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Ancient rhinos in Nebraska lived in large local herds and died slowly from volcanic ashfall, not sudden disaster. Credit: John Haxby/The University of Nebraska State Museum ************************************************************************* Volcanic eruption from 12 million years ago preserves a snapshot of extinct animal life. Rhinos that once roamed much of North America 12 million years ago likely lived in large herds, according to a new study by the University of Cincinnati. Researchers examined isotopes in the teeth of rhinos found in what is now northeast Nebraska. At this site, more than 100 rhinos died at a single water hole and were buried in...

Scientists recently reported an unexpected deep-sea development in the Pacific: certain metallic rocks seem to be making oxygen in the dark, without light or sunshine, at the bottom of the ocean. This idea runs counter to the usual belief that oxygen only forms in sunlight through photosynthesis. Although these findings have stirred debate, the central claim is that potato-sized nodules found thousands of feet below the surface appear to split seawater molecules and release oxygen. Oxygen and photosynthesis – the basics Since the late 1700s, we’ve been taught that light creates oxygen through photosynthesis, a crucial natural process that keeps...

An international team of ocean, Earth and marine scientists has found evidence supporting a theory that a certain oxygen isotope ratio in seawater has changed slowly over the past 540 million years. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group analyzed rocks from the Ordovician period.Over the past half-century, earth scientists have debated the possibility of changes in the ratio of 16O to 18O (written as δ18O) in seawater over the past 540 million years. Some have put forth arguments claiming no change has occurred, while others report evidence that it has increased.The...

The narrative that climate change constitutes a dire threat to life is being challenged by science. Patrick Moore, chairman and chief scientist of Ecosense Environmental and co-founder of Greenpeace, contends that "the message of doom isn't based on facts. There is actually no scientific evidence that CO2 is responsible for climate change over the eons. The reality is that 150 million years ago CO2 was somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 parts per million (ppm). Today, CO2 is around 420 ppm. CO2 is essential for the plant life that produces the oxygen that humans and animals need to live." John Christy,...

As humans here on planet Earth delighted themselves with the sight of the rare ‘super blue moon’ in the skies, the Indian Lunar Mission continued with the scientific experiments on the Moon’s South Pole. The Chandrayaan-3 mission now is divided between the Vikram Lander and the Pragyan Rover, each with a different task. The rover is circling around the touchdown area, analyzing the chemical elements present on the dusty surface of the moon, as it searches ice-water that would greatly benefit future human exploration in the area. Meanwhile, the lander and its probes record seismic activity on the satellite’s surface,...

An alarming report from the US Department of Agriculture predicts that by 2070, the nation’s forests will release substantially more carbon than they store

Motor learning skills let us move through the world. But age or sickness can weaken our ability to learn motor tasks. Scientists studying the impact of oxygen supplementation on motor learning have found a promising treatment that could help patients who have experienced neurological trauma recover old skills. "A simple and easy to administer treatment with 100% oxygen can drastically improve human motor learning processes," said Dr. Marc Dalecki. Our brains need a lot of oxygen. In low-oxygen contexts cognitive function decreases, while in high-oxygen contexts it recovers, and the delivery of 100% oxygen is already used to help preserve...

The Titanic tourist submersible that vanished on a trip to the 111-year-old shipwreck at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean is believed to have run out of oxygen — but authorities pushed ahead with the search operation Thursday morning. OceanGate Expeditions, which operates the Titan sub and whose CEO, Stockton Rush, is aboard the missing vessel, told the Coast Guard on Sunday evening that the vehicle was equipped with only 96 hours of oxygen, with the timer running out around 7:08 a.m. Thursday. The status of the five passengers aboard the ill-fated trip remains unclear as US and Canadian officials...

A small randomized trial in patients with post-COVID syndrome has found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes restoration of the heart's ability to contract properly. The study enrolled 60 post-COVID syndrome patients with ongoing symptoms. Both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients were included. Severe COVID cases were excluded. Patients were randomized to HBOT or a sham procedure in a 1:1 ratio. Each patient had five sessions per week over eight weeks, for a total of 40 sessions. The HBOT group received 100% oxygen through a mask at a pressure of 2 atmospheres for 90 minutes, with 5 minute air breaks every 20...

Chemical Elements in a Distant Gas Cloud This artist’s impression shows a distant gas cloud that contains different chemical elements, illustrated here with schematic representations of various atoms. Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have detected three distant gas clouds whose chemical composition matches what we expect from the explosions of the first stars that appeared in the Universe. These early stars can be studied indirectly by analyzing the chemical elements they dispersed into the surrounding environment after they died in supernova explosions. The three distant gas clouds detected in this study are rich in carbon, oxygen, and magnesium, but...

