When it comes to naturally occurring spicy foods, some animals are more fit than others to enjoy them. Humans and other mammals aren't so well equipped to handle those foods. Take the chili pepper, for example. While it's a food rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and serves as an excellent source of vitamin C, it contains capsaicin — a chemical that makes peppers taste spicy and interacts with the nerve receptor known as TRPV1. While some humans may classify the tingling and ...read more
What a slug.That line could be used as an insult for, say, a member of a sports team not expending enough effort. After all, the notoriously slow-moving mollusks are not exactly known for their hustle. But for a scientific team who found a remarkable creature, literally beyond the depths of where conventional slugs dwell, the line becomes quite a compliment.When Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) researchers sent a remotely operated submersible down 8,576 feet down off the coast of ...read more
Today, kids are expected to spend much of their day in school. Learning is divided into grades and separated by age and aptitude. But it hasn’t always been this way. Education wasn't always required, and in fact, many kids carried on the jobs their parents had instead of learning how to read and write. What and how one learned depended on one's place in society.In ancient times, much like today, education was highly valued. Subjects could range from reading and writing to philosophy and ethics ...read more
In September 1679, a French trader and explorer arrived near Green Bay, Wisconsin, with his new merchant ship, Le Griffon. The ship was loaded with furs and other commodities, and the captain was instructed to sail it back to a port in eastern Lake Erie.The trader, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, headed south in a canoe with a team of explorers. It was the last he saw of Le Griffon. The ship sank in a storm and has not been seen since.In the 345 years since the vessel sank, amateur rel ...read more
The biggest and strongest storms to hit Earth are around 1,000 miles across, with winds upwards of 200 mph. Hurricane Patricia, for example, is among the strongest ever recorded on Earth with sustained winds upwards of 215 mph, although it was reduced to a Category 4 before smashing into the coast of Mexico. But even these mega-storms are nothing compared to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (GRS).Around the width of Earth, with winds of 400 mph, this giant system has been churning over Jupiter for hun ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine