The asteroid collision that Something mysterious happened nearly
half a billion years ago that triggered one
changed life on Earth of the most important changes in the forever—without killing the history of life on Earth. Suddenly, there was an explosion of species, with the dinosaurs biodiversity of invertebrate animals increasing from a very low level to ● September 20, 2019 something similar to what we see today. The most popular explanation for this "Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event" is that it was a result of an uncomfortably hot Earth cooling and eventually heading into an ice age. But what actually triggered the change in temperature? In our new paper, published in Science Advances, we show that its onset coincided exactly with the largest documented asteroid breakup in the asteroid belt during the past two billion years, caused by a collision with another asteroid or a comet. Even today, almost a third of all meteorites falling on Earth originate from the breakup of this 150 kilometer-wide asteroid between Jupiter and Mars. 23 ways alcohol could save Most bourbon brands are around 80 proof (40 percent alcohol by volume), and while your life this mixture contains more water than ethanol, it’s still flammable. The only trick September 20, 2019 when using liquor to kindle a fire is to be ready for the water. Liquor will light quickly but, as soon as the alcohol is gone, all that’s left is water. This means that if you dump this booze onto a pile of damp sticks, the alcohol will burn off quickly—leaving the sticks wetter than they were before. Bourbon’s generous alcoholic content can do more than get you drunk quickly; It can prevent deadly infections when applied to cuts, scrapes, and scratches. Yes, it will sting like hell, especially on larger wounds, but few things kill microbes as effectively as liquor. Pour some across the injury, or dribble it on a piece of gauze to be left in place. While it’s not the ideal ingredient for making your own homemade medicine, bourbon can be used instead of clearer liquor to create medicinal tinctures. Select a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid (preferably a wide-mouth jar). Cut, crush, chop, or otherwise break up the dried plant material you wish to use, and then pack it tightly into the jar. Pour enough bourbon over the medicinal herbs to cover them slightly, and then put the lid on it. We’ve lost almost 3 billion In 1962, Rachel Carlson warned about the dangers of the pesticide DDT in the birds in the U.S. and classic Silent Spring. The book helped Canada since 1970 launch an environmental movement and stop the use of DDT, which had nearly decimated iconic raptors like the September 20, 2019 peregrine falcon and the bald eagle. While eagles and falcons have made a remarkable recovery and continue to grow in numbers, a new study reveals a greater crisis, renewing Carlson's message about our ability to destroy nature. In the United States and Canada, almost three billion birds have been lost since 1970—or about 29 percent of birds that once lived in those countries. "It's really quite frightening," says Rachel Buxton, conservation biologist at Carleton University, who was not involved in the research. "We know that we're facing a biodiversity crisis, but the most jarring thing is putting a number on it." The biodiversity crisis is often defined by extinctions, the many species that are being completely lost. And that's important: the extinction rate today is estimated to be 1,000 times greater than that before humans. But the new study, published Thursday in the journal Science, shows that counting individuals of more common species can paint a grim picture. "The overwhelming focus on species extinctions, however, has underestimated the extent and consequences of biotic change," write the authors in the paper. As Arvind Panjabi, co-author and avian conservation scientist at the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, says: "For the first time, we've combined estimates of [bird] population size with trends of population change." 5 deals to improve the If you struggle to sleep when it's too quiet or the neighbors are being too loud, quality of your sleep DOZZI can help. This small device lives on your nightstand and generates September 19, 2019 soothing white noise while filling your room with relaxing light. Right now, DOZZI is 60 percent off at $19.99. With hypoallergenic rayon bamboo covers and shredded memory foam filling, these pillows provide incredible comfort. They have antimicrobial, dust mite- resistant properties, and the foam adapts to your shape. Worth $80, they are now just $34.99.This smart ring gathers data while you sleep. When you start snoring, GO2SLEEP vibrates, prompting you to turn into a better position. In the morning, you can see all your sleep metrics via the companion app. You can pick up the ring now for $129. DNA databases may deter On October 31, 2016, a 21-year-old man from Indiana named Damoine Wilcoxson criminals, but at what cost? was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police and charged with two crimes: September 25, 2019 the murder of John Clements, an 82-year- old man gunned down while getting the mail outside his home in Zionsville, a suburb 15 miles northwest of Indianapolis, and two shootings at local police stations. The violent crimes, which took place from late September to mid-October 2016, were not initially believed to be connected. But investigators determined that multiple shell casings from the bullets fired at all three crime scenes matched up. With no obvious connection between Clements' murder and the police shootings, detectives sent the shell casings, along with other crime scene evidence, to the forensics lab, where they were able to identify a clear genetic profile left behind on some items. These genetic samples were then scanned against the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national forensic DNA database used by law enforcement across the country, which led to a direct match with Wilcoxson, whose genetic material was already stored in the police index. On the basis of this evidence, Wilcoxson was charged, tried, and found guilty of both crimes, eventually receiving two consecutive prison sentences totaling 102 years. These newly discovered The native bees of Fiji don't bear much resemblance to their black-and-yellow iridescent bees are already cousins in the West. Instead, these at risk