All posts tagged: Size

This forgotten Excel format made my giant spreadsheet half the size

This forgotten Excel format made my giant spreadsheet half the size

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Working with huge Excel workbooks can be incredibly frustrating, especially when they become slow to open, save, and share with colleagues. After struggling to upload massive files to platforms like SharePoint or dealing with constant lag, you might even start to think that this is simply the price of working with large amounts of data. Well, it isn’t. An easy fix is to save your file as an Excel Binary Workbook (.xlsb) instead of the standard .xlsx format. At least, that’s what I now tend to do, and it’s given me the biggest performance boost I’ve seen with even my most demanding spreadsheets. Related I stopped wasting time in Excel when I learned these 3 functions Small formulas, big time savings. A better format for big files It looks like just another save option, but it stores your workbook very differently Screenshot by Ada .xlsb, short for Excel Binary Workbook, is what I use to halve the size of my spreadsheets. Chances are you’ve never clicked on it in Excel’s Save As dropdown, and that’s …

Is the Universe truly infinite in size?

Is the Universe truly infinite in size?

Published by Jenni Sidey

13.8 billion years ago, the most consequential event in our entire Universe occurred, as cosmic inflation came to an end and the hot Big Bang emerged in its aftermath. The conditions, at that moment, were that the Universe was filled with matter, antimatter, and radiation, and existed in an ultra-hot, ultra-dense, but rapidly expanding-and-cooling state. By the time we arrive at the present day, the volume containing our observable Universe has expanded to be approximately 46 billion light-years in radius, with the light that’s only now arriving at our eyes today setting the limit for how far away we’re capable of measuring. Although it’s a huge distance to be able to see out to 46 billion light-years away, it’s not infinitely large; it’s merely the limits of what we can observe in the here-and-now. What, then, lies beyond those limits? What about the unobservable Universe? Is there any way to use what we know and can measure about the Universe we inhabit to answer the question of whether it’s finite or infinite? About whether what …

Foreign-Born Population Grows, But Relative Size Not Unprecedented

Foreign-Born Population Grows, But Relative Size Not Unprecedented

Published by Jenni Sidey

While the number of immigrants in the U.S. as well as their share of the population has generally been rising, Statista’s Katharina Buchholz points out that the level of the foreign-born population is not unprecedented. As of 2024, the latest year available through U.S. Census data, 14.8 percent of the U.S. population was foreign-born.  Data aggregated by the Migration Policy Institute shows that throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the foreign-born population of the U.S. had been just as high, before reaching a low of just 4.7 percent in 1970. You will find more infographics at Statista Between mid-2020 and mid-2021, net migration to the United States (the number of immigrants arriving minus those leaving) only amounted to 247,000 people, down from the pre-pandemic figure of around 600,000 between 2018 and 2019. Post-pandemic, this has risen to new heights, with the total immigrant population in the U.S. reaching 50.2 million as of the latest data. An annual net migration of 2.4 million people was recorded in 2024, before this fell again quickly during the first year of the second …

New clouded leopard cub is the size of a loaf of bread

New clouded leopard cub is the size of a loaf of bread

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. The Nashville Zoo in Tennessee is celebrating the birth of a new baby clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa). The female cub named Mayuree, marks a major milestone for one of the rarest cat species in the world.  Clouded leopards are secretive wild cats that dwell in the rainforests and woodlands of Southeast Asia. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies them as vulnerable, and their already small numbers at risk due to poaching, the illegal pet trade, and habitat loss and fragmentation from deforestation. Between 2000 and 2018, their habitat strongholds declined by about 34 percent. Due to its elusive nature, the species is difficult to observe in the wild. Much of what scientists know about the wild cat comes from …

Genes and Size, You Can’t Turn a Labrador Into a Greyhound

Genes and Size, You Can’t Turn a Labrador Into a Greyhound

Published by Jenni Sidey

Kristin assumed her therapist would naturally understand that being thin was something to strive for and inherently desirable. She was surprised to learn that her therapist’s primary concern was not how her body looked, but how healthy it was. Her therapist explained that having a smaller-than-average or model-thin body is only healthy if it aligns with your natural genetics. Body shape and size are largely determined by genetics. Although diet and exercise can influence body weight and shape to some degree, many people continue to believe that body size is entirely within personal control. As a result, the widespread assumption persists that proper diet and exercise should enable anyone to achieve an ideal body shape. A useful analogy is asking a Labrador Retriever to achieve the body shape of a Greyhound, even though each breed is genetically programmed for a distinctly different body structure. Kristen had achieved a model-thin appearance through severe food restriction and excessive exercise. Although this led to compliments and positive feedback about how she looked, her body was far from healthy. …