In yet another stunning move that barely registers as a shock anymore, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez labeled oxygen as a so-called “dangerous greenhouse gas” in a speech delivered to a climate-change skeptics group. “Oxygen is a very insidious gas,” said the self-described Democratic Socialist, who is surely no stranger to the radical notion. “It causes irreparable damage to our environment, with earth-poisoning properties that are only now beginning to be understood. We must take swift action in curbing its emissions and limiting the amount that individuals can encounter over their lifespans.”

Explanation: The hydrogen in your body, present in every molecule of water, came from the Big Bang. There are no other appreciable sources of hydrogen in the universe. The carbon in your body was made by nuclear fusion in the interior of stars, as was the oxygen. Much of the iron in your body was made during supernovas of stars that occurred long ago and far away. The gold in your jewelry was likely made from neutron stars during collisions that may have been visible as short-duration gamma-ray bursts or gravitational wave events. Elements like phosphorus and copper are present...

Kellyanne Conway was on Outnumbered today. They were discussing the document scandal and suggested the SS knows exactly who has visited the Wilmington home. Then, with tongue-in-cheek she says, “ I’m more interested in knowing how many times Dr. Kevin, the Presidents personal doctor, has been there and with how many OXYGEN TANKS.” I think we have been tipped off on what they use to pump Joe up. Oxygen therapy is a well know treatment for dementia and Alzheimer’s. Some of us have noticed Joes nasal and cheek areas are irritated.

Giving patients excess levels of oxygen during surgery is associated with a higher risk of subsequent kidney, heart, and lung injury, finds a large U.S. study. Although the absolute risk remains low, this study suggests it is time to reconsider the liberal use of oxygen during general anesthesia, say experts in a linked editorial. Oxygen is routinely given to almost all patients undergoing surgery with general anesthesia to help prevent hypoxia (dangerously low oxygen levels), and the World Health Organization recommends liberal use of oxygen to reduce the risk of infection. During surgery, arterial blood hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO2) is...

Researchers at the University of Missouri are customizing a commercial finger clip device to provide a rapid, noninvasive way for measuring and continually monitoring blood pressure. Credit: University of Missouri ======================================================================== Monitoring a person's blood pressure on a regular basis can help health care professionals with early detection of various health problems such as high blood pressure, which has no warning signs or symptoms. However, many things can alter an accurate blood pressure reading, including a patient's nervousness about having their blood pressure taken at a doctor's office, otherwise known as "white coat syndrome." Now, researchers at the University of...

Alongside advances in space exploration, we’ve recently seen much time and money invested into technologies that could allow effective space resource utilization. And at the forefront of these efforts has been a laser-sharp focus on finding the best way to produce oxygen on the Moon. In October, the Australian Space Agency and NASA signed a deal to send an Australian-made rover to the Moon under the Artemis program, with a goal to collect lunar rocks that could ultimately provide breathable oxygen on the Moon. Although the Moon does have an atmosphere, it’s very thin and composed mostly of hydrogen, neon,...

The typical rocket launch dumps the same amount of CO2 into the atmosphere as one airliner does in the course of a trans-Atlantic crossing If you’re worried about your ‘carbon footprint’ - a concept foisted on the world in 2004 by British Petroleum to persuade people that their own behaviour, and not giant oil companies like BP, is causing the climate problem -- then you definitely should not sign up for a sub-orbital space flight. Besides, you probably can’t afford it ($250,000 pp). Millions of people can afford it, however, and since the Branson/Bezos ‘space race’ last month tickets for...

The city of Orlando and its water utility made an urgent appeal Friday afternoon for residents to cut back sharply on water usage for weeks because of a pandemic-triggered shortage of liquid oxygen used to purify water. If commercial and residential customers are unable to reduce water usage quickly and sufficiently, Orlando Utilities Commission may issue a system-wide alert for boiling water needed for drinking and cooking. Without reductions in water usage, a boil-water alert would come within a week, utility officials said. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer asked residents to immediately stop watering their lawns, washing their cars and using...

When pressed for oxygen, some fish and sea cucumbers will use their lower intestines to get a little extra out of their environment. Now, a team of Japanese researchers say that mammals are also capable of respirating through their rectal cavity, at least in a lab setting. The team’s research is published today in the journal Med and describes the capacity for mice, rats, and pigs to survive longer and have more strength in low-oxygen circumstances when given oxygen gas or an oxygen-rich liquid through their rectums, in a process similar to an enema. While fish like loaches and catfish...