Planex News

We all know about donuts - rings of bread, usually covered with different icings, or mabye even sprinkles. The donut to a scientist is ‘the edge’ of human food, and no food could be more ansintoformosed - or weirder in the common tongue. New-to-science Bevel Astronu has explained to many universities and museums in England that there could be other foods out there - infinite combinations and flavours. And then, 3 years after telling the cleverest minds that a simple  donut was not the end of foods, he decided to start his experiments. He started 20 years ago and has finally finished his massive discovery. It is all written down on various sheets of paper and in complicated language, but our team at Toby News have manage to simmer it down to just three quarters of an article. “We live a new age - one of seven boundaries of the seven foodstuffs of  the seven planets revolving around eating. I call these limits the Phosferacational Layers, one that humanity has not yet conqu

History has lots of mysteries that have never been solved. Wether it is the distant past or as recent as WWII, you never run out of questions to ask when you study this bizarre topic. The Bermuda Triangle Since humans just started to be able to read and write, vehicles have gone missing inside the Bermuda (or Devil’s) Triangle. Numerous reports of planes, boats, rafts - and evening people - going missing inside this area of sea have confused scientists, historians and investigators for centuries. Just what is so special about this mysterious patch of ocean? It is very mysterious as no scrap parts, dead bodies, or any objects suggesting that a plane crashed here. Adding to this, planes wouldn’t actually be able to crash, as there is no land in or anywhere near the Bermuda Triangle.   Since humans just started to be able to read and write, vehicles have gone missing inside the Bermuda (or Devil’s) Triangle Reports of vehicles suddenly going out of control are very popular around the Tri

There’s no use sugar coating it: According to one scribe in medieval England, A.D. 1110  was a “disastrous year.” Torrential rainfall damaged crops, there was an extreme shortage of food — and, as if that wasn’t bad enough, on one fateful night in May, the moon simply vanished from the sky. “On the fifth night in the month of May appeared the moon shining bright in the evening, and afterwards by little and little its light diminished,” the scribe wrote in the Anglo-Saxon script known as the Peterborough Chronicle. “As soon as night came, it was so completely extinguished withal, that neither light, nor orb, nor anything at all of it was seen. And so it continued nearly until day, and then appeared shining full and bright.” Clouds weren’t the problem; if they were, the scribe would not go on to describe how bright and twinkling the stars appeared while the moon faded from view. Nor was the moon being blocked from view by Earth’s shadow — if it was, the skywatcher would have seen the orb

The Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion Cubicus) is a member of the Boxfish family and grows to no larger than 45cm. Divers can find these fish as deep as 40 metres, however they tend to spend most of their time in the shallower and warmer parts of the world’s oceans like the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and also parts of the south eastern Atlantic Ocean. Boxfish tend to spend most of their days on the reef, their main diet is algae, small invertebrates, worms, crustaceans and sponges for example.     Using its puckered lips, it blows small bursts of water at the corals and sand to reveal anything that might be hiding. The Yellow Boxfish is in fact, a yellow, box-shaped fish – who would have guessed it? It is a bright yellow colour with black spots, which helps them to survive by telling nearby predators that they are poisonous. However, as they begin to mature, the number of spots decreases and the yellow blends into almost a dirty, mustard colour. It’s not just the colours that change either, t

Geckos are small lizards that usually live in the jungle. They are only one among many species like Komodo Dragons, Vivipar Lizards, Green Lizards, Sand Lizards and hundreds more reptiles. In warm countries, where most geckos live, there are lots of houses that get annoying insects. Geckos sometimes come into people’s houses, and they are happy to have them there, because geckos eat the insects. Like chameleons, geckos have the ability to change colour to whatever they want. This can help them blend in to the surroundings and stop predators from spotting them. This also includes hunters who sell their scales for a lot of money. Scientists do not know how they do this. Most suggest there is a special organ in their body that stores chemicals and then, in a spraying-like action, it sends them up a tube which opens in a small whole in their body and it changes a colour when released to sunlight. Adding to this, their tongues are actually longer than their body! Yes, you heard that right -

