Articles for author: Maria Faith Saligumba

Ruins of a Muslim haveli in an Oudh qasbah near Lucknow

What Lies Beneath: How Cities Are Built Over Buried Ruins and Fossils

Imagine walking through a bustling city, unaware that beneath your feet lies a treasure trove of ancient ruins and prehistoric fossils. This hidden world beneath modern urban landscapes is a testament to the rich tapestry of human history and Earth’s natural past. As cities expand and evolve, they often envelop layers of history, from forgotten ...

A vibrant pile of harvested yellow corn cobs in Mexico showcasing agricultural abundance.

Corn: The Genetic Experiment Humans Never Meant to Start

Picture this: you’re strolling through a grocery store, grabbing a bag of popcorn kernels, completely unaware that you’re holding one of humanity’s most dramatic genetic success stories. That golden corn didn’t just happen naturally – it’s the result of thousands of years of accidental genetic manipulation that transformed a nearly inedible wild grass into the ...

Hand holding a warty sea cucumber underwater, showcasing exotic aquatic life.

Sea Cucumber Superpowers: Yes, It Can Eject Its Organs on Purpose

Imagine being so stressed that you literally throw your guts at your attacker. For most of us, that’s just a colorful expression, but for sea cucumbers, it’s a real survival strategy that would make any horror movie director jealous. These squishy, bottom-dwelling creatures have mastered one of nature’s most shocking defense mechanisms: deliberate organ ejection. ...

person using silver Android smartphone

10 Things You Use Daily with Names You’ve Misunderstood

You reach for your phone, grab a tissue, and flip on the light switch. These simple actions happen hundreds of times each day, yet most of us are completely wrong about what we’re actually calling these everyday items. The truth is, the names we use for countless household objects are either outdated, technically incorrect, or ...

Artificial Intelligence

5 Predictions About the Future That Science Is Taking Seriously

The year 2025 feels like we’re standing at the edge of a massive cliff, peering into an abyss of possibilities that would have seemed like pure fantasy just decades ago. Scientists around the world are no longer just dreaming about the future—they’re actively predicting it with mathematical precision and experimental evidence. From artificial intelligence that ...

A couple of small birds sitting on top of a dry grass field

Poop to Planet: How Waste Drives Life From Soil to Sky

Picture this: you’re walking through a pristine forest, breathing in the fresh air, marveling at towering trees and delicate wildflowers. What you might not realize is that beneath your feet lies nature’s most underestimated superhero – waste. From the tiniest microbe’s excretion to the massive piles left by elephants, what we politely call “waste” is ...

grayscale photography of spider.

The Social Spiders That Form Giant Colonies and Hunt in Packs

In the intricate tapestry of nature, spiders have often been cast as solitary creatures, weaving their webs in silence. But defying this stereotype are the social spiders, remarkable arachnids that live and hunt in communal webs. These fascinating creatures form sprawling colonies, some stretching as wide as a car, challenging our conventional understanding of spider ...