Farmers often use insecticides, also known as pesticides, to keep insects from damaging or eating their crops. The Environmental Protection Agency establishes maximum insecticide residue levels in our food, and the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture send inspectors to monitor insecticides on the nation’s crops. While growers are required to use only government-approved insecticides in a safe and consistent manner, there can still be residues even after you scrub ...| Sciencing
When pests threaten to overtake your garden, choosing between the myriad available control methods can be challenging. Many chemical and biological options exist to help manage pests and maintain healthy, productive garden plants. Understanding some of the differences between chemical and biological alternatives can help you choose the best pest management approach for the problems at hand.| Sciencing
Invasive species have the ability to damage ecosystems, and that's especially true in California, where these five species threaten the state's biodiversity.| Sciencing
Antarctica is more than the barren wasteland it seems to be. It tells us a lot about our planet, and a discovery made beneath the ice could prove vital.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
The insides of California pigs turned blue as the result of the rodenticide diphacinone, a dangerous poison that can be rather harmful to humans.| Sciencing
Meteor showers are one of the most awe-inspiring celestial events you can witness, and one of the best is about to make its return to the summer skies.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
The discovery of Ammonite might have disproven the existence of Planet Nine, but it's also given researchers insights into the outer edges of the solar system.| Sciencing
Saturn is a big planet and even though it's getting hit with space debris every day, we've never captured it on camera, but that may have changed.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
Astronomers have spotted the third interstellar object seen to be traversing our solar system, it's named 3I/ATLAS and it comes from the core.| Sciencing
If you're planning a trip to space, you'd better take a few things along. Actually, you'll need more than a few things -- you'll need everything a human being needs to survive in an environment that lacks food, water, air, room to move and gravity. Unless you're planning to be outside the solar system, your space ship should provide protection from solar radiation. If you're taking a long trip, bring something to keep yourself occupied.| Sciencing
If gravity ever stops working, incredible things will happen. For instance, everything not attached to the earth flies off into space, all the planets break free from the sun's pull and the universe as you know it ceases to exist. Gravity may never fail, but scientists continue to unravel the secrets of this mysterious invisible force that helps hold everything together.| Sciencing
You monitor your heart rate. You feel your breathing rate increase. Your legs and arms are moving furiously to keep up the intensity of your exercise. Thankfully, you don't have to concentrate on your heart and lungs to circulate the oxygen-rich blood for your workout; they just do it. An understanding of five functions of your cardiovascular system during exercise will ultimately improve your workout and help you reach your goals as you use your heart rate to your advantage.| Sciencing
Although it travels high above the Earth’s surface, the International Space Station is the third brightest object in the heavens. In fact, it’s so easy to see that you don’t need a telescope to spot it--assuming you know where space station is. NASA’s has provided a web service so that you can always know exactly where to look for the ISS.| Sciencing
In chemistry, there are three major types of alcohol. These include isopropyl alcohol, methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol. Each of these types of alcohol has separate properties, so it is important to distinguish which type of alcohol you have for reasons of safety. Each kind of alcohol also has specific applications in personal and industrial environments.| Sciencing
Sharks are some of the oldest creatures on the planet. According to the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory, sharks have lived in the waters for over 400 million years. That is well before the rise and fall of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Although movies may paint them in a frightening light, sharks offer benefits to the planet by controlling marine life populations. Humans also benefit from products from sharks, such as shark liver extract, which can be used as machine oil.| Sciencing
Food chains and food webs are the basis for all life on Earth. Every ecosystem has its own unique organisms and way in which those organisms interact with each other. The way that all food chains work follows the same basic pattern: Producers (usually plants) convert sunlight into food. Primary consumers are the herbivores. Secondary consumers eat the herbivores, while tertiary consumers eat both primary and secondary, and so on. The players differ from habitat to habitat, with different crea...| Sciencing
There are many types of animals that are considered independent species, either because of the way they hunt, interact socially, or claim a territory. Various cultures celebrate different kinds of animals as symbols of independence, although in many instances the species only displays autonomous behavior during specific times of the year.| Sciencing
Seals are pinnipeds, semi-aquatic mammals with winged feet. There are 33 species of seals, which can be found in the Arctic and Antarctic regions as well as along the North Atlantic and Pacific coast lines. Seals are the primary source of food for land and aquatic animals such as sharks, whales, polar bears, Arctic wolves and humans. Although seals do not possess any significant defenses against these predators, they have adapted behaviors such as aquatic agility and safety in numbers to prot...| Sciencing
The U.S. is home to a fair few scary species, and Florida is home to quite a number of them. Here are five of the most dangerous animals that reside there.| Sciencing
Types of Dangerous Spiders. Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, affects the psyches of many people to some degree, and the mere glimpse of a spider can send even the biggest individuals scrambling across the room. While most spiders are harmless to humans, several species do possess venom that can cause serious damage to a person if bitten. Of the world's five deadliest spiders, only two species, the black widow and brown recluse, are indigenous to the United States.| Sciencing
Octopus belong to the Cephalopoda class, which also includes species such as squid, cuttlefish and nautilus. More than 300 different types of octopus exist. They can be found in oceans all over the world in both shallow and deep water. The most common octopus people are generally interested in are the common Atlantic octopus, giant Pacific octopus, blue ringed octopus and the reef octopus.| Sciencing
The king cobra is the largest of all poisonous terrestrial snakes. Just 1/5th of a fluid oz. of king cobra venom can kill an elephant, according to Animal Corner. The king cobra is shy by nature, although it will defend itself when it must. The king cobra exists in southeast Asia and feeds mostly upon other snakes, leading to its scientific name of Ophiophagus hannah--Ophiophagus is Latin for "snake-eater."| Sciencing
Jellyfish are clear, dome-shaped aquatic creatures. Throughout the watery areas of the world lie hundreds of different jellyfish species. Although very simple in physiology, jellyfish can be very beautiful and peaceful looking. They also sport many interesting adaptations to help them live in the water. These features make studying jellyfish very entertaining.| Sciencing
Sciencing offers informative articles, instructional guides, and cutting-edge answers to pressing questions about science, engineering, and mathematics.| Sciencing
If you've ever looked for health supplements, you've probably heard of peptides. Research on is still ongoing, but here are some of the most promising ones.| Sciencing
Even though Venus is the closest planet to Earth, it is often eclipsed in popular culture by another neighboring planet, Mars. Though Mars has similar surface conditions to Earth, Venus appears more like Earth's twin -- similar in size, density and mass. Venus may be Earth's celestial neighbor, but it still takes a spacecraft over a year to reach the planet, whose orbit takes it closer to the sun.| Sciencing
Days are longer in summer and shorter in winter because the earth spins on an axis that’s tilted. As the earth revolves around the sun once per year, the angle at which the planet receives sunlight changes. The axis tilt changes the position of the sun in the sky, making it appear for more or fewer hours, depending on the season and the latitude, or distance from the equator.| Sciencing
Tides are the constant rising and falling of sea levels across the globe. Newton’s laws of gravity say that two bodies in the universe are attracted to each other by gravitational pull. The laws express how the mass and distance between those bodies affect the attraction. The sun and moon both hold sway over movements on Earth, and the attraction between all three -- sun, moon and Earth -- affect the tides.| Sciencing
Four seasons -- autumn, winter, spring and summer -- occur throughout the year. Each hemisphere experiences an opposite season. For example, the winter season in the northern hemisphere is summer in the southern hemisphere. The seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis as it orbits the sun.| Sciencing
Most nocturnal animals have the ability to see well in the dark, which makes it easier for them to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. Their pupils dilate to allow maximal light exposure. Animals with good night vision also have many light-receptor cells called rods that help them control their eye sensitivity to light. Most can't see as well during the day and can't see color.| Sciencing
