformation. This is because some facts can feel threatening. Building community and working within your own … Read more
Extreme cold is hitting the U.S. Here’s a person bundled up against the cold. Image via Demeter Attila/ Pexels. Dangerous cold in mid-US on Wednesday As of late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, Extreme Cold Warnings stretched over 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of the continental United States, from North Dakota, down through south Central … Read more
View larger. | In this image from Voyager 1 – acquired on February 14, 1990, from a distance slightly past the orbit of Saturn – planet Earth appears as a pale blue dot within the sunbeam, just right of center. As you can see, the blue glow of Earth occupies less than a single pixel … Read more
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lynzie Flynn of Fountain Valley, California, submitted this image on December 22, 2024, and wrote: “This is an adult male Vermilion Flycatcher. It was flying from tree to tree and posing for me. It’s such a colorful bird and one of the few colorful birds we see in my … Read more
The National Weather Service said this morning: “A winter storm will continue to impact the Mid-Atlantic through tonight with areas of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain. A winter storm will begin to impact the Central Plains Wednesday, bringing heavy snow from central Kansas through much of Lower Michigan. This system will also produce a … Read more
Canadian artist Gustav Hahn painted his impression of what the 1913 Great Meteor Procession looked like. Image via Gustav Hahn/ Wikimedia Commons (public domain). February 9, 1913: the Great Meteor Procession An odd and still-unexplained parade of meteors on this date dazzled viewers in Canada, the northeastern United States and ships in the Atlantic all … Read more
How easy is it to see Earth’s civilization? Could an alien civilization with technology like ours detect us looking back at them? What would aliens see? And from how far away could they see it? Knowing how easy Earth and earthlings are to spot might simplify work for scientists looking for alien life. The SETI … Read more
This animation from NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory shows an atmospheric river event in 2017. Atmospheric rivers are relatively narrow regions in the atmosphere that are responsible for most of the horizontal transport of water vapor outside of the tropics. Image via NOAA. Atmospheric river to continue to pound U.S. West An atmospheric river has … Read more
Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter. UPDATE FEBRUARY 2, 2025. IT’S CLOUDY AND COLD IN PUNXSUTAWNEY, PENNSYLVANIA. But the legendary groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, somehow saw his shadow. The prediction is for six more weeks of winter! The great weather prognosticator In case you’ve just landed here from another planet … Groundhog Day happens … Read more