STEM

Clostridium perfringens is a bacterium that can have big effects on humans. It's a common cause of foodborne illness and may cause multiple sclerosis.

There are neutron stars which excite us. Then there are pulsars, which take neutron stars to the next level. What comes after that? Magnetars. This and more extreme neutron star questions are tackled here.

Some scientists are trying to bring extinct animals back to life through a process called cloning. The idea is exciting but also controversial.

Octopuses have fascinating abilities. Some have fins that help them move. Others demonstrate intelligence. The genome of one species is very unusual.

Some sharks produce beautiful patterns of light in a process called biofluorescence. The light emission may have important functions.

Bone marrow is an essential tissue. It contains stem cells that produce all of our blood cells. Bone marrow transplants are used to treat some serious diseases.

The mathematical notion of "nothing" is actually quite enormous. There is more emptiness in the universe than there is physical substance. Follow along with me as I clarify this concept.

Goldfish are interesting fish that have some surprising features. The animals are popular pets. They are found in the wild, where they may become very large.

Everyone should be constantly concerned with battery life. What advancements are being made to improve this field?

Particle physics is full of surprises, but to discover a location of tranquility in a storm of instability is amazing. Yet that is exactly what the island of stability is.

The first of four basic guides to the night sky, and what can be seen with the naked eye or binoculars. This page identifies the many kinds of objects you can see when you look up at the night sky

Narwhals are strange and fascinating Arctic whales. The males—and sometimes the females—have a very long tooth that grows through their lip, forming a tusk.

We've all experienced a short-term power outage, but what kind of problems would we have if the power was out for a week, or even longer? We depend on electricity for a lot more than lights and TV.

Influenza viruses have unpleasant and sometimes serious effects. Antibodies to flu viruses made by llamas may enable scientists to create a better treatment.

Moray eels and wolf eels have elongated bodies and live on the ocean bottom. They have each developed some very interesting and unusual body features and behaviours.

Cockroaches. They may be icky but they've got a lot of tricks up their hard little sleeves and you might be shocked to know what they're capable of and where they came from. Turn your repulsion to fascination right here with one click. I dare you.

The common raven is an intelligent and interesting bird that plays an important role in folklore. The bird is found in many countries and habitats.

In the summer of 1969, the spacecraft Apollo 11 made an epic journey to the moon with three brave astronauts aboard. The space flight culminated when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made an historic walk on the surface of the moon.

Komodo, bearded, and frilled dragons are lizards. They are impressive animals which have features that remind people of the dragons of myth and literature.

Asian and African golden cats are beautiful animals whose populations are near threatened. The cats are in trouble because of human activity in their habitat.

Russia's domesticated silver fox experiment gives genetic clues to the process of animal domestication. Wild foxes from fur farms have been domesticated and made available for the pet trade.

Serendipity is a happy and unexpected event that seems to occur by chance. It's often called a “lucky accident”. Serendipitous discoveries are important in science.

Cone snails use their venom to paralyze their prey. Although the venom is often dangerous for humans, it contains chemicals that have important medical uses.

Dandelions have culinary benefits and also produce a latex that can be used to make rubber. This is important, since the supply of natural rubber is decreasing.

Black widow spiders, scientific name Latrodectus mactans, are among the most venomous of all arachnids. I have been working with insects and spiders for almost 20 years and I get a lot of questions about black widow spiders. This article addresses all of your black widow concerns and curiosities.

The deadly nightshade plant, or belladonna, is extremely poisonous. It contains atropine, which is potentially dangerous but has important medical uses.

This article looks at ten sandy beaches of extraordinary colour, what they are composed of and how they are formed, with illustrations of all ten

Parkinson's disease is caused by the death of brain cells that produce dopamine. Stem cell technology may provide a more effective treatment than current methods.

A mycorrhiza is a beneficial association between a fungus and plant roots. Mycorrhizal fungi often form a communication network between trees. Some produce truffles.

Pygmy seahorses are tiny animals that are often less than an inch in length. Some have amazing features that disguise them and protect them from discovery.

The resins that some trees secrete when they're wounded can be useful for humans. Some are used as perfumes or medicines. Others have preserved ancient life forms.

Bleach has potent antimicrobial properties and is also able to remove stains from fabrics. It has many uses, but it's potentially dangerous.

What role does water play in life and what would happen if we were to lose it or it didn't exist? There are already parts of the world where we can see how life would change, if there were no water. This article explores it further.

The great horned owl is an avian apex predator. Possibly this bird is the finest predator to have ever lived.

Inky cap mushrooms become a black, inky liquid in order to disperse their spores. Some contain coprine, which increases the unpleasant effects of alcohol intake.

The monkey puzzle tree is a very strange and interesting plant. It's native to South America but grows in parks and gardens in other areas as an introduced plant.

Tomatoes are nutritious fruits (or vegetables) with an interesting history, but they often lack flavor compared to tomatoes of the past. A discovery by scientists should be helpful in creating tastier fruits. Some strategies for obtaining tomatoes with a better taste already exist.

Unripe lychees and ackee fruits contain toxins. Both fruits should be eaten only when ripe. In addition, it's very important that ripe ackee is prepared properly.

When someone experiences a heart attack, cells in their heart die. Scientists have found two ways to replace the lost cells in rodents. The techniques may one day work in us.

The mucus that covers fish has several functions, including protection from multiple dangers and serving as food for young fish. The substance may also be useful for us.

The rainbow eucalyptus is an unusual tree with a beautiful, multicoloured trunk. The trunk's colours change as the tree sheds strips of bark, creating living art.

Snakes are fascinating reptiles that have a wide variety of appearances and behaviors. Some snake characteristics are both strange and surprising.

Learn interesting facts about the behavior of the blue jay, view pictures, and learn how to keep this bully away from your bird feeder.

Water has some properties that can make it a good refrigerant. It also possesses some undesirable properties that makes its application as a refrigerant very challenging and inefficient to implement.

The frilled shark is a strange, deep water shark with a wide head, a huge mouth, and a long, eel-like body. It’s caught as bycatch and is near threatened.

This article summarizes the threat that asteroids and comets pose to the Earth. A short history of some of the greatest asteroid impacts on Earth is also provided.

Land subsidence caused by groundwater withdrawal poses a significant threat to governments, businesses, and the general public.

The dragon blood tree of Socotra Island has an unusual appearance. It secretes a red resin known as dragon's blood when its bark is injured. The resin is used in many ways. The island is home to other fascinating and often unique organisms besides the tree.

Lobsters are interesting animals to observe and study in a natural setting. They are popular food items, but the way in which we kill them is controversial.

Osteoblasts and osteoclasts control the production and disintegration of bone and the amount of calcium released from the bones into the bloodstream.

Here are the tales of fifteen species that succumbed to anthropogenic extinction as a result of hunting or habitat destruction.

Earwigs have a fearsome image but aren't dangerous. They sometimes become garden pests. Natural control methods can be very helpful in dealing with the insects.

Broca's area, Wernicke's area, and the circle of Willis are important parts of the brain. They are named after the famous scientists who discovered them.

The Sunshine State has all sorts of over-sized bugs and creep-crawlies. This article looks at the biggest spiders in Florida.

A humble, misunderstood, and unappreciated vegetable, the rutabaga needs a spin doctor to improve its image; I am not here to provide that service.

Rapamycin increases lifespan in mice, apparently by inhibiting a protein called mTOR. It may do the same in dogs and possibly in humans. It's currently being tested in pet dogs.

With billions of galaxies in the universe that may have the potential for Earth-like planets in their solar systems, the chance of intelligent life elsewhere must exist. But there are reasons why we may never find it.

Scientific use of the term "super" is rather rare, as it tends to be a superlative more often found in our common vernacular than in the annals of science. Nonetheless, geologists have assigned a set value of parameters to define the monstrous geologic events, better known as supervolcanoes.

Did an “Intelligent Designer” fine-tune the universe to make it just right for human life? No! Just the opposite. Evolution has fine tuned life to fit the universe.

Students have an excellent chance of doing well on a physics exam if they work efficiently throughout the physics course and follow some tips for writing exams.

After nearly a decade New Horizons has accomplished its primary mission of examining Pluto. What secrets did it uncover?

Ring of Fire is a common expression applied to a geographical area bordering the Pacific Ocean. Within this "Ring of Fire" earthquakes and volcanoes are more common than any other place on the planet.

Why does time only go forward? Is there some kind of gravity that relates to time? The gravity of time, or time gravity, is my theory that affects the direction of time—keeping it going only in one direction.

Forsythia is an ornamental shrub that produces beautiful and abundant yellow flowers in late winter and early spring. The plant is named after William Forsyth, an eighteenth-century horticulturist.

Birds are among the most beautiful creatures on Earth. They're also some of the weirdest! Check out these crazy-but-true interesting and fun facts about our feathered friends...you'll be amazed!

A look into space travel for the proliferation of the human race.

At least 1000 types of fish—and probably many more—produce sounds. These sounds include pops, clicks, purrs, grunts, hums, hoots, rattles, and tinkles.

