Dead Sea 1980 Dunaliella red halobacteria bloom

A rainy winter can turn the Dead Sea red

In 1980, a rainy winter lowered the Dead Sea’s salt level. Algae called Dunaliella nourished red-pigmented bacteria, and the brief microbial bloom turned the usually dark-blue water red.

Jupiter stopped a planet from forming

Jupiter’s gravity kept material between Mars and Jupiter from joining together into a planet. The asteroid belt left there may contain millions of objects at least a kilometer wide, yet all of them together weigh less than one-thousandth as much as Earth.

Viruses are assembled rather than dividing like cells

A virus does not reproduce by splitting into two cells. Inside a host cell, separate viral parts are made and then assembled into new virus particles. Viruses can still inherit mutations and evolve, which helps make the question of whether they are "alive" difficult to answer.

Like this? There’s a whole feed of it. Replace empty scrolling with things worth knowing.

Download Hence for free

Dead Sea 1980 Dunaliella red halobacteria bloom

A rainy winter can turn the Dead Sea red

Discover something new