STEM

Why does time only go forward? Is there some type of attracting force? "Time Gravity" is my theory that I discuss in this article, which affects the direction of time—keeping it going only in one direction.

Scientists are studying the endurance and survival of humans on Mars for a planned colonization of the planet. I review the questions people have about this mission.

Antibiotic resistance is becoming a very serious problem. Phage therapy—treatment with viruses that attack bacteria—may be the solution.

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.

This guide to laboratory signs and their meanings has a detailed description to each sign and symbol, with photos. A must read for anyone working in a laboratory with hazard signs...

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.

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

We now know that water is definitely on the moon, but how did it get there?

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.

NASA and SpaceX plan to colonize Mars within the 21st century. They are preparing ships, cargo, and crew for an intergalactic voyage mid-2030. Here is everything you need to know about living on Mars.

The human skeleton has vital functions. It provides support and protection, allows us to move, makes blood cells, and stores fatty acids and minerals.

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.

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.

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.

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

Draco lizards are sometimes known as flying dragons. They have a skin fold on each side of their body that extends to form a wing-like structure and enables the animal to glide through the air.

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.

This first part of a two part tutorial covers the concept of limits, differentiating by first principles, rules of differentiation and applications of differential calculus.

Mucus has vital functions, such as trapping germs in the airways, protecting the stomach lining from an acid attack, and lubricating the passage of materials through the digestive tract. Excess mucus can cause health problems, however. Mucus in the nose is often referred to as snot.

Proteins in the body have essential jobs. They enable us to move, transport materials and signals, control chemical reactions, stop bleeding, and fight infections.

Acorn worms have an amazing ability to regenerate body parts. We have most of the worm's genes used in regeneration. Scientists hope to enable us to make new body parts.

Many people struggle to tell these two reptiles apart, but it isn't that difficult when you know what to look for. What is the difference between alligators and crocodiles? Well, there are essentially 8 main ways to tell them apart...

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.

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.

The fossa is the largest predator in Madagascar. It's an agile tree climber and a very capable hunter. Its population is threatened by the destruction of its habitat.

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

Shoebill storks, or shoebills, have a huge and impressive bill. The animal's unusual features make it a unique bird. Its population has been classified in the "Vulnerable" category of the IUCN's Red List.

We know that everyone's DNA is unique, but do you know exactly how forensic scientists tell people apart from their DNA? In this article, we explore the concept of microsatellites (or STRs) and apply this knowledge to tackle an exciting mock case example with riveting twists and turns.

Many crocuses bloom in the early spring and are a lovely sight. One type makes saffron. The toxic autumn crocus makes colchicine, which can act as a medicine.

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

Cinnabar is a beautiful but toxic red mineral made of mercury (ll) sulfide. It’s used as a source of mercury and to make an artist's pigment called vermilion.

Oregon grape is an attractive plant with edible berries. The plant contains berberine, which may have health benefits. Further research is needed to prove this.

This is the third page in a series of guides for anyone who wants to learn a little more about our night sky. This page looks at those most numerous of all objects visible in the night sky - the stars

Are you curious about what a group of cats is called? A group of owls or a group of sheep? Find your answers here. From mammals to amphibians to insects—discover the many interesting group names for animals, otherwise known as "collective nouns." Happy learning!

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.

Dark matter and dark energy are still huge mysteries in astrophysics. Alternate theories exist to help explain them.

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

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.

The Mariana Trench is the deepest place in the ocean and contains some fascinating animals. NOAA has made some exciting discoveries about life in the trench.

The bunya pine produces huge and often very heavy cones. Its large seeds are both edible and tasty. The tree has a strange appearance and some unusual features.

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.

Exciting disciplines that combine biology and math include biostatistics, epidemiology, bioinformatics, mathematical biology, and population ecology. The disciplines offer interesting careers.

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

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

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.

Rats carry the same levels of unpopularity as spiders and snakes. probably as the result of ancestral memories of bad experiences with the rodents.

The cross orb weaver spider (Araneus diadematus) is commonly found across much of Europe and North America. Its appearance, behaviors, and traits are discussed in this overview of its year-long life cycle.

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.

Mole and worm lizards are very unusual reptiles. They have elongated bodies that resemble those of earthworms and have one pair of legs or none at all.

The pancreas makes a digestive enzyme called trypsin, which digests protein in the small intestine. Trypsin is normally released in an inactive form but sometimes becomes active within the pancreas. This activation may cause pancreatitis.

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.

The frilled shark is a strange, deep-sea fish with a wide head, a huge mouth, and a long, eel-like body. Its population size is unknown. The fish is caught as bycatch in some areas, which is a concern.

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.

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.

With billions of galaxies in the universe there is a huge potential for Earth-like planets with intelligent life. But here are the reasons why we may never find it.

Michael Faraday, the son of an 18th Century blacksmith, became one of the greatest scientists of his age. One of his discoveries transformed the world and changed the way we live forever.

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.

Chloroform can act an anesthetic, but it’s toxic and causes serious health problems. There are ways to limit our exposure to the chloroform in the environment.

Bacteria in the genus Yersinia have major effects on our lives. One species causes bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. Others cause foodborne illness. One may eventually help to treat cancer.

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.

Help monarch butterflies by planting milkweed, the food plant they need to survive!

Acanthamoeba is a microscopic, single-celled organism that can infect the cornea of the eye. It causes a disorder called Acanthamoeba keratitis, which is most common in contact lens users.

Roses are beautiful and often fragrant flowers that have inspired gardeners for many years. They produce a useful oil and tasty fruits called rose hips. The flowers have many symbolic meanings.

Irises are beautiful flowers that have a wide variety of colours. Some are used to make orris root, which has a lovely scent but can cause an allergic response.

The great horned owl is an avian apex predator, and perhaps the finest predator to have ever lived. In this article, I will detail just about everything you need to know about these magnificent raptors, including what they look like, what they eat, and how they live.

This second part of a two part tutorial covers integral calculus and applications of integration.

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.

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.

Gold has fascinated humans since it was first discovered. It has inspired love, poetry, art and music as well as greed, murder and warfare. Discover about gold with these amazing facts, pics, videos!

Arrays can be tricky to get your head around when you first start out coding in C#. Fortunately, they're not that complicated at all...

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.

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.

Although human blood is usually red it may have a different color, which indicates the presence of a health problem. Animals have a wide variety of blood colors.

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

Clostridium perfringens is a bacterium that is a common cause of foodborne illness. It might also cause some cases of multiple sclerosis.

Sardines and herring are nutritious foods. The behaviour of the living fish is interesting to study. They live in groups and communicate with their companions.

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.

The hedge bindweed or morning glory twines around other plants and interferes with their growth. Bindweed produces large and beautiful flowers in summer.

When solving division problems, it can be challenging for students to learn how to interpret the remainder. With these 40 example division problems, you can learn more about four possible ways to interpret the meaning of the remainder.

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!

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

Formic acid is found in the sprayed venom of some ants and the secretions of some stinging nettles. The acid is dangerous at high concentrations but has important uses.

Hair color is primarily genetic, and red hair is caused by mutations in the MC1R gene. The gene for red hair also causes an increased sensitivity to sunlight and a reduced sensitivity to anesthesia. Contrary to internet rumors, redheads are not going extinct! Famous redheads include Queen Elizabeth I and Malcolm X.

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

Solving triangles using Pythagoras's theorem, the cosine rule, the sine rule and various ways of calculating the area of a triangle.

The black vulture and the turkey vulture are often called "Buzzards." These birds are anything but Buzzards. Buzzards are European birds related to Eagles. Vultures and condors differ from buzzards.

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.

Where are the world's supervolcanoes? The Western United States, Italy, New Zealand, and Asia all contain volcanoes capable of catastrophic eruptions.

There are two types spiders in California whose bite you really want to avoid: widows and recluses.

Ever wondered how many M&M's can fit in a container?

Stages in the Life Cycle of Stars - From protostars to white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes and supernovae. The stages in stellar evolution are described.

For some duckweed is a menace, for others it's a Godsend. Here in Brazil, we have built duckweed ponds and are encouraging it to grow to use as an animal feed . This is just one of its many uses.

Recent research has shown that four plant extracts inhibit the growth of some dangerous bacteria in the lab. Three of them may have been helpful during the American Civil War.

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.

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.

Wild relatives of some major agricultural crops are in trouble. We need the genetic diversity in wild crops and the lower diversity present in cultivated ones to provide food security for the future.

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.

Foxgloves are beautiful but poisonous flowers in the wild and in the garden. They contain digitalis, which is a useful heart medication but can also be dangerous.

Fibronectin attaches cells to the extracellular matrix and controls their behaviour. It also helps to stop bleeding and is used in a fetal fibronectin test.

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