The moon is Earth's longtime, familiar companion, the story of when and how it got there is actually a bit of an unanswered question in astronomy.| Sciencing
The human body consists of organized systems that function in sustaining life. Each system is a contained part of the body, but these systems depend on each other to make sure the body is capable of actions such as movement, thought and breathing. Even though each system interacts with the other, they have distinct functions that make them specific.| Sciencing
Thanks to sleep researchers, editing and erasing bad memories has stepped from science fiction and into reality, and it could revolutionize mental healthcare.| Sciencing
Plenty of people are invested in finding ways to live longer, but there are plenty of familiar habits that work against that goal. Here are a few of them.| Sciencing
Stars, such as the sun, are large balls of plasma that can produce light and heat in the area around them. While these stars come in a variety of different masses and forms, they all follow the same basic seven-stage life cycle, starting as a gas cloud and ending as a star remnant.| Sciencing
The sun has been our source of energy for billions of years. While some wonder if it will eventually explode, it won't, but its death will be much slower.| Sciencing
When it comes to volcanic eruptions, most people picture smoke, ash, and lava. Not all eruptions are quite so destructive, but this was certainly was.| Sciencing
Volcanic eruptions are an essential part of how the earth makes new landforms over a long period of time. However, the spewing of lava and smoke is deadly to those around the eruption. So it has become essential for scientists to devise methods to predict an eruption. Luckily, volcanoes often give off several indicators that they are going to erupt.| Sciencing
The Earth's crust is a dynamic and evolving structure, a fact which is evident when earthquakes hit and volcanoes erupt. For years scientists struggled to understand the Earth's movement. Then in 1915, Alfred Wegener published his now famous book "The Origins of Continents and Oceans," which presented the theory of continental drift. His theory was slammed by mainstream scientists at the time, but by the late 1960s, his theory was thoroughly accepted. It laid the groundwork for the modern day...| Sciencing
Earthquakes and volcanoes are both a result of plate tectonics. The Earth's surface is covered with a series of crustal plates that move in response to convection currents, produced by heat from the mantle and core. Geologists have concluded the formation of the various continents is a result of the movement of these various plates. Where and when these plates meet dictates the location and occurrence of volcanoes and earthquakes, respectively.| Sciencing
Sciencing offers informative articles, instructional guides, and cutting-edge answers to pressing questions about science, engineering, and mathematics.| Sciencing
Mount St. Helens is an active volcano located in southern Washington state. Its most famous eruption on May 18, 1980, killed 57 people, destroyed 250 homes, and caused billions of dollars worth of damage. It was the most destructive volcanic event in American history. Fortunately, however, there was a great deal of activity in the months before the eruption. Nearby communities, as well as the rest of the nation, had plenty of warning that a major eruption was coming.| Sciencing
Volcanoes are powerful and might even seem terrifying, though for good reason.. The destruction some of them have caused in the last century can't be ignored.| Sciencing
If you think that any volcanic eruption is just like another, think again. As different types of volcanoes exist, so do different types of eruptions and their levels of impact. Volcanologists categorize volcanic eruptions into two types: explosive and effusive. However, classification of the types of volcanic explosions is not consistent throughout the field.| Sciencing
The vast majority of volcanic activity occurs where tectonic plates collide, called convergent boundaries, or spread, called divergent boundaries. However, there is a special class of volcanoes that form within plates. These inter-plate volcanoes are known as hotspot volcanoes. Hotspot volcanoes that form under continental plates are called super volcanoes, representing the most powerful and violent volcanoes on Earth.| Sciencing
Volcanoes are one of nature's most destructive forces. However, volcanoes are also one of nature's chief constructive forces. Volcanic eruptions are responsible for creating new crust and geological landforms. The specific results of a volcanic eruption differ widely; each volcano type has a distinct eruptive nature.| Sciencing
In July 2024, a massive blast rocked the Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Here's what caused the geothermal explosion and if it could happen again.| Sciencing
Sharks might not be the cutest endangered animals, but as of 2011 they are in trouble. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists 143 species of shark as “endangered” or “critically endangered” “near threatened” or “vulnerable” on its “Red List,” and 210 more are listed as “data deficient.” Less than a quarter of the known shark species in 2011 were classed as “least concern,” as in under no immediate threat.| Sciencing
