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No, bears don't actually hibernate

Popular Science

Their winter survival trick is a months-long power-save mode--and scientists think it could help humans, too. This bear woke up like this. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. For many animals that live in cold climates, winter means low-power mode. But no creature is more tied to the image of a long, cozy winter than hibernating bears all snuggled up in their dens.


Florida euthanizes 5,195 frozen iguanas

Popular Science

First introduced during the 1960, the invasive reptiles were'cold-stunned' during a record-breaking cold snap. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. To state the obvious, it's been a particularly frigid winter across most of the eastern United States. Winter's icy grip has not even spared the Sunshine State, where a total of 5,195 frozen green iguanas --an invasive species--have been removed from the ecosystem and euthanized. Green iguanas () are considered an invasive species in Florida.


The toddler who survived a 54-degree body temperature

Popular Science

Humans aren't built for the cold, but have survived frigid temperatures in some amazing cases. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Winter is not for the faint of heart. In New York City, skyscrapers turn Manhattan into a series of freezing wind tunnels. In Sapporo, Japan, the snowfall is almost 200 inches each winter. Even so, humans have developed plenty of clever ways to wait out the cold. But what would happen if instead of bundling up inside with a hot chocolate, you were left in the frigid cold--just how cold can humans get and recover?


The coldest body temperatures humans have survived

Popular Science

In some remarkable cases, people have survived after their core temperature has plummeted into the 50s. The human body needs to maintain the same internal body temperature or else many vital systems fall apart. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Whether you prefer sweltering summers or frigid winters, significant temperature changes mean only one thing to your body: bad news. Humans are homeotherms, meaning that our core body temperature stays roughly constant.


What is shivering? Why our bodies shake when it's cold.

Popular Science

Why our bodies shake when it's cold. Involuntary muscle contractions keep us warm and even fight infections. "Shivering is a way for our bodies to generate heat when we are cold," says Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family physician based in Phoenix, Arizona. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. You're walking down a Chicago street on a blustery winter day, when a particularly strong wind almost whips you off of your feet.


A Startup's Bid to Dim the Sun

The New Yorker

The gloomy arguments in favor of solar geoengineering are compelling; so are the even gloomier counter-arguments. Stardust is the name of a small startup with enormous ambitions. The company, which is based in Israel and registered in Delaware, proposes to do nothing less than dim the sun. Its business plan is modelled on volcanoes. In a major eruption, millions of tons of sulfur dioxide get thrown up into the stratosphere.


Fake fish blood may save your ice cream from freezer burn

Popular Science

Amazon Prime Day is live. See the best deals HERE. More importantly, it could help preserve life-saving cancer medications. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Freezer burn is bad enough when it comes to ice cream, but the tiny, jagged ice crystals pose problems for much bigger issues than ruining your dessert.


Swap your boiler for a money-saving heat pump

Popular Science

Heat pumps can save you about $370 per year and are good for the planet. Heat pumps date back to the 1850s and are more energy efficient than furnaces or boilers. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Colder weather is quickly approaching, which means it's time for many folks to start cranking up the heat in their homes and apartments. But for many Americans, heating up their homes is a costly affair-and it's only getting more expensive.


This Brutal Week Shows Just How Important It Is to Know How to Judge Heat

Slate

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Summer just started, and the first significant heat wave of the season is almost over. Some 265 million people across the Midwest and the eastern United States have experienced a week of temperatures in the 90s and triple digits, with a slew of all-time records set on Tuesday. While extreme heat waves can be caused by any number of factors, this particular one is thanks to a phenomenon called a heat dome: a ridge of atmospheric pressure that settles over a region like, well, a dome. Or, as the National Weather Service's Alex Lamers so wonderfully described it to NPR, think of it as a lid placed over a grilled cheese, which, as we all know, makes the cheese melt much faster.


Wheeled, rugged robot dog built for extreme industrial missions

FOX News

The machine is designed to inspect industrial sites, respond to disasters, carry out logistics operations and support scientific research. Deep Robotics, a company from China, has unveiled a durable four-legged robot built to operate in extreme environments that humans struggle to traverse. It's called the Lynx M20, and it builds upon the agility of its predecessor, the Lynx robot dog. This versatile machine is designed to handle anything from inspecting industrial sites and responding to disasters to carrying out logistics operations and supporting scientific research. Here's what you need to know.