Science & Technology
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Behold, Spider-Man’s Terrifying Cousins
Arachnophobics beware: Spider-Man's cousins aren't nearly as attractive. (Except for the last one - he's adorable.)
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What Are We Gonna Call Self-Driving Cars If “Automobile” Is Already Taken?
We’ve reached the era of the self-driving car! Congratulations, us. Ford, General Motors, and Volkswagen are all in the autonomous driving game, along with many up-and-comers. Waymo (a division of Alphabet, Google’s holding company) describes theirs as “a safer car for everyone.” In a way, it’s shaky ground we’re standing on. One, because we’re standing on a foundation of dated perceptions of the future, and …
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The Other Easter Eggs: Coded Messages and Hidden Treats
When was the last time you discovered an Easter egg hiding in plain sight? If your answer was “at the last Easter egg hunt I went to,” it’s time to expand your playing field. The term Easter egg started popping up in the 16th and 17th centuries. As most would guess, its original meaning refers to a hollowed-out or hard-boiled egg, dyed or painted for …
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What’s The Difference Between A Bunny, A Rabbit, And A Hare?
Let’s start with the two that have scientific names. Hares and rabbits are both in the family Leporidae, but they’re separate species. Both animals have long ears, powerful back legs, and a divided upper lip. But, hares are larger than rabbits. And, instead of creating burrows, hares make nests in the grass. The exposed nesting sites of hares hint at another big difference—when they’re born. Hares are precocial, …
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What Exactly Is the Spring Equinox?
We get pretty excited about the spring equinox bringing us out of winter and officially starting the season of spring. But what exactly is the spring equinox? And does an equinox happen at the start of every season? First, let’s get into the equinox, which actually occurs just twice a year. The word equinox comes from Latin and means “equality of night and day.” So, the …
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Exoplanets And Planets: The Truth Is Out There
Exoplanets are in the news, and not just because Google did a doodle on them, either. On February 22, 2017, news of the discovery of seven new exoplanets was announced by NASA. This may be a new word for you non-NASA geeks out there. Let’s examine the difference between planets and exoplanets. A planet is sometimes also called a major planet. It’s any of the …
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Pitfalls And Perils Of Twitter’s 140-Character Barrier
Any Twitter user knows about the 140 character limit for a tweet. You only have so many characters to work with, which makes brevity essential. How many of you have composed a tweet only to see “-5” in red, indicating you ended up with 145 characters (five too many)? You have all these words you want to say! But it’s not going to happen. (That’s …
