Good2Know is your daily dose of the stories that could impact your life.
T-REX MAKEOVER
The image of the tyrannosaurus rex has for many been shaped by the Jurassic Park films, which showed it as a big scary dinosaur with sharp teeth sticking out of its massive mouth. However, according to a new study published in the journal Science, some paleontologists think that the t-rex looked dramatically different than that pop-culture version. An international team of researchers say the t-rex had thin scaly lips that covered its teeth, closer to a modern-day lizard.
TALKING PLANTS
It turns out plants actually have something to say. According to a new study in the journal Cell, plants make noises that sound like popping sounds. Researchers from Tel Aviv University made the discovery by placing tobacco and tomato plants in sound-proof acoustic boxes with ultrasonic microphones. The sounds are undetectable to the human ear, but when translated into a frequency we can hear, they sounded similar to bubble wrap or popping popcorn. They also found that the plants made more sounds when they were thirsty or under stress, but there was no evidence that the noise was done intentionally or as a form of communication.
U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, which will let American women and girls buy contraceptive medication from the same aisle as aspirin and eyedrops.
The Webb Space Telescope is marking one year of cosmic photographs with one of its best yet: the dramatic close-up of dozens of stars at the moment of birth.
Floodwaters receded in Vermont cities and towns pummeled by a storm that delivered two months of rain in two days, enabling people to focus Wednesday on recovering from a disaster that trapped residents in homes, closed roadways and choked streets and businesses with mud and debris.
Schools in New Delhi were forced to close Monday after heavy monsoon rains battered the Indian capital, with landslides and flash floods killing at least 15 people over the last three days. Farther north, the overflowing Beas River swept vehicles downstream as it flooded neighborhoods.
Even Southwestern desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the grip of an extreme heat wave smacking Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California this week with 100-degree-plus temps and excessive heat warnings.
