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The history of the barometer (and how it works)
A barometer is an instrument that measures air pressure, allowing weather forecasters and scientists to better predict extreme weather events. Despite its incredible usefulness, inventing the barometer was no walk in the park. Asaf Bar-Yosef describes the series of scientists and events that contributed to the birth of the barometer -- and explains how it actually works.

The most lightning-struck place on Earth
Lake Maracaibo is the stormiest place on the planet. Thunderstorms rage above this massive body of water for up to 200 days of the year, with each ear-splitting event lasting for several hours. But why? Graeme Anderson lists the factors that create Lake Maracaibo's seemingly ever-lasting storms.


Additional references

Camels seek out wet soil smells - The Guardian
Bad-tempered, obstinate, a tendency to spit, kick and grunt like a weightlifter. You could say that camels have a bit of an image problem, but they also have a magic about them as they tramp off in single file across miles of desert in search of water and then, seemingly against all the odds, find an oasis.

Human nose can detect a trillion smells - Science Magazine
A rose, a fresh cup of coffee, a wood fire. These are only three of the roughly 1 trillion scents that the human nose and brain are capable of distinguishing from each other, according to a new study. Researchers had previously estimated that humans could sense only about 10,000 odors but the number had never been explicitly tested before until now.

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