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What Is a Species? Insight From Dolphins and Humans
More than 70 definitions exist for what makes a species--each is applied to a different group of organisms & uses different methods for determining a label
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This Robot Always Wins Rock-Paper-Scissors
To do this, the Japanese robot takes advantage of humans comparatively slow visual processing time
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Snakes’ Vision Sharpens When They’re Under Stress
This likely allows them to optimize their vision for situations that require the most attention to detail, and in the meantime save that visual energy
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“The Simpsons” Has Been Secretly Teaching Its Fans Complicated Math
Several writers for The Simpsons completed degrees in math and physics before they turned to screen writing for the beloved cartoon
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A Rare Pliosaur Bone Sat in a British Shed for 16 Years
Mysteriously, as far as experts know, pliosaurs only lived in waters around Africa, Australia and China, not Great Britain
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A 360-Page Book That No One’s Ever Been Able to Read Is Coming Back Into Print
Original editions of the Codex sell for up to $2,000, but a new reprint is available for $125
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The Gold Rush Left Behind Mercury That’s Still Contaminating California
Leftover mercury will continue to flush through the environment, eventually making its way into the San Francisco bay, for the next 10,000 years
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Reindeer Eyes Change Color to Match the Season
Reindeers' wintery blue eyes are about 1,000 times more sensitive to light than their summery gold ones
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Dell Laptop Users Weren’t Crazy, Their Keyboards Really Did Smell Like Cat Urine
Some users speculate that polymers could have been to blame, though others pointed to nitrogen, one of the main components of urine
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Salvador Dali Suffered From the Irrational Fear That Insects Were Crawling All Over His Skin
The condition is almost always accompanied by tactile hallucinations of crawling sensations and visual hallucinations of the non-existent insects
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This Eagle Statue Is One of the Greatest Romano-British Artworks Ever Discovered
Archeologists in London just turned up a pristine 1,800-year old Roman statue of an eagle devouring a serpent
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Our Brains Evolved to Recoil at the Sight of Snakes
Around 60 million years ago, our primate ancestors figured out that the sight of a snake meant trouble
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Appreciate the Mathematical Beauty of Every Day Objects
Given math's applicability to everything in our world and beyond, it's not so far fetched to think that a theory of everything really does exist
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Here’s How to Make a Canoe Out of a Tree Trunk
The boats are fashioned entirely by hand using simple tools, and traditionally are carved from magongo tree wood
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Read Seamus Heaney’s Last Known, Previously Unpublished Poem
Two months before he died, Heaney wrote "In a Field" at the request of poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy
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Hibernation Doesn’t Have to Be Cold
Hibernation tends to go hand-in-hand with cold temperatures, but the greater mouse-tailed bat hibernates at a comfortable 68-degrees Fahrenheit
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Men Shop for Groceries, And Food Companies Are Noticing
Those companies have designed dark, bold packaging and bigger "man-sized" portions
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The Most Isolated Tree in the World Was Killed by a (Probably Drunk) Driver
The acacia was the only tree for 250 miles in Niger's Sahara desert and was used as a landmark by travelers and caravans
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Archimedes Would Be Proud of This Now-Bright Norwegian Town
Inspiration for the idea traces back to the 212 BC legend about Archimedes' burning mirrors used to set Roman battle ships ablaze
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Ancient Buddhist Frescoes in China Got Painted Over with Cartoons
he temple affairs head and the the cultural heritage monitoring team lead have both lost their jobs, and the Communist party chief has been scolded
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