Live Science: The Most Interesting Articles, Mysteries & Discoveries

Planet Earth

Whirlpools: Facts, formation and survival tips

By Ailsa Harvey published 11 May 22

Reference Whirlpools form when fast-flowing currents in oceans and rivers constantly change direction. What do they look like and can you escape from one?

Reference

The Antarctic coast where the East Antarctic Ice sheet comes into contact with the sea.

City-size lake found miles below Antarctica's biggest ice sheet

By Ben Turner published 11 May 22

Drilling into the lake will enable scientists to track the history of climate change.

Space and Physics

Mercury in space surrounded by stars. Image elements furnished by NASA.

Mercury: Facts about the smallest planet

By Patrick Pester published 15 May 22

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, the fastest planet orbiting the sun and the smallest planet in our solar system.

Hubble’s observation of Jupiter in 2021. NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team.

Jupiter: Facts about the king of the planets

By Adam Mann published 14 May 22

Reference Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, with moons, rings and beautiful clouds.

Reference

History

Two people who are wearing hard hats, masks and high visibility safety vests are exploring an underground cave thought to be a city. The walls are lined with large stone bricks and there are three circular holes on the floor.

Underground city unearthed in Turkey may have been refuge for early Christians

By Tom Metcalfe published 13 May 22

Archaeologists in southeastern Turkey have unearthed a vast underground city that was built almost 2,000 years ago and possibly used by early Christians to escape Roman persecution.

Two gloved archaelologists are bending over and carefully excavating bones from the ground using brushes.

Rare 2,300-year-old tomb in Istanbul holds partially cremated body

By Owen Jarus published 13 May 22

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a 2,300-year-old brick tomb that contains the remains of a partially cremated body.

Health

Are protein bars good for you?

By Joanne Lewsley published 15 May 22

Reference Are protein bars good for you? We weigh up the case for and against using a high-protein snack to build muscle, support weight loss and give you an energy boost

Reference

Mold in the window corner. Hand in rubber protective glove with microfiber cloth trying remove it.

How to get rid of mold

By Lindsay Lafreniere published 14 May 22

Reference Knowing how to get rid of mold is essential for maintaining a healthy home with fresh indoor air

Reference

A young girl and her father eating pineapple at the breakfast table.

Why does eating pineapple make your mouth tingle?

By Donavyn Coffey published 14 May 22

Is it the combination of the pineapple's acidity and the enzyme complex called bromelain that likely make your mouth sore.

Animals

A female deer tick walks on a corduroy 'flag' that was swiped over underbrush at the Kennebunk Plains Preserve in Maine, by a field technician for the Vector-borne Disease Laboratory of the Maine Medical Center Research Institute.

Tick-borne illnesses are on the rise. Here’s how to protect yourself.

By Stephanie Pappas published 14 May 22

Tick-borne illnesses are an unfortunate side effect of summer fun. Here's why (and how) to avoid ticks when recreating outdoors.

Educator and outdoorsman Payton Moore documented his capture of the enormous fish, which measured over 8 feet (2.4 meters) long.

Colossal 300-pound alligator gar caught (and released) in Texas bayou

By Joanna Thompson published 13 May 22

A conservation educator caught a record-breaking alligator gar in a bayou near Houston.

Local fishers show off the massive stingray, with its long venomous tail, that they caught in the Mekong River in Cambodia.

Astonished fishers reel in gigantic 400-pound stingray in Cambodian river

By Harry Baker published 12 May 22

A 400-pound stingray was accidentally caught by fishers in the Mekong River in Cambodia. However, experts say that these monstrous rays can grow even bigger.

Strange News

A metal kettle attached to a log structure hangs over a campfire near a lake.

Why does wood catch fire, but metal doesn't?

By JoAnna Wendel published 15 May 22

Burning is the release of energy, and some materials like metals, can absorb energy better than others, such as wood.

A screenshot from the EVNautilus Youtube video on the 'yellow brick road' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TID2kc8yb9Q&t=1s

Eerie 'yellow brick road' to Atlantis discovered atop ancient undersea mountain

By Brandon Specktor published 12 May 22

Researchers exploring underwater mountains near Hawaii discovered a bizarre "yellow brick road" on an ancient seamount.

A photo of Dolly, the cloned sheep in Roslin, Scotland on Sept. 2, 1997.

Why haven't we cloned a human yet?

By Joe Phelan published 9 May 22

Here's a look at the science for why we haven't cloned any humans yet.

Culture

Brooklyn's Mexican community marches down 5th Avenue in the Sunset Park neighborhood during a Cinco de Mayo parade on May 7, 2017 in Brooklyn, New York

Cinco de Mayo: History and facts about the celebration of Latin culture

By Remy Melina published 4 May 22

Reference Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration of Latin culture, with origins in a 19th-century battle.

Reference

Two darker skinned females against blue background. Researchers have found that as a tool for grouping people into racial categories, skin color is basically useless.

What's the difference between race and ethnicity?

By Emma Bryce published 9 April 22

Race and ethnicity are terms that are sometimes used sloppily, almost interchangeably. But race and ethnicity are not the same thing.

Nelson Mandela visits Hlengiwe School_Louise Gubb via Getty Images

What is the Mandela effect? And have you experienced it?

By Joe Phelan published 19 March 22

The Mandela effect is when many people believe that something happened when, in reality, it never did.

Tech

Best laptops for students - Student with long hair is sitting in the library wearing glasses and headphones. Surrounded by books, he's looking at his laptop and writing notes in pencil.

Best laptops for students 2022: Versatile laptops to help you study & relax at college

By Mike Jennings published 13 May 22

Buying Guide The best laptops for students are true all-rounders that need to excel in the lecture hall, on the road, and back at home – so we’ve picked out six of the best.

Buying Guide

Here's a look at the best microscopes for kids. Shown here, a girl looking through a microscope.

Best microscopes for kids 2022

By Timothy Williamson, TJ Fink published 11 May 22

Perfect for every skill level and budget, these are the best microscopes for kids right now.

Pentax K-1 Mark II review

By James Artaius published 5 May 22

REVIEW The powerhouse Pentax K-1 Mark II shoots for the stars, and proves that there’s still a lot of life left in DSLRs – especially for astrophotographers.

REVIEW

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