In the Kamchatka Peninsula of far east Russia, there lies a coral reef formally known as the valley of death. Surrounded by seas that are very cold and are almost frozen all year round, there are dozens of mini volcanoes crammed into one space it has got the nickname ‘Land Of Fire And Ice’.  However, there is more to Kamchatka than its wild beauty - in the shadow of one of one of its fiery volcanoes, called Kihpinych, there is a small, narrow valley - that animals enter - but never leave. The Valley Of Death was first discovered in 1975 by volcanologist Vladimir Leonov. At first, Vladimir thought is was just a normal coral reef, but as he explored further, strange icy clouds and a number of dead animals drew him in. Nobody had properly explored them before, so it was a complete surprise to him. But, just as he feared, there were hundreds of dead animals with blood dripping down their head that had been perfectly preserved by the ice. What was even more strange is that they don’t seem s

Many companies like SpaceX have tried (but failed) to send rovers and robots to Mars, also known as the Red Planet. But now NASA is going to move forward with their new Mars rover. Just like Solar Orbiter, Perseverance promises to ‘touch the Red Planet’, with a whole heap of hi-tech technology on board. The mission takes the art of space travel further as the whole point of the mission is to see whether life existed on Mars, or even see if microbial life exists NOW. It does this by searching for habitable conditions or dips in ground level where water could have thrived millions of years ago. Perseverance introduces a fast moving, hi-tech drill that can bore into the ground. It sends a message to the ‘brain’, which sends ANOTHER message to the arm, which picks the sample up and stores it in a drawer which will later be examined back on a Earth. Bigger samples or samples that share too heave will be left behind a special rock which future humans will pick up on a future mission. There a

Ancient civilisations around the globe have made many petroglyphs (huge drawing on the ground). But what do they all mean? Did aliens come down to ancient peoples and tell them to create them? As many mainstream archaeologists continue to say they just made them, no reason, Toby Parry-Russell investigates. Most petroglyphs and other huge drawings of its type are carved into usually the desert floor. The most-used technique is to carefully rub away the the darker sand to reveal the lighter sand underneath. When this is repeated in various shapes, it can form amazing patterns and picture most people will never be able to do even in their wildest dreams.  Most petroglyphs show images of the so-called ‘gods’. Usually as figures, the ‘gods’ look like humans except with strange features, like strange hair, small heads, strange scaly skin or something else. For example, among the Nasca lines of Peru - an array of strange petroglyphs, there stands two figures. The first one’s name translates t

Parrotfish are more than just ordinary fish. As well as being able to create pyjamas for itself, it can also help create coral reefs! Living alongside many other fish, such as clownfish and stonefish, the parrot fish may seem ordinary. But in reality, it anything but. One of it’s amazing powers includes creating ‘pyjamas’. It essentially vomits out a thick protective mucus that coats its body and stops predators from picking up its scent Night-night, parrotfish! Adding to this, they can also change from male to female! It might sound impossible, but the parrotfish thinks not. Scientists, don’t know how this happens though; maybe they can’t change! Why do white sandy beaches look so nice? Probably not because they are actually made of parrotfish poo! Yep, you heard that right - they can also help to form coral reefs!  As remarkable coral reef residents, these superheroes of the sea can come in many different colours and sizes. Their front teeth are fused together to make a beak, and use

Inexplicable noises, spectral sightings, glowing orbs - something very strange is going on at the British Museum. But what? That is exactly the question investigative reporters are asking themselves as piles and piles of ghostly sightings appear on their desks. But what is all the commotion? No-one really knows... When the heavy, bolted gates of the museum are shut, after the last members of  the public have left, the British Museum undergoes a swift change. This grand place is the most popular tourist attraction in the whole of Britain, and without a constant stream of people coming in, the huge, glass dome fades to a whisper. A thick silence fills the cavernous galleries and corridors that surround it. By night, most of the lights have been extinguished, as the security guards carry out most of their duties by torchlight. So, ghosts are free to roam about. To go around the entire museum, you have to open and close 3,000 doors. Some of them are really heavy and hard to open. But one n

