Dolphins use some algorithms of nonlinear math, scientists think. Supposedly, the smartest marine mammals do their calculations while hunting.

Researchers noticed that dolphins inject a jet of air bubbles into a shoal to make the fish crowd in one spot. However, these air bubbles might confuse the predators as well: dolphins use ultrasound sonars for orientation, but, as we know, air scatters sound waves. In order to move properly the mammals have to distinguish the sound reflected by the fish from the waves scattered by the bubbles. Read more

Titan, which is larger than Mercury, is the only world besides Earth known to have liquid on its surface. Its seas, made of liquid methane instead of water, have often led to speculation as to whether or not they could host life. In addition to its seas on its surface, scientists recently also discovered hints that Titan possesses an internal ocean, one of water and ammonia.

This artist’s illustration shows the likely interior structure of Saturn’s moon Titan.
The cool and sluggish interior failed to separate into completely differentiated layers of ice and rock. In addition to the hazy surface of Titan (yellow), the layers in the cutaway show an ice layer starting near the surface (light gray), an internal ocean (blue), another layer of ice (light gray) and the mix of rock and ice in the interior (dark gray). In the background are the Cassini spacecraft and Saturn, not to scale. Credit: NASA/JPL

Using radar to peer through Titan’s dense atmosphere, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft found that over time, a number of prominent surface features had shifted from their expected positions by up to 19 miles (30 kilometers), showing that the crust was moving and suggesting that it rested on liquid. Now Cassini’s gravity and radar observations of Titan have discovered more clues that it might have an underground sea. Read more

A crystal clear river is so clean that the 50ft deep riverbed can be seen from a bridge crossing over the water.

The 30km long Verzasca River in Switzerland is renowned all over the world for its clear turquoise waters.

Under the bridge: This stunning photo by Claudio Gazzaroli, 38, shows the arched Roman Bridge crossing over the Verzasca River in Switzerland from 50ft under water

But while pictures of the sparkling waters are often taken from the mountains surrounding the river or from bridges crossing over it, it’s much rarer to see photographs taken from the bottom of it. Read more

Water is a polar molecule having a positively charged side where the two hydrogen atoms are found and a negatively charged end where the oxygen atom is located. The angle between the two hydrogen atoms with respect to the single large oxygen atom is 105 degrees. This unique polarized structure of the water molecule allows it to create hydrogen bonding between various water molecules, much like small magnets are linked together with the alternative north and south poles attracted to each other.

Water then forms clusters of charged molecules which form distinct structures and can store information. In fact, water can be viewed as a large liquid crystal analogous to the liquid crystals which are found on a digital wrist watch display. This hydrogen bonding of water creates it unique characteristics important for life such as its surface tension, its heat storage capacity, and its greatest density at 4 degrees centigrade so that ice actually floats on water at 0 degrees centigrade. Read more