Editorial Comment

The Lady of Spring has kicked Ol' Man Winter to the curb again. Early Summer temperatures abound today so we indulged in some scientific reading and thus our posts today reflex our readings.

We do want to give a shout out to our readers in the Malta and the Russia and say thanks for stopping by to read Carolina Naturally.

Remember to have fun and enjoy life.

Editorial Staff

Early Mayan Civilization Was Far More Advanced Than We Thought

The Mayans were incredibly advanced — that's nothing new. But gauging the extent of their civilization has always proved tricky, since so much of it lies hidden by the impenetrably dense rainforests of Guatemala. But now, using light detection and ranging (LiDAR), scientists have revealed a network of nearly 800 Maya settlements and a sprawling web of interconnected "superhighways."
These ancient thoroughfares comprise causeways of raised stone, and according to a new study published on the discovery in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica, they — along with the over 400 cities, towns, and villages they link — imply a level of advanced organization for Preclassic Mayan civilization.
"They're the world's first superhighway system that we have," study lead author Richard Hansen, a professor of anthropology at Idaho State University, told CNN.
Early Mayan Civilization Was Far More Advanced Than We Thought, Scientists Say

Native Beauty

What's the Most Remote Spot on Earth?

We live in a technologically advanced and interconnected world. Places that were once almost impossible to reach are now accessible by roads, waterways and airplanes. In fact, 90.7 percent of the global population from developed countries lives within an hour's travel of a major city. In low-income countries that number drops to 50.9 percent. We know both of those stats thanks to the Malaria Atlas Project, a massive collaborative undertaking that sought to quantify peoples' access to cities.
But what about the places that take hours, or even days, to reach? What about those far-away lands that remain inaccessible, uninhabited and secluded — in other words, the most remote spots on Earth?
What's the Most Remote Spot on Earth?

Underwater waterfall

Why are scientists searching for the world's oldest ice?

Scientists are on the hunt for Earth's oldest ice, but what exactly are they hoping to learn? 

Here's everything you need to know:
Armed with drills, scientists have trekked to the Earth's southernmost continent — Antarctica — to hopefully pull up a slice of geologic history. Specifically, scientists are trying to recover the oldest pieces of ice on Earth in hopes of learning how the Earth's climate has changed, writes Scientific American. 
The goal is to retrieve an ice core, which has been preserved for years under layers of snow, by drilling multiple kilometers down. The cores act almost like the rings inside a tree, in that they can paint a picture of Earth's atmosphere over time. To make matters even more interesting, there is a "friendly race" between Europe, Australia, and the U.S. — where the project is called the Center for Oldest Ice Exploration, or COLDEX — to see who can first find and extract the ice.  
Why are scientists searching for the world's oldest ice?

Ice Blue Something

These ‘living rocks’ in Romania are able to grow and even move

What is the first thing that comes to your mind about Romania? If your answer is not casinos, prostitution or chowder, you probably know that the Eastern European country is known for its wide variety of rocks.
The area known especially for its rocks is Costesti, a small town north of Bucharest and the home of extremely unique rocks that are hard to find elsewhere.
But these rocks are not only extraordinarily beautiful, they are also able to develop a "life of their own." They are able to grow and even move just like living creatures, which is how they got the nickname "living rocks." There are very few studies on these rocks, called trovants in Romanian, but they have attracted the attention of many geologists and tourists.
These ‘living rocks’ in Romania are able to grow and even move

Scientists Unlock the Secret to How These Giant Rocks Make Their Way Across the Desert on Their Own

In late 2013, two cousins can be seen roaming across Racetrack Playa in California’s own Death Valley. They were out looking for rocks—but not just any rocks. These cousins—Richard and Jim—are scientists, and they are out hunting highly mobile rock specimens—highly mobile for stones, anyway.
Suddenly, Richard hears loud crackling—he turns to his cousin with a look of equal excitement and panic:” This is it!” he cries.
Scientists Unlock the Secret to How These Giant Rocks Make Their Way Across the Desert on Their Own

This Sleeping Volcano is Coming To Life After 800 Years

Active volcanos are everywhere, but it’s always a frightening thought. Volcanic explosions aren’t common, and yet a sleeping volcano is coming to life after 800 years. Although rare, even dormant volcanos can show signs of activity. Follow along to learn about Mount Edgecumbe, an inactive volcano showing signs of waking up.
This Sleeping Volcano is Coming To Life After 800 Years 

The better part of Valor ...

19 jaw-dropping James Webb Space Telescope images

The cutting-edge, $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shared its debut image with the world on July 12, 2022, peering deeper into the universe than any telescope before it. Since then, JWST has captured the mystery and beauty of the cosmos in image after dazzling image, captivating curious Earthlings everywhere. Here are 19 of the telescope’s finest observations. 
19 jaw-dropping James Webb Space Telescope images

Strange but true Mercury facts

Our solar system's innermost planet is pretty weird.
Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is only slightly larger than Earth's moon and is pockmarked with craters. 
The planet is visible to the unaided eye and as such as has long been known to humans. According to Universe Today, the Sumerians mentioned the planet as early as the 2nd millennium BC (a period spanning 2000 BC to 1001 BC), and the Babylonians called it the planet Nabu. We know it by the name given by the Romans, after their swift-footed messenger god Mercury. The planet was first observed through the newly invented telescope in 1631 by astronomers Galileo Galilei and Thomas Harriot, according to NASA Science. 
Since its first visit from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974, the little planet has intrigued scientists. It will no doubt continue to surprise us. 
Here we explore some strange facts about the planet Mercury.
Strange but true Mercury facts 

NASA discovers asteroid is a dead ringer for the Empire State Building

Imagine this hurtling through space: Scientists have found an asteroid with dimensions similar to the Empire State Building.

This asteroid, which recently sped past Earth, has caught the attention of NASA astronomers for its bizarre long shape. The space rock — which has perhaps whizzed by to set the record straight that not all asteroids are vaguely ball-like — is more than three times as long as it is wide.
To get a sense of its scale, scientists have estimated the rock is about 1,600-by-500 feet, roughly comparable to that of the world-famous landmark that looms over 100 stories above New York.
"Of the 1,040 near-Earth objects observed by planetary radar to date, this is one of the most elongated we’ve seen," said Lance Benner, principal scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement.
The asteroid, known as 2011 AG5, zipped past Earth at a safe distance of 1.1 million miles away on Feb. 3, according to the U.S. space agency. But that approach gave astronomers their first crack at studying its size, rotation, surface, and silhouette in detail since the object was discovered 12 years ago.

"This is one of the most elongated [asteroids] we’ve seen."

The image above is a collage of six pictures taken of the long object by the Goldstone Solar System Radar antenna dish in California. There were no signs of King Kong clinging to the towering rock, but astronomers did make a few other observations: It has a dark charcoal color, appears to be scooped on one side, and is slowly spinning around every nine hours.
It takes the asteroid about twice as long to orbit the sun as Earth and won’t have a near flyby with this planet until 2040, when it could come within 670,000 miles, according to NASA. That's close in terms of the cosmos — space, after all, is a big place — but it's still three times farther than the moon is to Earth.
NASA discovers asteroid is a dead ringer for the Empire State Building

Astronomers spotted a long jet shooting out of a quasar 7.5 billion light-years away

The Event Horizon Telescope has given us some surprising views into our universe since 2009. Not only has it given us the first-ever image of a black hole, but it also gave us the first look at our own galaxy’s supermassive black hole. Now, the EHT team has used the telescope to peer into a quasar, which is currently emitting a long, curvy jet deep into space.
Enter NRAO 530, a bright quasar located roughly 7.5 billion light-years away. According to a global team of scientists, it is the most distant object that the Event Horizon has imaged thus far. Further, because the quasar is currently unleashing a massive jet of radiation, astronomers are even more intrigued by the object. 
Astronomers spotted a long jet shooting out of a quasar 7.5 billion light-years away 

The most mystifying black holes in the universe

Black holes are gigantic cosmic monsters, exotic objects whose gravity is so strong that not even light can escape their clutches.
Black holes come in a wide variety of forms, from small stellar-mass bodies to the supermassive beasts that reside at the hearts of galaxies. Here are 10 of the most extreme black holes, from the smallest to the largest and from cannibals to rogues.
The most mystifying black holes in the universe