You Are Not Prepared to Learn the Size of Neanderthal Infants

You Are Not Prepared to Learn the Size of Neanderthal Infants

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Neanderthal babies were apparently bigger — and grew faster — than familiar human tykes. At least, El Pais reports, that’s the conclusion from a team of scientists based in Israel and Europe who analyzed the remains of a six-month-old Neanderthal ankle biter who was downright colossal, at a comparable size to a one-year-old homo sapien. That means the babies of Neanderthals, extinct cousins to us contemporary humans, were real life versions of the distinctly sturdy cave baby Bamm-Bamm Rubble from the iconic animated show “The Flintstones” The scientists noticed that while the skeletal remains of the Neanderthal child, buried in a cave in Northern Israel about 51,000 to 56,000 years ago, sported relatively thick bones and a large skull that made it seem older, the development of its teeth betrayed its younger age, as detailed in a new paper in the journal Current Biology. “I believe that the histological age of the teeth is more accurate than age …

New spider named for Pink Floyd devours bugs 6x its size

New spider named for Pink Floyd devours bugs 6x its size

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. We can call this newly discovered spider another brick—or web—in the wall. Scientists in Colombia named the new species Pikelinia floydmuraria in honor of English rock band Pink Floyd and the arachnid’s preferred habitat—walls. “Muraria,” is derived from the Latin word for “wall,” and alludes to the psychedelic band’s 1979 multi-platinum album, The Wall. The team found Pikelinia floydmuraria living on the walls of buildings and even spotted one on a colorful mural in Quindío, Colombia. This new species of crevice weaver spiders is described in a study published in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution (ZSE). Pikelinia floydmuraria is considered a synanthropic spider. These species have adapted to human-created environments over time. While they serve an important role in the ecosystem in Colombia, researchers knew little about their biology and nutritional ecology until now. The team found that these spiders are skilled hunters, mostly feeding on insects such as flies, beetles, and ants. They typically build their webs near …

New ladybug species is the size of a grain of sand

New ladybug species is the size of a grain of sand

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Ladybugs are famously harbingers of good luck, and the trait proved consistent at a university in Japan when researchers found a new species of the iconic insect directly on the campus.  Ladybugs, also known as ladybird beetles or lady beetles, consist of the family Coccinellidae within the order of beetles (Coleoptera). The newly identified member is a  black Parastethorus pinicola, and researchers discovered it on a pine tree at Kyushu University’s Hakozaki Satellite. In fact, its species name means “pine dweller.” The identification of the tiny species—barely more than 0.039 inches (or one millimeter) long—occured within the context of a broader study. In a study recently published in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, two Kyushu University researchers updated the categorization of a group of ladybirds called Stethorini in Japan . Stethorini ladybugs are small and eat spider mites. “I knew that this group of ladybirds often inhabits pine trees. Since there are Japanese black pines growing at the Hakozaki …

Tyrannosaurus rex took 40 years to reach full size

Tyrannosaurus rex took 40 years to reach full size

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Tyrannosaurus rex is arguably the world’s most famous dinosaur, yet paleontologists are still learning more about this giant “tyrant lizard king.” T. rex roamed the western United States during the Cretaceous Period about 145 to 66 million years ago, and was likely alive when the meteor that kicked off all non-avian dinosaur’s extinction struck. Based on the annual growth rings (like those on trees) within fossilized leg bones, scientists  estimate that T. rex usually reach adulthood at around 25 years old. However, new research argues that their growth phase lasted  significantly longer. They may have become fully grown—approximately eight tons—after 40 years. The paper was recently published in the journal PeerJ. To produce an updated timeline of tyrannosaur growth, scientists studied 17 tyrannosaur specimens of all ages. “We came up with a new statistical approach that stitches together growth records from different specimens to estimate the growth trajectory of T. rex across all stages of life in greater detail …

What Breast Size and Shape Do Men and Women Prefer?

What Breast Size and Shape Do Men and Women Prefer?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Many people assume that men prefer women with large breasts. Researchers have attempted to justify this belief with the concept of “reproductive readiness,” the idea that evolution has shaped men to prefer women on the larger side because big breasts produce more milk, which contributes to infant survival and helps perpetuate humanity. But this argument has two serious flaws. Breasts of any size can successfully nurture infants. And studies have shown that men’s breast-size preferences are surprisingly unpredictable. Various studies have concluded that men prefer breasts that are small, medium, large, or extra-large. Men aren’t the only gender obsessed with women’s breasts. Women also have complicated feelings about their chest appendages, and not just their size, but also their shape and nipple coloring. Recent studies shed new light on the gendered psychology of women’s breasts. Which Gender Feels More Satisfied with Women’s Breasts? Some women can’t feel attracted to men unless they’re taller than the women are. Similarly, some men seek women with a certain breast size: small, medium, or large. However, most men like …