Why a constant compass heading makes a curved route

A constant compass direction does not give the shortest route

A ship that keeps exactly the same compass direction does not usually take the shortest path across Earth. Its route curves around the globe while crossing every north–south line at the same angle. This path is called a loxodrome.

More than a third of global crop calories go to feeding animals

A widely cited analysis of global crop production found that about 55% of crop calories were used directly as human food, while 36% went to animal feed and 9% to biofuels or other industrial uses. Feeding crops to livestock does not return all those calories as meat, milk or eggs. How harvests are used therefore matters as much as how much food is grown.

A thin clay layer held unusual iridium

Up To 160× Background

A thin layer of clay in Italy contained up to 160 times the usual amount of iridium. Because iridium is rare on Earth but common in asteroids, researchers proposed that a vaporized impactor spread it around the planet before they identified the crater.

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Why a constant compass heading makes a curved route

A constant compass direction does not give the shortest route

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