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We all know that earth is the only habitable planet in the observable universe, but it’s not the only thing that makes our home planet unique. It has more than 5,000 known minerals, and out of them, roughly 2,500 are the rarest minerals in terms of both abundance and location.

Rare minerals like cobaltominite, edoylerite and abelsonite make the blue planet unique. These may be present far from our reach, protected in caves or vanish in the first rainfall, as per researchers of a new study on earth’s minerals.

Number of deaths occurring due to heroin overdose has soared significantly over past few years. In 2015, the number of such deaths was reported to be as more than 720, according to statistics released Sunday by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

In Connecticut, 723 people died due to excessive use of heroin, cocaine or other drugs such as morphine. Among those died, 415 deaths were caused by heroin and 107 by fentanyl, a synthetic opiate. On the other hand, the respective deaths in 2014 were 327 and 37.

A series of free online posters has been released by the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. The 14 posters revealed by the lab are associated with space travel and are not only retro-chic but also amazing in terms of creativity and design. These futuristic posters highlight space tourism. One poster has a tagline: ‘A Once in a Lifetime Getaway: The Grand Tour’, which involves Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune trips.

In an alarming new research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed that harmful algae toxins have been detected in Alaska marine mammals. More than a dozen mammalian species, including whales and seals, are having algal toxic poisoning.

For the research, featured in journal Harmful Algae, the researchers examined over marine mammals that were stranded or harvested in Alaska in about a decade, from 2004 to 2013. The NOAA partnered with some other agencies and look mainly for two algal toxins: domoic acid and saxitoxin acid.

In an attempt to protect ancient artifacts from any harm, a Philadelphia archeology museum has been shifting the historic items to steadier ground. Museum officials have been monitoring delicate objects still in display with the help of vibration sensors.

It’s demolition next door project of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which is home to mummies and many other ancient artifacts dating back to 2600 BC, which has put the museum on shaky ground.

People in the mission are trying their best to minimize the impact of this movement on the visitors. They are keeping things up as long as they can and as much as they can, said Lynn Grant, head conservator at the museum.

Another day of bird watching event which started on 12th February was Sunday, which saw many visitors gather at the Harry C. Barnes Nature Center on Shrub Road. The Sunday afternoon at the spot saw people assembled from different ages. They counted the birds they spotted for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).