Giraffe Necks Explained, Galactic Bar Scene, Forgotten Apollo Parts
Plus: How Do Fish See in the Deep Dark Sea?
Welcome back to the Aha! Science weekly roundup, celebrating science by revealing amazing discoveries and images from our world and beyond and exploring life’s most intriguing, strange and unexpected questions. These featured articles include “friend links” to Aha! stories on Medium so you can read them even if you’re not a Medium member.
How Do Fish See in the Deep Dark Sea?
Some of Earth’s strangest creatures live in eternal darkness at or near the bottom of the sea. Yet they must eat. And so they must find prey. Evolution has equipped deep-sea fish with remarkable adaptations—their own forms of night vision. The same adaptations account for some of the freakiest looking animals you’ll ever see, and there remain some notable unsolved mysteries down there.
In fish with multiple rod opsins, the wavelengths they’re tuned to overlap with the spectrum of light emitted by some bioluminescent creatures that live down there. So while no sunlight reaches down to 6,500 feet, where some of these fish live… “It may be that their vision is highly tuned to the different colors of light emitted from the different species they prey on.”
—Robert Roy Britt
Forgotten Part of Apollo Moon Rockets is Rediscovered
To put humans on the moon, a lot of rocket parts had to fall into the ocean. Decades later, some of those artifacts were recovered from the sea floor. Adam Creuziger then got to study some of them and, with a colleague, was surprised to find jet engine parts in what had been a rocket engine. It made no sense. And that wasn't the only mystery.
I imagine the company that built the engine decades ago only had to meet NASA’s requirements, and they may not have had to disclose exactly what materials were in it. It’s also possible those records have just been lost over the years.
—Adam Creuziger
What are Roads Made Of?
I knew roads were made of either concrete or asphalt. I did not know how complex the layers underneath are, nor how much testing goes into the materials in labs before the pavement ever.... hits the road. I'd like to steer some folks to this informative yet speedy read.
Asphalt binder is refined from crude oil. From crude oil, refiners first extract gasoline, kerosene and oil, and what remains at the bottom becomes the asphalt. Portland cement is manufactured using several different ingredients, including limestone, sand, clay, silica and alumina.
—Mansour Solaimanian
Each week, I also post cool science news briefs and amazing new images to the Aha! Science Substack site…
Galactic Bar Scene
This new view from the Hubble Space Telescope pictures the spiral galaxy NGC 4731, which is 43 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. This is a barred spiral galaxy, a common sort marked by the central bar, created by a concentration of stars and gas all lined up into a super dense region.
Why Giraffes Have Such Long Necks
Among the strangest proportions in the animal kingdom is the elongated neck of the giraffe. Scientists have long debated what led to the strange feature. Darwin figured it was to help giraffes snag food from high up in trees. A more recent idea suggested it was due to competition among males, who spar by swinging their powerful necks. The “necks for sex” hypothesis seems a bit of a stretch based on new research.
From the Aha! archives
How Does a Giraffe Drink Without Passing Out?
Is There a Foolproof Cure for Hiccups?
Why Do Air-Dried Clothes Get Stiff?
Out There: Beyond Aha!
Woman Declared Dead Is Found Alive at Funeral Home (New York Times)
(Local media report on the same story)
Sun Activity Nears Max in 11-Year Cycle, More Aurora in the Forecast (Science News)
Kids Discover Rare “Teen T. Rex” (Live Science)
If you find newsletter interesting, please support my ongoing efforts at this labor of love by subscribing, and forward it to anyone you think might enjoy a few Aha! moments in their life.
Cheers,
Rob