Nature appears to follow the rules of mathematics. Geometric patterns are everywhere, but nature appears to have a particular affinity for hexagons. Six-sided shapes are the most common geometric formation in the natural world, but is this just a coincidence or is there a more scientific explanation? Host Dr. Joe Hanson and mathematician Kelsey Houston-Edwards give us some answers on It’s Okay To Be Smart.
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Despite its cuddly appearance, beneath those fluffy feathers, the owl is what we call a bird of prey. H/T ZeFrank
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For a seed to start growing, its embryo must emerge from its hard coat. In nature the embryo is aided by frost and animal digestion — but humans can help too. Nicking, filing, and soaking the seed in hot water or acid are all forms of scarification, or ways to speed up germination by breaking down the shell. Mary Koga offers some tips to spur your sprouts (and don’t forget the bleach).
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Scientists around the world discover about 18,000 new species every year. Each new organism has not only to be found, but also studied, compared, identified and organized — that’s taxonomy, the science of classifying living things and exploring the evolutionary relationships between them. Hank Green from the SciShow reports.
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Ancient trees are fascinating, but the answer to the question in the title isn’t as cut and dried as it might first seem. There are two major contenders for the superlative, and Hank Green has all the important information on both of them in this episode of SciShow. Which one would you give the title to?
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The long-held belief that primates began their evolution in Africa has been called into question following the discovery in China, of the oldest known primate fossil. Writing in this month’s Nature journal, an international team of researchers announced the discovery of Archicebus achilles, a primate that lived more than 55 million years ago. Rob Muir reports for Reuters.
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Remember, if you never take any risks, you might fade away. Tapir takes advice from the bird, the bear, the pig and others, but should she heed the recommendations? H/T Ze Frank
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The lowly bedbug is making a huge comeback, its ranks swelled by worldwide bans on DDT and similar pesticides, as well as the uptick in global travel. MinuteEarth outlines the difficult quest to sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.
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Only three percent of birds have penises. Perhaps none are as endowed as one species of duck. Ze Frank provides the low-down.
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This was the very first of Ze Frank’s “True Facts” series. As the first, it had a smaller audience than the installments that followed, so it’s deserving of a second look.
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