Life's Little Mysteries Earth Archives
Punxsutawney Phil Predicts More Winter, but How Accurate Is He?
February 02, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, a sign that six more weeks of winter are coming. But how accurate are his predictions?
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10 Strangest Sights on Google Earth
January 26, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
In lieu of a whirlwind trip round the world, check out some highlights courtesy of Google Earth.
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World's Largest Island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island Seen on Google Earth
January 24, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
The dubious distinction belongs to a four acre island in Northern Canada.
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Easy Answers to Your Kids' Most Burning Questions
January 24, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
A new survey has identified the five most common questions kids ask their parents. It also found that most parents don't know how to answer them. Life's Little Mysteries steps in to fill the knowledge ...
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What Tree Rings Sound Like Played on a Record Player
January 19, 2012, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
Artist Bartholomäus Traubeck has built a record player that can play a cross-sectional slice of a tree trunk. Here's what the tree rings sound like.
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Can 'Walking Palm Trees' Really Walk?
January 16, 2012, Benjamin Radford, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
A spider-like tropical tree "walks" toward sunlight, locals say.
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Earth's Newest Island, Burped from a Volcano, Is a Keeper
January 10, 2012, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
A new island has formed out of the lava and ash from a volcanic eruption in the Red Sea. Unlike many such islands which quickly erode, experts say this one is a keeper.
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Earth has Two 'Moons' Right Now, Theorists Say
December 22, 2011, by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
A new study characterizing the way Earth captures nearby asteroids suggests that our planet typically has a temporary "second moon" at any given time.
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Giant Tsunami-Shape Clouds Roll Across Alabama Sky
December 19, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Unusual clouds rolled across the Alabama sky on Friday. Called Kelvin-Helmholtz waves, they formed because warm winds skirted the top of a cold, thick cloud.
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Can a Butterfly in Brazil Really Cause a Tornado in Texas?
December 12, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
The butterfly effect has long been used by weather and financial forecasters as an excuse for why they can't make accurate predictions of the future. But research shows butterflies flapping their wings...
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Do Ocean Waves Really Travel in Sets of 7?
December 08, 2011, Eli MacKinnon, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Sea-worn mariners will tell you that waves travel in sets of seven, but is that true?
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Would You Really Sink If You Fell into a Volcano?
December 07, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
The common understanding of how humans die when they fall into lava is wrong. You wouldn't sink and melt. You would catch on fire.
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What's Causing the Fierce Santa Ana Winds?
December 01, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
California is experiencing an especially powerful bout of Santa Ana winds this week, which experts say are caused by a pressure gradient between the east and west.
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What Are Climate Change Skeptics Still Skeptical About?
November 21, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Despite the growing body of research proving that global warming is real and caused by humans, some scientists disagree.
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How Human Population Stacks Up to Other Animals (Infographic)
October 27, 2011, Joseph Castro and Rosendo Toro
The human population is set to hit 7 billion in late October, 2011, and is on pace to reach 10 billion by 2100. Here's how our numbers compare to other species.
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Can NextEarthquake.com Really Forecast Earthquakes?
October 24, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Earthquake predictor Reginald Roberts uses a flawless method to forecast earthquakes, but it's more about fudging the numbers than using science.
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What's the Largest Earthquake that Could Strike the United States?
October 21, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Earthquakes as strong as magnitude-9.0 are possible in two places in the United States.
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California 'ShakeOut' Quake Drill to Be Largest Ever
October 20, 2011, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
If an earthquake hits, your best bet is to dive under a table.
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What Should You Do When an Earthquake Hits?
October 19, 2011, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
If an earthquake hits, your best bet is to dive under a table.
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5 Ways the World Will Change Radically This Century
October 19, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
As the human population explodes, a lot will change.
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10 Species Our Population Explosion Will Likely Kill Off
October 10, 2011, Joseph Castro, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
From primates to plants, the populations of many of the world's species are rapidly declining and may not survive for much longer.
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The Surprisingly Strange Physics of Water
September 18, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Water is at the same time familiar and mysterious. Here are nine strange facts about the physics of H2O.
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How to Journey to the Center of the Earth
September 09, 2011, Brooke Borel, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
Scientists have drilled several miles into the ground, but those holes are nowhere near reaching the center of the Earth.
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How to Reach the North Pole in 5 Snowy Steps
September 08, 2011, Brooke Borel, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
The ice above the North Pole is constantly shifting, which makes getting there even trickier.
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Religion and Science: 6 Visions of Earth's Core
September 02, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
We'll probably never make it to the center of the Earth - at least not in person. But using indirect methods, we're gradually learning more and more about what it's like there.
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