Articles by Rhodi Lee
Fish-Eating Cone Snail Drugs Prey with Toxic Insulin Before Devouring It
Two species of cone snails are able to incapacitate a prospective prey by using a special insulin that can cause the blood glucose levels of fish to plummet.
Pizza is Bad for Kids' Health: Here's Why
Teens and children eat pizza more often than adults but experts advise reducing kids' consumption of pizza because it could raise their risk for unwanted health conditions.
Our Solar System May Be Hiding Two More Planets Beyond Pluto: Study
Scientists suspect that there may be at least two planets bigger than the Earth that belong to the solar system and are located beyond Pluto.
NASA's Kepler Spots M-Dwarf Star with Three Earth-like Planets
NASA's Kepler Space Telescope has discovered a new star that has three planets orbiting around it. One of these planets is in the habitable zone where the temperature is just right it could possibly allow for liquid water and even life to exist.
Amazing Maser! Princeton University Researchers Build Microwave Laser No Bigger Than Rice Grain
Researchers exploring ways to use quantum dots have built the tiny microwave laser. The device is hailed as a step toward the development of quantum computing systems that use semiconductor materials.
Our Civilization is Beyond 'Safe Operating Space': Is Humanity Doomed?
Humans have gone beyond four of nine safe operating space and what this means is that human civilization is doomed by 44 percent.
Sea Level Rising Faster Than We Thought: Sound the Alarm
The rate at which global sea level rises had been overestimated from the end of the 20th century until the 1990s. Now, the acceleration is significantly faster than previously believed.
Homing Instinct: Sea Turtles Rely On Earth's Magnetic Field to Find Their Way Home
Sea turtles are able to find the place of their birth by making use of the changes in the Earth's magnetic field allowing them to find the best place for nesting.
Zebra Stripes Help Keep the Animal Cool ... Or Not?
Zebras that live in hotter regions tend to have more eye-popping stripe patterns. The discovery suggests that thermoregulation has something to do with the animal's iconic black and white coat.
Creatures Lurking in the Deep Ocean Are Big But How Big? Now We Know
By using historical data, specimens and scientific literature, a group of researchers came up with more accurate measurements of animals that live in the ocean. Here are the results.
Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms: Depression, Anxiety, Sleep Problems May Precede Memory Loss
Individuals who exhibit behavioral changes such as depression, sleep problems and anxiety much earlier are more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those who do not develop these changes.
Stone Age Butchery Tools Influenced Language Evolution More Than You Think
Our human ancestors developed a primitive way of communicating with each other so they could teach the skill of stone tool-making. This paved the way for the advent of language, teaching and learning.
Elon Musk Wants to Dream About Mars Mission from Seattle Office
Elon Musk’s vision of a human colony on Mars is a step closer to reality with a commercial satellite business. The Seattle-based engineering office in charge of building this will hire as many as 1,000 employees.
Carnivorous Pitcher Plant is Proof that the Brainless can be Brainy Too
Although it has no brain, a carnivorous pitcher plant in Borneo, adopts a remarkable prey-catching strategy that allows it to trap large numbers of ants.
Social Cost of Climate Change May Be 6 Times More Than We Thought, Stanford Scientists Warn
Researchers have pointed out the problem with current models used for assessing the effects of future climate change: these do not often consider all the economic damages caused by a warming world.
Janusiscus schultzei: 415-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Fish Skull Suggests Our Ancestors Weren't Shark-like
The remains of a 415-million-year-old fish known as Janusiscus schultzei indicate that the ancestors of both the bony and cartilaginous fishes were not shark-like but instead were characterized by lots of bones.
Scientists Use 'Antivenomics' to Develop Universal Anti-Venom for Snakebites
Current venom extraction practices tend to result in weak anti-venoms. This may soon change as scientists work on producing an antidote for snakebites using a process called antivenomics.
Ni Hao! Chinese Spacecraft Enters Lunar Orbit with Mining Plan
A Chinese spacecraft service module has entered the moon's orbit this week to collect data that could help in planning out the Chang'e 5 mission, which aims to gather soil and rock samples from the lunar orb.
White-Handed Gibbons Communicate the Same Way as Early Human Ancestors
Two researchers have found that white-handed gibbons used distinct sounds that convey specific meanings and scientists think this is likely the way human ancestors communicate by song 1.8 million years ago.
Have Peanut Allergy? Drop that MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger
Individuals with peanut allergy are advised to stay away from two varieties of MorningStar Farms bean burgers because they may contain peanuts not listed in the ingredients.
One in a Million Blessing: Rare Identical Triplets Born to Montana Family
Ian, Cade and Milo, who were born in December, were spontaneous triplets. Their mother Jody conceived them without fertility treatment.
Quit Smoking? Blood Markers can Tell if You Should Use Patch or Pill
Using a biomarker called nicotine metabolite ratio, researchers were able to determine the rate on which smokers metabolize the nicotine in their body and this could tell which smoking cessation treatment is more effective for them.
Loch Ness Monster? No, But Dolphin-sized Reptile Terrorized Isle of Skye 170 Million Years Ago
The Dearcmhara shawcrossi was a fearsome marine reptile that hunted prehistoric sharks and dinosaurs in the Middle Jurassic period. The dolphin-like animal thrived when the Isle of Skye was still under water 170 million years ago.
Rare Half-Male, Half-Female Lexias pardalis Butterfly Excites Entomologists
An odd-looking Lexias pardalis butterfly spotted at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University has both the external characteristics of the male and female of its species.
Astronomers Measure Space-time Warp Before Binary Pulsar Vanishes
Researchers have measured the space-time warp produced by the intense gravity exerted by two massive stars that are very close to each other before the binary system's pulsar disappeared.
Volcanobot: Neither Autobot nor Decepticon but NASA Robot to Help Predict Volcanic Eruptions
NASA developed Volcanobots to explore deep into the crevices of volcanoes. The robots could help scientists better predict volcanic eruptions and also pave the way for a new technology that can be used in space missions.
CDC: Beat the Flu with Tamiflu and Other Antiviral Drugs
Public health officials stress the importance of antiviral medicines such as Tamiflu and Relenza this flu season because this year's vaccine provides reduced protection against the dominant strain.
Russia Bans Transgenders, Transsexuals, Other People with 'Disorders' from Driving
A recently signed decree in Russia prevents individuals with 'disorders of sexual preference,' along with those who have certain psychological and physical conditions, from obtaining a driver's license.
Monkeys can Learn to Recognize Themselves in the Mirror
Chinese researchers were able to train monkeys to recognize themselves in the mirror and pass the mark test for self-recognition.
Divers Retrieve 'Atlantis' Metal Orichalcum from Ancient Shipwreck
Divers exploring an ancient shipwreck discovered 39 ingots believed to be made of the legendary metal orichalcum that Plato said was forged and used in the city of Atlantis.
