The London Blog

Learn more about the lives of some of the largest birds in the world.   Some of the world's largest birds can tower over an NBA player in height and spread their wings to cover an entire king-sized mattress.   There is a wide range of sizes and shapes among the almost 10,000 bird species on Earth, from the small bee hummingbird to the huge ostrich. You'll find ten of the largest birds below, including the world's tallest, heaviest, and most wing-spreading species.   The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)   Some of the largest birds on Earth are harpy eagles, given their name after the legendary human-bird hybrid of Greek mythology. When comparing weights, these dark-grey birds are among the largest species of an eagle on Earth. The San Diego Zoo reports that females can reach a weight of 20 pounds (9 kilograms) as an adult, while males reach a maximum of 12 pounds (5.4 kg). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that a fully grown bald eagle male can weigh up to 14 pounds (6

Over the past 10,000 years, there has been a dramatic reduction in the size of the domesticated cat's skull and brain.   Because cats have been living with people for thousands of years, new studies show that their brains have shrunk.   In a study published on January 26 in the journal Royal Society Open Science (Felis silvestris), researchers compared the cranial measures (an indicator of brain size) of modern housecats to those of their two closest wild predecessors, the African (Felis lybica) and European (Felis silvestris) wildcats. In the last 10,000 years, the size of cats' skulls and, by extension, the size of their brains have changed a lot compared to their wild relatives.   Because of this, your tabby may not be any more or less intelligent than a wildcat. However, it suggests that the development of the brains of domesticated animals may have been altered in favor of tameness, as suggested by the researchers. These alterations probably start during embryonic developm

The blood of a patient can be tested for several of these factors.   After the initial COVID-19 infection clears up, COVID symptoms can last for weeks or months. Scientists have found four risk factors that may help predict who will get persistent COVID.   Autoantibodies, immune molecules that target the body's proteins rather than viruses or bacteria, and a previous diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, in which cells are resistant to insulin, are all risk factors. Another is a high amount of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in the blood early in infection.   This new study, published on January 24 in the journal Cell, suggests that prompt interventions may prevent some cases of protracted COVID because most of these risk factors can be pointed out when a patient is first diagnosed with COVID-19.   This research is, however, merely the first step. In an email to Live Science, the author, Yapeng Su, who was at the time a research scientist at the Institute of S

Penguins often pair up with members of the same sex.   Penguin parents who are genetically identical welcome a baby of the same gender. (Photo courtesy of Rosamond Gifford Zoo) They're doing a great job parenting their first chick, which they hatched at New York's Rosamond Gifford Zoo from a same-sex pair.   Elmer and Lima are two male Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) that were given an egg to incubate because the parents of the egg frequently break their eggs. On January 1, a baby penguin came out of its egg, and its parents were the same gender.   The zoo director, Ted Fox, stated in a statement that "Elmer and Lima, who are doing a terrific job," are still caring for the baby.   Elmer and Lima started a family by constructing a nest for the coming breeding season. Although they didn't have any real eggs, zookeepers saw that they were acting like breeding penguins and decided to test their parenting skills using a fake egg.   In the presence of a dummy e

The archaeologists are baffled as to the motive behind the horse's beheading. An old cemetery in the southern German town of Knittlingen has yielded the skeleton remains of a man buried there 1,400 years ago, close to a headless horse. He likely rode and owned the horse when he was still alive. The burial took place during the height of the Merovingian dynasty (A.D. 476-750), which had control over a vast expanse of modern-day France and Central Europe. The individual probably worked for the kings of the dynasty during his lifetime. Archaeologist in charge of the site's research, Folke Damminger, told Live Science in an email that the individual "stood in a 'chain of command' with the Merovingian monarchs at its top," meaning he was obligated to take part in the king's conquests. Damminger hypothesized that this man, a member of the local elite, ran a farming operation with his family and a staff of servants. Damminger said that the man wasn't a farmer

Facts are the backbone of any good scientific theory.   A scientific theory is a well-organized framework for explaining a set of natural-world facts or events, and it frequently uses a scientific hypothesis and rules. The common usage of the word "theory" differs significantly from the scientific one.   Professor of biology at Boston's Emerson College Jaime Tanner remarked, "The way that scientists use the word 'theory' is a little different from the average layperson's use of the word." "The common understanding of the word "theory" is that it refers to an individual's speculations or hypotheses, whereas in science, the word "theory" refers to our explanations of observed phenomena."   Involvement in the development of a scientific hypothesis   The scientific process is the backbone of any accepted scientific notion. A scientist can notice something, form a hypothesis about what it means, and then experiment to see

Interestingly, SARS-CoV-2 appears to be evolving all the time. The letters alpha, beta, delta, lambda, mu, and omicron have all made headlines within the past two years. According to the World Health Organization, dozens of additional variants have been found, but they are not on this list since they are not a top priority.   Is the rapid development of this particular coronavirus exceptional, or do other viruses also have a wide variety of strains? We consulted with professionals to get the answer.   The virus population is ever-expanding. Suman Das, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who researches the evolution of viruses like SARS-CoV-2, has found that replication is not without its bumps. There is a chance for error when viruses use host cell machinery to replicate their DNA, leading to mutations. Moreover, whereas most changes have little effect or render the virus useless, some give it a good advantage. Perhaps specific changes render the

Let's say we manage to build a supercomputer the size of a planet and powerful enough to create a virtual version of the universe.   Is it possible that everything we encounter, right up to and including reality itself, is just an illusion crafted by an unknown power? In 2003, Professor Nick Bostrom at the University of Oxford proposed this idea, now known as the simulation hypothesis.   Is any convincing evidence to support the simulation idea, or is it merely thought-provoking speculation? What is it?   Let's suppose that the future of computing holds ever greater speed, efficiency, and functionality. Let's say that in the future, we will build a supercomputer the size of a planet that can simulate the whole universe, including all the physics, chemistry, and biology we see in the real world.   Let's also agree that consciousness can live in either a real brain or a digital one. Any simulated organisms inside the computer that become conscious will have an experience

And why are they so numerous in one region?   Multiple nations around the globe hold the record for the highest quantity or quality of a particular commodity. Canada has the most lakes, with an estimated 879,000, while Russia takes the cake for the most trees, with an estimated 45.0% of its geographical area covered in forest.   However, which nation has the most islands overall? Maybe you're in Greece. Can it be Indonesia? Where does that leave Canada, the country that hosts the Arctic Archipelago?   Sweden has triumphed by a wide margin. According to Statista, a German statistics provider, this northern European country is home to a remarkable 221,800 islands, the vast majority of which are deserted. The study, published in 2005 in Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, found that this figure includes islands as small as 270 square feet (25 square meters). It is the equivalent of a single-car garage in size.   According to Statista, Finland comes in second with an estima

  How their victim perceives them plays a role in this.   Animals' patterns and colors serve several functions, from attracting mates to discouraging predators from eating them. However, the ability to sneak up on their prey undetected is crucial for ambush predators like tigers. Is there a particular reason why tigers are orange instead of any other colors that could be possible for them?   Humans employ orange for obvious objects like traffic cones and safety jackets, so this is a valid concern. Because orange stands out in most settings, we can easily detect tigers.   However, this is because humans possess trichromatic color vision. The retina is a tiny layer at the back of the eye that receives light from the outside world. Two types of light receptors in the retina, rods, and cones, process this light. Rods are employed mostly in low-light settings since they detect only brightness variations, not color. Most humans have three types of cones—cones for blue, cones for green, a

  Colours can convey various emotions and ideas, from rage to virtue, death to majesty.   Numerous cultural traditions have attached profound symbolic importance to particular colour combinations. Even though many people in the English-speaking world have given up their superstitions in favour of scientific facts, many colours still have the same meanings they have always had.   It's common knowledge that brides wear white, red represents that anger, and that envy is symbolized by the colour green. But to understand these associations, one must look to ancient thought and behaviour.   Red   Red is a universally significant colour with multiple connotations across cultures, including life, health, vitality, war, courage, fury, love, and religious passion. All of these things share a common denominator: they demand enthusiasm.   Bright red oxygenated blood rises to the skin's surface during anger, lust, or shame due to the "fight or flight" sympathetic nervous system. A

Culture in Mexico is a synthesis of European practices and old Central American traditions.   A great deal of change has occurred in recent Mexican history, and this change has had diverse effects in various parts of the country. Although most Mexicans now call the city home, the country's rich culture is deeply rooted in the country's smaller rural areas.   While the Aztecs and Mayas, who formerly ruled much of Central America, contributed to Mexico's cultural past, the country also owes a great deal to the colonial heritage of Spain. Many Mexican traditions can be traced back to one of these eras.   "Mexico is distinct from other Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas because of its unique culture and history. According to Peter Standish and Steven M. Bell's "Culture and Customs of Mexico," no other country has so aggressively traced its cultural origins [through] such a dramatic past to such deep foundations; none has so thoroughly combined Europea

Experts can't figure out why crop circles appear in farmers' fields, which has led to the idea that beings make them from another planet.   Crop circles, the enigmatic patterns seen in farmers' fields that sometimes form overnight and are attributed to aliens or UFOs, are not only the fanciful creations of Hollywood screenwriters. Despite popular belief, crop circles do not represent a hoax. The public and media are mystified, delighted, and intrigued by this phenomenon.   According to BBC Travel, the rings first appeared in the UK, specifically in South-West England, but have since expanded to dozens of other nations. Hollywood has taken notice, with shows like The X Files and movies like Signs by M. Night Shyamalan being influenced by the enigma.   Researchers have tried to answer the question, "Who or what is making them?"   Do crop circles only appear recently?   A brochure printed on woodblock that some people believe is an early example of a crop circle. Acc