Flickr Famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking passed away in March of this year, but his final theory about the Universe has been published today. The study, published in conjunction with former student and frequent collaborator Thomas Hertog, addresses the conflict that arise between quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general relativity theory. From EarthSky.org: Hawking and Hertog’s latest study deals specifically with a subset of Big Bang theory, called eternal inflation. Most modern Big Bang theories incorporate the idea of an inflation, which calls for an exponential expansion of space in the universe’s first fraction of a second.

The story of David and Goliath is one of the most widely known stories in the world. It’s hard to read about one sports team upsetting another without hearing it used as a parable. It even shows up in the Koran. Yet, historians have yet to agree on whether or not David was a real person. King David Playing Harp by Gerard van Honthorst - Wikimedia Commons That’s why this recent discovery of an ancient city outside of Jerusalem is raising some eybrows in the archaeological world.

PX Here[/caption] Chocolate and red wine, two things humans love to over-indulge in because they read somewhere that it was good for you. Well, this article doesn’t address the red wine, but there have been some recent studies on chocolate that will put a smile on chocolate lovers’ faces. From ScienceDaily.com: New research shows there might be health benefits to eating certain types of dark chocolate. Findings from two studies being presented today at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting in San Diego show that consuming dark chocolate that has a high concentration of cacao (minimally 70% cacao, 30% organic cane sugar) has positive effects on stress levels, inflammation, mood, memory and immunity.

It seems that every single day scientists make a breakthrough that seems impossible. For people who have to deal with the loss of a sense, such as sight, hearing, or touch, this recent breakthrough may prove to be especially exciting. Brain in Human[/caption] The Independent reports that neurologists have made a tremendous advance in undoing the loss of senses in some people. Using what has become referred to as a ‘holographic brain modulator’, scientists have crafted for themselves the ability to target sensory receptors in the body with encoded hologram stimuli that reportedly mimics that of real external forces like light and the contact of objects on someone’s skin.

Flickr[/caption] Did you see the bug total solar eclipse last August? Did you feel it? If not, don’t fret, because while the eclipse did indeed case a palpable sensation, it did so at around 180 miles above the Earth’s surface. On August 21, 2017 many Americans and Canadians lifted their protected eyes to the heavens to take in a rare total solar eclipse. For an average of two minutes, midday turned a bit darker in spots and downright nighttime in others.

Wikimedia Commons[/caption] An emergency visit by a team from Madagascar’s environmental agency as well as police to a home in Toliara recently uncovered what looks to be a smuggling operation of epic proportions. As agents from the government descended on the abode, following complaints from neighbors of a rancid smell coming from the two story building, they interrupted the work of three people in the process of burying deceased radiated tortoises.

Wikimedia Commons[/caption] The Flintstones’ dishwasher is one step closer to being resurrected. Move over Maytag! Make way for the Woolly Mammoth! C/Net reports now that scientists have successfully duplicated 44 mammoth genes, they are now hoping to grow a mammoth-hybrid in an artificial womb. The large hairy elephant walked the earth as early as 2.5 million years ago before going extinct around 3rd millennium B.C. A team of researchers at Harvard University, headed up by well-known geneticist Professor George Church, participated in the Fourth International Vatican Conference in Vatican City on April 27.

Cells with Epstein Barr Virus | Wikimedia Commons[/caption] In a stunning bit of news, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has announced that a team of its researchers have concluded that the injection at least some forms of viral DNA into the human lymphatic system may be causing the onset of seven debilitating diseases. IFLScience writes that a study of patients who received shots of the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) as part of a vaccination process against mononucleosis (mono) had increased chances of developing autoimmune diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and type 1 diabetes.

Vox[/caption] “The taste of death that lives within He loves it when he Tastes their final breath Stalking gives him pleasure Killing is the final act He takes no pity With his lust for death.” —-’Psycho Man’, Ozzy Osbourne The recent arrest of the notorious Golden State Killer, a man now identified as 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo Jr, caused the resurfacing of our society’s recurrent predations by serial killers. DeAngelo operated for over a decade, from the 1970s to the 1980s, terrorizing parts of California with his ten murders and 46 known rapes.

Flickr | Gulf of Oman | by Francisco Anzola[/caption] It seems like every day we’re learning something new about the oceans. Sometimes we discover new sea life or new ways that animals communicate with each other under water, other times, however, we come across disturbing features like this one… Recently, robots exploring the depths of the Gulf of Oman have discovered a “dead zone” the size of Scotland! From IFLScience: “Our research shows that the situation is actually worse than feared – and that the area of dead zone is vast and growing,” said Dr Bastien Queste, who led the research published this week in Geophysical Research Letter.