Scientists are baffled by this dark galaxy that emits no visible light

When you think of galaxies, you probably imagine bright and flowing images similar to the colorful ones we’ve seen in recent months from NASA and the ESA’s James Webb space telescope. But, not all galaxies are created equal, it seems, as astronomers have discovered what they believe is a “dark galaxy,” a galaxy that doesn’t give off visible light.
In most cases, galaxies share the same basic ingredients. They’re usually made up of tons of gas and stars, with dark matter surrounding them all and a black hole spinning in the center. Because most have stars, you can usually see the light those stars give off, like in the image above. However, in dark galaxies, that isn’t the case.
Scientists are baffled by this dark galaxy that emits no visible light 

The Face of Ol' Man Winter

Woman Does A Double Take When She Sees 'Ghostly Shadows' Following A Deer

Kimberly Kalan was driving alongside a snowy field in Wisconsin when she spotted a deer running by with what looked like two small, white shadows behind her, and she immediately pulled out her camera.
“I did a double take, grabbed my camera and saw it was the twin albino fawns following their momma,” Kalan told The Dodo. “The same ones I have been following since August 2022.”
Woman Does A Double Take When She Sees 'Ghostly Shadows' Following A Deer

The Egyptian Mau Cat Looks Like a Tabby, Acts Like a Dog

Have you ever looked at the face of what you thought was a striped tabby cat, but when you saw the rest of its body, realized it was actually spotted? Most likely you met an Egyptian Mau ("mau" is the Egyptian word for cat.) These elegant, midsized cats are the only natural domesticated breed of spotted cat. And yes, they really did originate in Egypt.
Betsy Whitlock, a cat breeder at Belle Hollow Farms and Exotics in Franklin, North Carolina, says technically, the Egyptian Mau is called a spotted tabby.
"The pattern on them is a tabby pattern, the "M" on the forehead, the stripes by their eyes," she says. "Their legs are striped. The difference is that primarily on their bodies where they once had stripes, the stripes have broken apart back into spots, which is the natural color of cat, as opposed to stripes. Most wild species are spotted or start spotted and become solid-colored."
The Egyptian Mau Cat Looks Like a Tabby, Acts Like a Dog

Snakes Can Hear You Scream

Experts have long understood that snakes can feel sound vibrations through the ground — what we call "tactile" sensing — but we've puzzled over whether they can also hear airborne sound vibrations, and particularly over how they react to sounds.
In a new paper published in PLOS ONE, we conclude snakes use hearing to help them interpret the world, and finally dispel the myth that snakes are deaf to airborne sound.
Our research, which included 19 different snakes from seven species, reveals that not only do snakes have airborne hearing, but that different species react differently to what they hear.
Snakes Can Hear You Scream, New Study Says 

The Deep Ocean Giant Isopod Looks Like a Huge Roly-poly Bug

Chances are, you've never encountered a giant isopod unless you've spent time trawling the deep ocean and accidentally snagged one in the tangles of your fishing net.
Perhaps you may have seen one in captivity at one of the few aquariums that house them. Regardless, you may be fascinated to learn that there are tons of these humongous bug-like creatures living in the darkest depths of the sea. And yet, they remain somewhat a mystery to us humans.
"There's a lot we really don't know about these guys," says Ruth Carmichael, senior marine scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and professor of marine and environmental sciences at the University of South Alabama. But what scientists do know is that "they have a really important job [debris recycling] that we need animals to be doing in the deep ocean." More on that in a minute.
The Deep Ocean Giant Isopod Looks Like a Huge Roly-poly Bug

Massive Bears Larger Than a Grizzly

Grizzly bears can stand around 8 feet tall and weigh about 900 pounds.
Sex is a factor in how large a grizzly bear can get with males being larger.
Kodiak bears are one of two brown bear species in North America that are larger than a grizzly. 
5 Massive Bears Larger Than a Grizzly 

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

Welcome to today's issue of Carolina Naturally

'Nuff Said!

Today is February 19, 2023

Today is: Skate Shop Day

On This Day In History

In 1600CE: Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in South American recorded history.

Ain't That The Truth

Oh, and while you're at it - check out our sister blog Come What May for off the cuff and off the wall seriousness. Heck, who are we kidding, it's just fun and hilarity.