Some animals absorb chloroplasts or algal cells, which make food inside the animal's body. At least one kind of animal can make electricity from solar energy.

Bowhead whales live in the Arctic, break through ice to breathe, and sing intriguing and beautiful songs. They have a large head with a huge, bow-shaped mouth.

Saliva is made by salivary glands and has important functions. The glands may sometimes develop a stone or an infection. In Sjogren's syndrome, insufficient saliva is made. The disease may be accompanied by other symptoms.

Astronauts living on the International Space Station help with the study of human survival and endurance in space. The challenges they encounter are unique due to the lack of gravity that we take for granted on Earth.

Have you have considered the power potential of the human body? What about the energy stored in a raindrop? In this article I discuss five strange methods that could one day become an integral way that civilization generates electricity.

Prior to the discovery of blood groups, blood transfusions were often deadly. Physicians attempted the use of milk and animal blood as an alternative to human blood, but met with limited success: the discovery of blood types allowed modern transfusions to safely take place. Blood typing, blood groups around the world, and the genetics of blood types are discussed in this article.

This article provides a technique for performing division using the abacus.

This tutorial will show you how to code your very first website from the ground up using HTML and CSS. This guide is well-suited for beginners.

Some people believe that NDE is proof of an afterlife. However, science provides alternate, and more plausible, explanations.

The Himalayan blackberry is a beautiful plant in spring and summer. It produces delicious blackberries, but it's an invasive species and grows aggressively.

The giant hogweed causes burns and blisters. Grapefruit juice interferes with many medicines. The chemicals that cause these effects are called furanocoumarins.

Figuring out how the moon was created is one of the deepest mysteries of archeological astronomy. We do have ideas though...

Parasitic plants obtain their food or nutrients from another plant. The relationship may last for a long time, but sometimes the parasite kills its host.

Mud is a versatile and interesting material. It's useful for both humans and animals. It can also be dangerous, especially in the form of mud volcanoes and mudflows.

Sickle cell disease is painful for sufferers and can sometimes be dangerous. Genome editing may one day correct the mutation that causes the disorder.

While it may ultimately prove to be wrong, scientists know of several ways to test for string theory using many conventions of physics.

Bumble bees have surprisingly capable brains. They can play a simple version of soccer and pull a string to get a reward. They may even experience optimism.

Black holes, mysterious objects of the universe, have many different types. Do you know the differences between them all?

What different species of animals can interbreed and how is it possible? From mules to ligers learn all about hybrids in this comprehensive article.

The wood frog survives freezing. A study of its adaptations for survival may be helpful in understanding human health problems and in the use of organs for transplants.

Coral bleaching is an event in which corals lose their pigment and main source of food. It often causes corals to die. Oxybenzone in sunscreens may contribute to coral bleaching.

In the fall they disappear, and then in the spring they appear again. But what happens to all the insects during the cold, snowy winter months? Read more..

The triangle is the simplest polygon. This tutorial covers types of triangles, Pythagoras's theorem, cosine rule, sine rule, various ways of calculating the area of a triangle, and basic trigonometry.

Marmots are large ground squirrels that live in mountainous areas of British Columbia. They are social and very vocal animals that often form colonies. Three species of animals are commonly known as marmots in BC. One of them—the Vancouver Island Marmot—is critically endangered.

Some chemicals in fungi can act as medicines for humans. Three of these chemicals are penicillin, lovastatin, and cyclosporine. Lentinan and eritadenine may also be medicinal.

Pacific white-sided dolphins are intelligent and very social animals. This article describes the lives of the wild dolphins and of some rescued animals in captivity.

Harvestmen or daddy longlegs are interesting animals that are arachnids but not spiders. They have some unusual features and are fascinating to observe.

Zenos Paradox has been around since before Christ and has baffled many people. An explanation and debunking of the paradox; why it is no paradox at all but a simple mathematical description of what we see happening all around us.

Tiny microplastic particles are produced from plastic waste. The particles enter the human body in a variety of ways. Their effects on the body are unknown.

According to genetics, it is extremely rare, but still possible, for a black person to have blue eyes. This article will cover the science behind black people with blue eyes, and will provide some well-known examples.

Our skin is an impressive organ that has many functions. For example, it reduces water loss, fights infections, helps regulate body temperature, and makes vitamin D.

Camel spiders and whip scorpions are fascinating and strange arachnids. Whip scorpions are sometimes called vinegaroons because they release acetic acid when alarmed.

The Malayan tapir is an unusual animal with an extensible and mobile proboscis, or mini-trunk. Despite its size and bulk, this endangered animal can move fast.