of extinction southwest Pacific insects are colorful and metallic, adorned in brassy tones of green, blue, black, and bronze. They're September 24, 2019 also much more biodiverse than scientists originally thought. Researchers recently identified nine previously unknown species of these opalescent bugs, showcased in detailed macrophotography by biologist James Dorey (the photographs and their findings were described this week in the journal Zootaxa). In addition to the nine new species, Dorey and his colleagues also redescribed four known species of native bees, locating new specimens and updating their descriptions with a more current sense of their geographic diversity. All of these new and recently updated bees belong to the same genus, Homalictus. Altogether, this brings the total number of Homalictus on the Fijian archipelago up to 13, still a relatively small genus. As is the case with most scientific discoveries, there's good news as well as bad. The good news is that for many years, the Fijian archipelago was thought to be lacking in bee diversity. Prior to this current research, scientists hadn't checked in on the taxonomic status of this genus in Fiji in over 40 years. The iPhone 11 Pro camera Let's get it out of the way first: The new iPhone 11 Pro has the best overall is amazing, but it has a few smartphone camera system I've used. notable issues That may change when Google releases the Pixel 4 next month, but for now, the iPhone 11 Pro is the champ. And while I September 24, 2019 have no problem giving credit where it's due, I'm left with some extremely complicated feelings about Apple's new flagship imaging devices. Even beyond a few notable drawbacks, I wish it was simpler to know what's actually going on inside the camera. If you only hope to point the camera at a subject and get usable—and often pretty impressive—shots, then the 11 Pro is unbeatable. But if you already know how to use a camera—even a previous iPhone camera—there’s a learning curve that might change at any time thanks to software updates, and it could have a real effect on the look of your photos and videos. Plus, the new phone is a reminder that iPhone photography—and smartphone shooting on the whole—is increasingly different than typical photography. Everything we know about After eight deaths related to a mysterious lung illness linked to vaping that has also the outbreak of mysterious sickened more than 500 people across vaping-related diseases the United States and more in other countries, the CDC is everyone abstain from vaping until the source can be September 20, 2019 identified. "Until we know more, if you are concerned about specific health risks, CDC recommends you do not use e- cigarettes or vaping products," said CDC principal deputy director Anne Schuchat in a statement to reporters yesterday. At press time, eight outbreak-related deaths have occurred in the continental United States. The latest was a Missouri man in his mid 40s, according to an official statement released Friday. "No infectious diseases have been identified with the illness, meaning it doesn't spread from person to person," the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said in the statement. "These lung illnesses are likely associated with a chemical exposure from vaping." Missouri counts 22 cases of the illness since late August, with patients sharing a symptoms like elevated heart rate, cough, chest pain, fever, and diarrhea," according to the statement. They all reported that they had used e-cigarettes around the time they became ill . Many questions remain about what compounds and in what types of vaping cartridges are causing these acute illnesses, says Sanjay Sethi, chief of pulmonology at the University of Buffalo clinical research office. Some—though not all—of the people who got sick were using vapes that included THC, the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana, according to the CDC. Car jump starters that will There's no good time or place for your car battery to go dead, but there's a way for bring your auto's battery you to prepare. Not only can these car back to life jump starters charge up your car’s battery, most of them can also charge your phone. Some can even pump air into September 24, 2019 your tires, too. This kit can jump start your car 20 times from a single charge. The portable 6.7- inch starter comes with a durable protective bag and lighting that features seven different settings. It also boasts a spark-free technology, meaning it’s safe to use even for those who aren’t car savvy. The Tacklife jump starter weighs just one pound, which makes it one of the most compact options available. It can charge a vehicle as large as a van up to 30 times. It also has dual charging ports, just in case you need to charge up to two phones, too. If you’re likely to forget to charge your jump starter, this one is a great option: it will stay charged for up to 12 months. At 18 pounds, the Stanley jump starter is significantly larger, but more powerful than the others. It's also a phone charger, an air compressor, and a pressure gauge all in one. It also features a 270-degree LED light to help you fix up your car in the dark. Just remember to charge this one every 30 days when it’s not in use. Is corn a fruit, a vegetable, We all know the is-a-tomato-a-fruit debate (correct answer: yes, but you still or a grain? shouldn’t put it in a fruit salad). Now we’d like to bring you a whole new botanical September 24, 2019 question you never knew you had: Is corn a fruit or a vegetable—or is it a grain? The answer is more technical than you might think, and to fully understand it you'll need a little primer on corn biology. So away we go! A single corn stalk grows several ears, which are the female bits of the plant, and has one tassel up top, which as you can guess is the male part. The tassel produces pollen, which is the semen of the plant world. Before those ears look anything like the thing you eat, they're essentially a hard cylinder covered in hundreds of unfertilized ovules. Each of these ovules grows a single silk, which reaches up and out of the top of the husk, where it dangles in the hopes of catching a bit of pollen on its little sticky hairs. If it does, the silk grows a pollen tube, enabling the male genes to travel towards the ovule and fertilize it. That fertilized ovule will grow into a single kernel. That only has to happen 400-600 more times to make a whole ear of corn.