I bet you’ve all heard of the delicious drink cola. It has so much sugar that your mum or dad has probably banned you from drinking it. But what if I was to say that you could put all that sugar to good use? Yep. It’s a bit messy, but it’s worth it! Get a big bottle of cola (Diet Coke works best) and put it in an area of your garden where nothing will get damaged. Then, get a pack of mentos (and a few extra, just in case) and open the lid of your cola. Carefully, place the mentos inside and run at least a metre away. Watch as the cola explodes up into the air, but prepare to clean up aftarwards! Now we’ve had our fun, time for the science bit. A carbonated beverage is packed full of dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which forms bonds with water. While the soda is in the bottle, the gas is kept in solution by the bottle’s pressurized conditions. When you pour some soda into a glass, some gas escapes and forms foam, but most stays trapped by the surface tension of the water. But all those ga

The methods of embalming, or treating the dead body, that the ancient Egyptians used is called mummification. Using special processes, the Egyptians removed all moisture from the body, leaving only a dried form that would not easily decay. It was important in their religion to preserve the dead body in as life-like a manner as possible. So successful were they that today we can view the mummified body of an Egyptian and have a good idea of what he or she looked like in life, 3000 years ago. Mummification was practiced throughout most of early Egyptian history. The earliest mummies from prehistoric times probably were accidental. By chance, dry sand and air (since Egypt has almost no measurable rainfall) preserved some bodies buried in shallow pits dug into the sand. About 2600 B.C., during the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties, Egyptians probably began to mummify the dead intentionally. The practice continued and developed for well over 2,000 years, into the Roman Period (ca. 30 B.C.–A.D. 364

On stormy days, you should probably expect lightning. But what is lightning? You’re about to find out... Lightning is a naturally occuring electrical discharge (the sudden flow of electricity) that happens when two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere temporarily equallise themselves, causing the instant result of, well, lightning! When you get struck by lightning, you won’t nessccesarily die straight away. There was one man who was struck by lightning 7 times and still survived! Thunder is the sound of lightning. They happen at the same time, but depending on how far away you are, the thunder might sound like it happens after the lightning. Lightning is a bright flash of electricity produced by a thunderstorm. All thunderstorms produce lightning and are very dangerous. If you hear the sound of thunder, then you are in danger from lightning. Lightning kills and injures more people each year than hurricanes or tornadoes; between 75 to 100 people. That’s even more than the Coro

The Chocolate hills in the Bohol province of the Philippines are a valley of densley-vegetated hills. In the dry season, the grass and crops go brown. From a distance, it looks like the hills are made of bubbly chocolate, thus getting their name. According to legends, the hills came into existence because of two giants who hurled rocks, boulders, and sand at each other. After their fight was over, this eventually led to a huge mess of hills – which is the Chocolate Hills we know today. The Chocolate Hills are a popular tourist destination in The Phillipines, and even feature on the regional flagof Bohol province, where they are the Bohol’s “main attraction”. These unique domed hills can be found in their hundreds in the towns Batuan, Carmen, and Sagbayan in Bohol They are listed as one of The Phillipines Top 3 geographical monuments and there are plans to hopefully include them in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Chocolate Hills are conical karst hills and similar ones can be seen i

Everyone has heard about the aztecs, who lived in Mexico. But hardly anyone has ever heard of the Mayans, an advanced civilization who ruled before the Aztecs took over. Using the new ‘LiNEAR’ technology, experts are shedding light on the most mysterious civilization. Drones or aircrafts fly over the jungle or forest and shoot hundreds of lasers down to the ground. These scan the area around them and upload them to a special computer. When you view the image back, it deletes the trees so you can see any hidden structures. You can also get LiNEAR on an augumented realty app that you can get on an iPAD, if you’re dwn on the ground. This can be very helpful if you are an archaeologist and want to discover lost treasures. By now, you’re probably wondering ‘how did the Mayans tame the jungle’ or something like that. But the answer is the landscape was less densley vegetated, and thus making it easier to build there. LiNEAR technology has revealed some suprising things - castles, watchtowers

What would it be like if your tummy had see-through skin? Probably a bit weird, I’ll wager. But, if you happen to be a Glass Frog, then, dear reader, it is your everyday reality! Want to check if your liver is tickety-boo? No trouble if you’re a glass frog. They are mostly green, but their bellies are transparent. They live up in the trees in rainforests, where they eat bugs. They can live for 10 to 14 years! That’s pretty impressive for a little froggy-woggy! But that’s not all, Glass Frogs have been declared by Victor Wanyama, captain of the Nigerian national football team, as the best animal that has ever lived. But did you know something even more extraordinary? The Ancient Roman writer Virgil actually wrote extensively about Glass frogs back in 67AD. Here’s what he had to say (in the original latin): “Obist, ut glassus frogus accabor ehentur, officiaspis in plibus eos et aut apelent, utatur magni rem hiciam laciend andae. Itas nonserf ernatqu istius. Otatur sum deseres utaturi non

The ancient aztec city of Teotihuacan (say tee-otto-hoo-i-can) has puzzled more experts than the Great Pyramids Of Giza have! The pyramid complex  consists of quite a few building and temples. At the front of the city, The Temple Of The Sun sits proudly overlooking the rest. A few more pyramid-like buildings follow, all leading to what is now known as the Avenue Of The Dead. This is quite a few miles long, but all of the buildings are the same, except one. Temple of the Feathered Serpent Quetzalcoatl is the third-largest pyramid in the whole site. Also on the avenue is the Great Pyramid Of  Cholua and The Pyramid Of The Moon. Interestingly, a lake of liquid Mercury was discovered in an excavated tunnel beneath the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. There has been various lakes of other metals in other areas of the Mayan empire, but never Mesoamerica. Even more interestingly, Mercury is a superconductor. Although it is extremely dangerous to human beings, scientists have performed experiments w

Scients studying Saturn’s icy moon, Titan, have spotted traces of life millions of years ago. These would have lived under the huge sheets of ice over the sea. In fact, life could still exist on the cold moon, but it’s too far for our probes to go to. In fact, to do this, the probe would have to have a portable drill, scanners and sensors, some sort of a camera that could see through thick ice, and a function where the bot could swim. All of this would cost more than billions, and there would have to be millions of people working day and night. Quite frankly, no-one would be able to code such delicate modes in a matter of time. In the Pixar film WALL-E, everyone has evacuated because there is too much rubbish to clean up. The lonely robot WALL-E is left alone to put it into cubes and stack them in a pile. We would have to make a machine similar to WALL-E, but except with the ice. So how do we know what they look like? Scientists and film-makers have simulated lots over the years, but n

On Friday night, citizens of Hull got a mysterious visit by a pirate ship containing no driver. Some people reported that it only comes every 50 years, as they had seen it all those years ago. When some explorers started to join the crowd of confused people, they decided to board the ship and hunt down civilization. A long table was roughly nailed to the rustic floor of the living room. Over this hung a very expensive chandelier made with 102 wax candles that were still lit. Bowls of ripe fruit were scattered across the table. Two old wooden staircases lead up to various places, but the explorers decided to go up the right one. They then found themselves in a metal storeroom. Flashing yellow rectangular lights hung from chains above huge metal barrels. All of a sudden, the lights went off and eerie sounds echoed around the thik metal walls. A loud crackling sound came on, as purple fog lifted out of the ground. The ship was disappearing! In a rush, the five brave people sped out of the

In Glasgow, Scotland, a passage was discovered that lead to an old laboratory. Scientists observing the lab said that it was strangely abandoned in 1852, but haven’t figured out why. One of their four only theories is that the observatory was having renovations of some sort, hence the huge hole in the roof, and the people that worked there were afraid the laboratory was going to get discovered. Other scientists studying the history of it think it was going to carry out a top-secret mission that was being prepared when the renovations were happening, and if anyone found out then the leader would be killed.