Elephants are the largest of all living land animals, capable of growing up to 11 feet tall and weighing 14,000 pounds, in the case of the African elephant. They are, as a group, distributed across a wide range of habitats, but each species has its own unique traits and living conditions relative to its geographic distribution.| Sciencing
Perhaps you were driving down the road and stopped to help a small tortoise get safely across the street, only to decide at the last minute to keep it. Or maybe you are just trying to decide whether it is safe to pick it up to begin with. There are a number of scenarios where identifying a tortoise could prove beneficial. Learn how to get a good idea of what kind of tortoise you have by comparing some basic characteristics.| Sciencing
How to Prevent Animal Extinction. There are many contributing factors to the extinction of an entire species of animals. Excessive hunting, environmental degradation and property development on animal sanctuaries cause the extinction of animals. You need to use the power of the media and your commitment to protecting animals in order to prevent animal extinction.| Sciencing
Dolphins are intelligent marine mammals that inhabit every ocean of the world and are very closely related to whales and porpoises. There are 33 known species of marine dolphins and another four species of dolphins that live in both the ocean and in rivers. The most commonly known dolphin is the bottlenose dolphin, while species such as the killer whale and pilot whale are not really whales at all, but dolphins.| Sciencing
Gorillas are large primates that can weigh up to 500 lbs. They spend most of their lives at ground level rather than in the trees like most other primates. Gorillas are indigenous to Africa and only exist elsewhere in captivity. There are at least five different gorilla ecosystems, depending on geographical location.| Sciencing
Sciencing offers informative articles, instructional guides, and cutting-edge answers to pressing questions about science, engineering, and mathematics.| Sciencing
Each cell's nucleus contains chromosomes made up of DNA strands. They contain the genetic material that determines an organism's traits and are passed on to offspring. Cats each have a set number of chromosomes that include a pair of sex chromosomes known as X and Y. Chromosomes occur in pairs, with one of each pair coming from the mother and the other from the father. Genes at corresponding locations on each pair affect the same trait, and together determine the cat's color, fur length and o...| Sciencing
The Paleolithic Age was the earliest part of the Stone Age. The name derives from the Greek words “paleos” meaning “old” and “lithos” for “stone.” This era began about 2.5 million years ago in Africa and lasted up to 10,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. The beginning of the Paleolithic era is marked by early human ancestors that archeologists call hominins developing simple tools. It drew to a close as modern humans began producing works of art and discovering Amer...| Sciencing
There's a good chance you've heard of Neanderthals when it comes to ancient human species, but they aren't the only ones who have appeared in the fossil record.| Sciencing
HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. is a website that has an abundance of technical knowledge and information regarding heating, ventilation and air conditioning products. The goal of is to keep readers apprised of the newest industry innovations in the field. From learning how to decrease the amount of your utility bills to learning about the most useful furnaces around, has a lot of interesting information to offer.| Sciencing
The viscosity of a fluid refers to how easily it moves under stress. A highly viscous fluid will move less readily than a fluid of low viscosity. The term fluid refers to liquids and gases both of which have viscosity. The accurate prediction and measurement of the behavior of a fluid in motion is essential in the design of efficient industrial plants and apparatus.| Sciencing
Before the 20th century, people did not know that the continents moved around the planet. Continental drift is such a slow process that you can't see land masses shift with the naked eye. Because the continents never stop moving, however, the world map you know today will not look the same in the distant future.| Sciencing
Earth is teeming with life, but as of now, life has never been found anywhere else, but new observations hint at life on far-away K2-18 b.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
Early 2025 has already played host to some spectacular astronomical events, and there are more to come. In March, look to the moon to watch it change color.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
There are many different types of ancient weapons, and those similar to the ones found in a simple lake bed tell quite the interesting tale about humanity.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
