What’s in a name? When it comes to the great white pelican or yellow-footed tortoise, for example, what you expect is just what you’ll get. But some other animals aren’t as lucky — and that can come with consequences.Research has proven that common names hold a lot of sway over how we view different species, and can even affect whether policies are implemented to protect them. For example, in a 2012 study conducted by George Mason University researchers, 66 percent of respondents deemed ...read more

This article contains affiliate links to products. Discover may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.Before reading this post, if you're looking for Discover's #1 Fat Burner, start here.CarboFix is a weight loss supplement that claims to decrease appetite, helping you naturally burn fat.The diet pill is formulated for people who don’t want to go on super strict diets but still want to lose weight through optimal carbohydrate management. If you want to burn fat without th ...read more

We know that asteroids can do a lot of damage. One barreled into the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago and caused the demise of 70 percent of all life on Earth, including the dinosaurs. Within moments the six-mile-wide chunk of rock, known as the Chicxulub impactor, caused tsunamis so large that the Great Plains were overwhelmed with water. Giant shock waves reverberated across the planet, clouding the sky with volcanic eruptions and shaking the ground with endless earthquakes. What's wors ...read more

Sepsis is a severe inflammatory response to infection. Infections of the lungs (such as pneumonia), bladder, digestive system or kidney are common precipitating factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 1.7 million adults develop sepsis each year in the United States — which equates to a diagnosis every 20 seconds. It is the most common cause of death in hospitals, with one in three hospital patients dying due to sepsis. Let’s take a look at this serious health c ...read more

The theory of evolution, worked out in the nineteenth century by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, with many tweaks since, is one of the most well-supported theories in science. Evidence from a wide range of disciplines backs up the basics of the theory. Or, as paleontologist and historian of science Stephen Jay Gould put it in an essay in the May 1981 print issue of this magazine, the theory of evolution is “one of the best documented, most compelling and exciting concepts in all of ...read more

Saqqara, the sprawling burial complex to the south of Cairo, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site layered with thousands of years of Egyptian history. Not only does it have more than a dozen pyramids, it boasts numerous other tombs, courts and halls – and archaeologists keep discovering more. In May 2023, government officials announced the unearthing of two new tombs and two facilities once used for embalming.Ancient Egypt and MummificationThe new embalming facilities date to about 2,400 years ago ...read more

The adaptable pterosaur – the first flying vertebrate – lived in dark, polar conditions in what is now Australia, according to a new paper. The research identified two pterosaur bones more than 30 years after their initial discovery.The bones date to 107 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, when Australia formed a large southern landmass with Antarctica, New Zealand and South America. At that time, the Australian state of Victoria – where volunteers first found the fossils in t ...read more

The portrayal of a narcissist is everywhere in movies, books and even crime documentaries. Some of these archetypes are compelling. If you try to poll people on the streets on how they define a narcissist, they may come up with a string of flowery names such as self-centered, egotistic, vain, cocky and so on. In psychology, the term narcissism describes someone who has “an excessive love or admiration of oneself, often to the detriment of others,” says licensed psychotherapist Annie Wright � ...read more

Europeans had never seen a hummingbird when they first arrived in the Americas. Because of their petite size and vibrant, beautiful coloring, they called the birds Joyas voladoras — flying jewels. Delicate as they are, they don't let their small size get in the way of being bold and unique in the animal kingdom. Here are some interesting facts about the world's favorite J. voldoras. Types of Hummingbirds(Credit:Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock) Of the over 330 species of hummingbirds worldwid ...read more

Some 1.7 billion Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs once roamed the earth, according to a new paper. But that wasn’t all at once – the paper’s model estimates that only 19,200 were alive at any one time, a more fitting number considering their role as top predators.The study follows research from 2021 that pegged the total number of T. rex dinosaurs at 2.5 billion. But the new paper’s author, Eva Griebeler – an evolutionary ecologist at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz – revised key ...read more