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How do sandcastles stay together?How can you get the right mixture of sand, water and air for your sandcastle?
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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The 10 biggest explosions in historyExplosions, both natural and man-made, have caused awe and terror for centuries. Here are 10 of the biggest recorded blasts.
By Charles Q. Choi Last updated
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'Building blocks of life' discovered on Mars in 10 different rock samplesNASA's Perseverance rover has found an intriguing menagerie of organic molecules in a Martian crater, but their source remains unclear.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Mushroom-shaped superplume of scorching hot rock may be splitting Africa in 2Strange, never-before-seen movements in the East Africa Rift Valley appear to be driven by super-heated rock from deep beneath Earth's surface.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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What did the last common ancestor between humans and apes look like?Did our last common ancestor swing from trees or walk on all fours in the savanna?
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Is Africa splitting into two continents?Will the East African Rift split the continent and create a new ocean, or will it fizzle out?
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Why does hair turn gray?Hair grays because pigment-producing cells get stuck within the hair follicle, research suggests.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Why do cats knead?If a cat kneads on your lap, it's likely because it feels safe around you. But why do they knead in the first place?
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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New York City may be sinking under its own weight because the buildings are too heavy, scientists warnScientists estimate the mass of the 1,084,954 buildings within the five boroughs of New York City is 1.68 trillion pounds.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Modern humans arose after 2 distinct groups in Africa mated over tens of thousands of yearsModern humans may descend from two or more genetically distinct streams that split but continued to occasionally mix over time in Africa.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Some of the 1st ice age humans who ventured into Americas came from China, DNA study suggestsThe first wave of humans into the Americas during the last ice age may have hailed partly from northern China, according to a DNA study of ancient and modern Indigenous people.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Modern humans migrated into Europe in 3 waves, 'ambitious and provocative' new study suggestsModern humans migrated into Europe in three waves: 54,000, 45,000 and 42,000 years ago, a new study claims.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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1st mega-tsunami on record since antiquity was triggered by Tonga volcanic eruptionThe eruption was the most powerful natural explosion in over a century, triggering a tsunami hundreds of feet high.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Will Earth ever lose its moon?The moon is slowly creeping away from Earth, but will we actually lose the moon before the sun turns into a red giant and destroys us both?
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Why don't hurricanes form at the equator?Here's why hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones and typhoons, don't form at the equator and why it would be rare for them to cross it.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Why do dogs tilt their heads?Dogs commonly tilt their heads, but is it a sign of intelligence, or does it mean something else entirely?
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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How deep is the Mariana Trench?The bottom of the Mariana Trench is about 35,876 feet (10,935 meters) deep, making it deeper than Mount Everest is tall.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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How many hearts does an octopus have?Octopuses are odd: They have more than one heart and copper-rich blue blood.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Unknown lineage of ice age Europeans discovered in genetic studyThe largest study yet to look at the genetics of ice age hunter-gatherers in Europe has uncovered a previously unknown lineage dubbed the Fournol.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Insect that flings pee with a butt catapult is 1st known example of 'superpropulsion' in natureGlassy-winged sharpshooters rapidly fire their pee out of butt catapults.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Bering Land Bridge was only passable during 2 brief windows, study findsThe first people to enter the Americas may have taken the coastal route along the Bering Strait Land Bridge during these two periods.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Massive, 1.2 million-year-old tool workshop in Ethiopia made by 'clever' group of unknown human relativesAn unknown group of hominins crafted more than 500 obsidian hand axes more than 1.2 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Prehistoric population once lived in Siberia, but mysteriously vanished, genetic study findsA genetic study has revealed the existence of a previously unknown hunter-gatherer group that lived in Siberia upwards of 10,000 years ago.
By Charles Q. Choi Published
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Why do beavers build dams?And do the rodents live in these wooden structures?
By Charles Q. Choi Published

