Cats have a reputation for being distant and aloof, although people who share their homes with cats often disagree with that. But even the most devoted cat lovers might be surprised by the results of a new study. Saho Takagi, an animal behavior researcher at Azabu University in Kanagawa, Japan, and her colleagues adapted a method often used with human babies to test cats’ ability to learn words. The cats — 31 of them — aced the test. In fact, they learned the words faster than the average ...read more
Bringing up the topic of gnats tends to conjure varying degrees of annoyance. Whether you’re an aspiring gardener, or simply taking a walk by the water during the right season, chances are you’ve noticed – or ran right into – clouds of these tiny flies that suspiciously resemble mosquitoes.Luckily for us, gnats don’t bite, nor do they transmit or carry diseases. They’re not harmful to humans, except when it comes to the nuisance spectrum. Fungus gnats, which are the most common speci ...read more
Finding a tick embedded in your dog’s skin can send a shiver down your spine. And these tiny parasites are more than just a creepy nuisance — they’re potential carriers of diseases that can affect both your dog and your family. But with the right knowledge and a bit of patience, removing a tick and protecting your pup from future encounters is easier than you might think.Here’s everything you need to know about safely removing a tick from your dog, what to do afterward, and how to reduce ...read more
The United States is in the midst of the biggest boom in clean energy manufacturing investments in history, spurred by laws like the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.These laws have leveraged billions of dollars in government support to drive private sector investments in clean energy supply chains across the country.For several years, one of us, Jay Turner, and his students at Wellesley College have been tracking clean energy investments in the U ...read more
Since September, the polar night of winter has been spreading steadily southward in the Arctic. But sea ice hasn't been keeping pace. During October, growth of the floating ice was held back by significantly warmer temperatures than average. All told, October saw the fourth lowest extent of Arctic sea ice for the month in records stretching back 46 years to 1979, according to the latest analysis by the National Snow and Ice Data Center. An expanding black circle marks the spread of polar night i ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine