The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) may seem like the fiercest predator in the ocean, but a recent study indicates they flee when orcas (Orcinus orca) enter their territory. Along the coast of Gansbaai — off the western cape of South Africa, a group of at least two orcas has been harassing and attacking great white sharks. So much so there have been notable ecosystem shifts. Enemies are common in the animal kingdom. Other antagonistic animal relationships stem from one species tr ...read more

This article contains affiliate links to products. Discover may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. The CBD gummy market is exploding, and is expected to reach nearly $14 billion by 2028. Within the overall hemp category, gummy products have expanded by roughly 30 percent in less than seven years (with the CBD market as a whole growing by over 20 percent in that same time frame). In other words, the green boom is showing no signs of slowing down. In this race, two of th ...read more

Deep in the jungles of Ecuador lives a creature with pale, pink eyes, long, sticky webbed fingers, greenish-gray skin and a black and yellow speckled belly. At first glance, it seems like a creature one would find in a fantasy world. And that's precisely the reason researchers decided to name the newly-discovered stream frog after the Father of Modern Fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien.  "In a stream in the forest, there lived a Hyloscirtus. Not a nasty, dirty stream, with spoor of contamination and a mu ...read more

In 1863, an obscure chemist named Angelo Mariani from Corsica arrived in Paris. Coming from a long line of doctors and chemists, Mariani set up shop in a modest Parisian quarter and began unlocking the secrets of Erythroxylum coca, the Andean coca leaf, then a legal drug. Three years later, at age 25, Mariani had mastered the art of extracting cocaine and blending it with wine. Delighted with the results of his experiments, he launched Vin Mariani two years later. The Start of Vin Mariani (Coc ...read more

Archaeologists and anthropologists agree that the Neanderthals were accomplished hunters, but what was the source of their skill? How did they seize and slaughter their prey, and with what tools and techniques? The answers, these specialists say, are imbedded in the archaeological record. Containing an assortment of hints into Neanderthal hunting habits — including their remains, tools and trash — this record reveals that the Neanderthals thrust or threw their spears into their prey simultan ...read more

The dinosaurs knew a smaller, dimmer sun than we do today. And we’re in the last legs of the viability of life on Earth. In about 500 million years, our sun will brighten to the point that it will trigger a runaway greenhouse effect on the Earth. The oceans will evaporate, locking in more heat in the atmosphere, which will cause even more evaporation, which will heat up the planet more, leading to an out-of-control feedback loop. While today, we know our parent star as the source of light and ...read more

This story was originally published in our Mar/Apr 2023 issue. Click here to subscribe to read more stories like this one. While paging through the book Space Physiology and Medicine in 1995, Senator John Glenn spotted a chart that captured his imagination. Listed were 52 kinds of physical changes routinely experienced in space by orbiting astronauts, including osteoporosis, cardiovascular difficulties and alterations in the distribution of body fluids. Th e 73-year-old Glenn, who had spent ye ...read more

If the mom and pup Galápagos sea lions in the photo above seem content, it could be that we’re simply projecting human emotions onto them. Or it may just be that that their bellies are full with fish. In fact, barring close encounters with rapacious sharks, they’ve probably had it pretty good lately — thanks to La Niña. Now in its third year, the climate phenomenon typically brings a bounty of food for marine animals foraging in the waters of the Galápagos Islands. But now, according t ...read more

More than 86 million Americans used a weight loss app in 2022. With an enormous variety of choices, there's an app for every type of consumer. Among the most common features found on these apps are diet plans, water consumption tracking, goal setting, fitness tracking, food diaries, recipes and a supportive environment.  Not all apps offer every option, which is why potential users should seek out the app best suited for them. With emerging evidence that these apps can be helpful, let's ...read more

Today, humans are the only members of our genus — the Homo from Homo sapiens — left alive. Remnants of our closest relatives, including Neanderthals and Denisovans, range from teeth and bones to tools and artwork, not to mention a genetic legacy in many modern humans thanks to interbreeding. Neanderthal DNA With a new study published in iScience, a group of researchers announced that ancient DNA has helped illuminate another aspect of our fellow humans’ lives: their sense of smell. This re ...read more