While our solar system is a fascinating place on its own, exoplanets are even more of a mystery. And one exoplanet in particular is something quite new.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
It's long seemed like Stonehenge harbors many secrets, and it's not keen on giving them up. But a rare lunar event might finally give us some answers.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
In October 2023, Egyptologists discovered coffins adorned with hieroglyphics that shed new light on an oft overlooked period of ancient Egyptian history.| Sciencing: Daily content for curious minds
Usually, it's pretty obvious when something is a solid or a liquid. But this substance moves so slowly that it an experiment had to prove it was a liquid.| Sciencing
Sciencing offers informative articles, instructional guides, and cutting-edge answers to pressing questions about science, engineering, and mathematics.| Sciencing
All snakes are carnivorous and use different methods for catching their prey. Venomous snakes use venom to cause paralysis, while nonvenomous species constrict, wrapping their bodies around animals and tightening until their prey suffocates. Several nonvenomous and venomous snakes have strong resemblances such as the milk snake and eastern coral snake.| Sciencing
Water may seem benign, but in huge quantities it can be an enormously destructive force. When floods occur they bring with them numerous problems, ranging from the physical impact of water damage to the problems of disease and famine that can follow such disasters. The causes of flooding are varied, but the effects of most causes can be managed if not prevented.| Sciencing
Hawaii is famous for its volcanoes, drawing visitors from all over the globe to witness their majesty, and one Hawaiian volcano has been erupting since 1983.| Sciencing
It would take more than sunscreen to survive the hottest place on Earth, located right in California. Here’s its record-setting temperature and why it’s so hot.| Sciencing
Whether an animal is poisonous or venomous is often a confusing question, and that's especially true with these two frogs, owing to their unique adaptations| Sciencing
Earth's poles are the coldest places on the planet, with the South Pole outpacing the North Pole in terms of bone-chilling weather. The lowest temperature ever recorded was in Antarctica, about 700 miles (1,127 kilometers) from the South Pole. The reason why it's colder in the Antarctic than the Arctic is because it's dry and mountainous. Two of the coldest places in the Northern Hemisphere are populated, and they aren't very close to the North Pole.| Sciencing
Alligators can get really big, but these inhabitants of the Americas come second to their crocodile cousins, and their prehistoric ancestors were bigger still.| Sciencing
Informative articles on telescopy, orbital mechanics, and the observation and study of the solar system, the galaxy, and the visible universe beyond.| Sciencing
Life in space is very different from life on Earth; that much is pretty obvious. But what does the regular routine of an astronaut actually look like?| Sciencing
Sciencing offers informative articles, instructional guides, and cutting-edge answers to pressing questions about science, engineering, and mathematics.| Sciencing
There are many species with pretty scary defensive (and offensive) tactics, such as venom. These species in particular can be pretty intimidating on that front.| Sciencing
While volcanoes can be frightening, supervolcanoes are even scarier. These five supervolcanoes are proof of that, having drastically altered Earth in the past.| Sciencing
Mount Vesuvius may be Europe's most famous volcano, but lurking nearby is an ancient supervolcano, a ticking timebomb that could cause massive destruction.| Sciencing
Yellowstone is a beloved natural wonder, but beneath that beautiful exterior, the park houses a scary secret. In fact, it even has a surprisingly violent past.| Sciencing
Sciencing offers informative articles, instructional guides, and cutting-edge answers to pressing questions about science, engineering, and mathematics.| Sciencing
Between climate change and the effects of humanity on the environment, many species have been harmed. Here are a few of them that have been led near extinction.| Sciencing
Informative articles on the study of life, organisms, and living systems including microbiology, physiology, ecology, epidemiology, evolution and more.| Sciencing
Sciencing offers informative articles, instructional guides, and cutting-edge answers to pressing questions about science, engineering, and mathematics.| Sciencing
Thomas Jefferson used to boast to European statesmen of the greater dimensions attained by American animals than their Old World counterparts. Though it’s not strictly accurate, the claim has an element or two of truth: Several mammals also found in Eurasia reach their maximum size in North America. The mammoths, mastodons and giant short-faced bears of the Pleistocene may be gone, but the United States still has a few colossi among its land mammals: specifically, some jumbo-sized ungulates...| Sciencing
