Science

Snowball Earth's Cold Could Fake the Signs of Glacial Erosion, a Science Paper Argues

Geologists have argued that ancient ice sheets scraped 3 to 5 km off the continents. A Science paper says freezing the crust could leave the same cooling signal with little rock removed.

3 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Statistics

Malaysia's open postcode list names 2,930 codes

MCMC's open postcode list names 2,930 Malaysian postcodes. How the first two digits mark the state, the one code outside its state's block, who owns the system, why the last three digits follow no published scheme, and the town names shared by two states.

3 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Statistics

Converting Japanese era years, and why Japanese law still names Heisei 72

Reiwa 8 is 2026: add 2018, and 1988, 1925, 1911 or 1867 for the earlier eras. The four days when the era changed and the instrument behind each, why no offset works before 1873, how the dates are written, and the 302 laws in force that still name Heisei years the era never reached.

3 Oct 2026 · 7 min read

Science

Waves, Not Just Tides, Decide Where Mangroves Can Take Root on Open Coasts

Where mangroves grow has mostly been explained by the tides. A Nature study of 400 coastal sites finds that on exposed shores, seedlings also need long calm spells at sea to anchor.

2 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

Science

Antarctica's Net Ice Loss This Century Is Locked In, Even With Deep Emission Cuts

How much Antarctica will add to sea level is a major unknown. A new study finds its ice loss this century is very likely locked in, and extra snowfall will not offset it.

1 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Statistics

Taiwan's 22 counties and cities, read from the household register

Taiwan's 22 counties and cities (台灣22縣市) on the household register for August 2026: population, area and density for each, why the three provincial cities sit below the law's own floor, what Kinmen's register hides, and how 25 units became 22.

1 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Science

Butterfly Wing Stripes Create a Barber-Pole Illusion That Makes Them Hard to Catch

As the wings flap, their patterns send false motion signals about where the butterfly is heading. A Nature study backs it with slow-motion film, 397 species, 100 human testers and simulated evolution.

1 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Science

Bats First Took Flight in Europe, a Study of 103 Genomes and 44 Fossils Finds

The Bat1K analysis puts the bat ancestor in late-Palaeocene Europe and rejects African, Asian and North American origins. Echolocation may have been there from the start.

30 Sep 2026 · 4 min read

Statistics

Chinese measure words ranked by how often they are actually used

How often 个 really fills the measure-word slot in Chinese text, which two dozen classifiers (量词) cover nine tenths of uses, what the HSK syllabus lists by level, and why one noun can take several. Kata penggolong bahasa Mandarin, counted.

30 Sep 2026 · 5 min read

Statistics

Hong Kong's 18 districts by population, density and council seats

Hong Kong's 18 districts (18區) on the census department's mid-2025 figures: which are most crowded, how the regions share land and people, how council seats changed in 2023, and why Sai Kung mostly means Tseung Kwan O.

30 Sep 2026 · 6 min read