The association of eggs and rabbits with Easter is not immediately apparent. Easter is a Christian holiday, and it is a celebration of fertility and rebirth, the modern continuation of ageless rites of spring that we have borrowed and adapted from ancient pagan rituals. Read more
The sun is the source of all life and almost all energy on Earth, and we live within its extended atmosphere, protected only somewhat against its variable and harmful output of streams of high-energy particles and radiation by a weak magnetic field and our own thin atmosphere. Read more
The hydroxyl radical is the dominant oxidizing chemical in Earth’s atmosphere. It is also the most common and most active free radical present in human and other animal tissue, yet it is contained in chemically pure water. Read more
The polar vortex is a permanent low-pressure system that surrounds the geographical north and south poles. “Vortex” refers to the circulation around the poles. The term also describes smaller vortices that occur within lobes of the primary vortex. Read more
The connection between electricity and magnetism was discovered by accident. Read more
Luigi Galvani discovered bioelectricity in the late 1770s when he began to experiment with the muscular contraction of frog legs by electrical stimulation. Read more
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In an atmosphere that is 99% nitrogen and oxygen, it is easy to forget about the minor constituents that comprise the air we breathe. Read more
We are all familiar to varying degrees with the atmosphere’s complex role in global heat distribution. We call it weather. Read more
Cosmic rays are not really rays. They are charged particles traveling at near the speed of light. The majority consist of protons and electrons that are ejected from the sun during solar storms. Read more
“O, swear not by the moon, the fickle moon, the inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circle orb.” — William Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet” Read more
Werner Heisenberg, who revolutionized quantum theory with his famous uncertainty principle, said, “When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first.” Read more
Concrete and cement are not the same thing, although the two terms are used interchangeably. Read more
Research has debunked the old adage that we use only 10% of our brain and has firmly filed it in the “urban myth” category. Read more
Ozone is present in extremely low concentrations throughout the Earth’s atmosphere. It is concentrated in the stratosphere, where it protects us from being fried by sunlight, and accumulates near the surface where sunlight forges it into the key ingredient of smog. Read more
Mineral resources are nonrenewable. They are both finite and irreplaceable, and they are diminishing. Read more
Dog is man’s best friend, but for how long humans and dogs have been living together is a very combative and controversial field, “more that any other subject in prehistory” according to one researcher. Read more
The greatest influence on the Earth’s temperature is the tilt of its axis. Read more
Light from the sun takes a mere eight minutes to travel to Earth across nearly 100 million miles of empty space. But it takes 120,000 years to travel just 400,000 miles from its origin in the sun’s core to its surface. Read more
As with many issues over which emotions run high, there are many myths surrounding irradiation, not supported by or directly contradicted by good scientific studies. Read more
The one thing you know for sure is that no product is chemical-free. Even the air we breathe is a chemical. Read more
Beyond merely noticing how cloudy it is, how often do we really pay attention to clouds? Read more
