Medical diseases have existed since ancient times. We’ve read about the horrors of the bubonic plague in history lessons, but did you know that even the plague technically still exists today? Over time, modern medicine has eradicated some of the most devastating diseases in the U.S., like smallpox, polio, rubella, malaria, and diphtheria. However, diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and the mumps do continue to exist. While it may surprise you that the following five diseases still exist today, we ...read more
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect women nine times more often than men, often turning up in women in their 20s and 30s. It can cause joint pain, rashes, fatigue, and damage to organs — especially the kidneys. The root cause is still unclear, but it may have to do with genetics.“[Lupus] can cause injury to a number of different organs, all mediated by this particular autoimmune process,” says Deepak Rao, a rheumatologist at Harvard Medical School.New research is improving docto ...read more
Deep beneath the waves of the sea, hidden ecosystems have thrived for millennia. Scientists continue to discover more of them, including the recent find of a whole new underwater mountain and 20 potentially new deep-sea species about 900 miles off the coast of Chile. Discovering so many rare and likely new species is exciting, but far more unknown species lurk in the abyss just waiting to be discovered. While their ecosystems have long escaped human notice, there’s no guarantee they’ll escap ...read more
For anyone living in the 21st century, it’s hard to imagine a battle scene that isn’t plastered with camouflage: soldiers in muted green-brown fatigues, marching beside tanks painted the same colors. These days the pattern is even a perennial fixture of mainstream fashion. But in fact, it’s a relatively recent military tactic, albeit one with roots in some of the most ancient survival strategies. More than 2,000 years ago, in The Art of War, the Chinese strategist Sun Tzu wrote that, “Al ...read more
When humans first set their sights on the stars, space exploration was dominated by superpowers, national pride, and the race to outdo rival nations. After all, the Apollo Moon landings were carried out as more of a statement of Cold War superiority than a business venture. But in recent decades, a shift has occurred — a shift that has slowly seen the reins of space exploration handed from government agencies to commercial enterprises. The commercialization of space is no longer a futuristic d ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine