In the remote part of the Death Valley National Park, rocks have begun migrating across a flat expanse of desert. Hundreds of rocks appear to move as a group, as if in a choreographed desert dance. What could be provoking this strange effect on the rocks in the desert? The prevailing theory has been wind, but many scientists also advocate ice. A fringe group suggests aliens. I mean it is an isolated stretch of desert, and everyone knows that aliens love to frolic in American deserts.
(more…)Archive for November, 2014
Rocks Dance in the Desert
Posted in Geology on 11/16/2014| 1 Comment »
Pseudoscorpions: Terror On The Bookshelf
Posted in Blinding People with Science on 11/11/2014|
Be afraid. A new terror is descending on your home and it lurks in your . . . er . . . bookcase? The terror in question is a fearsome little creature called Chelifer cancroides, one of the most common species of pseudoscorpion (there are actually about 2,000 species in the world). Ok, they are not scorpions, hence the pseudo- in front of their name, but they certainly look like the real thing. Their front legs extend into pincher-like claws that give the small arachnid a menacing appearance. However, these little critters do not pose any danger to you, the human, but be afraid if you are a book louse!
EarthSpin 