Physicists Make ‘Quark Soup’ to Study the Early Universe

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

By slamming small particles into heavy gold nuclei at nearly the speed of light, scientists have created tiny, ultra-hot droplets of a bizarre type of matter called a quark-gluon plasma (QGP), which once filled the entire universe shortly after the Big Bang. Creating such a 'quark soup' is a tough task in its own right; the first sample of QGP was produced less than two decades ago by smashing two heavy atoms together. But for this new study, which was carried out as part of the& ...read more

Starting School Later Helps Teens Get More Sleep

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Ah, adolescence. A time of change, of navigating awkward social situations, figuring out who you are, maybe holding down that first job or focusing on extracurriculars — all while juggling the demands of school. And for most teens, managing all of this happens on too little sleep. To help alleviate the lack of Z’s, experts in the U.S. have been pushing for school systems across the country to roll back the start times for middle and high school students. Now, a new paper in the jour ...read more

2018 Saw Simultaneous Wildfires Devastate California. That Could be the New Normal

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

(Inside Science) -- Just a few weeks ago, two large wildfires caused massive destruction and at least 91 deaths in California, the Woolsey fire near Los Angeles and the Camp fire that engulfed the town of Paradise in the north. Residents and firefighters struggled to stop both fires, yet they can expect more like them to come. Simultaneous large fires are becoming more common throughout the continental United States, according to new research presented by Alison Cullen today at the Societ ...read more

Behold Thylacoleo, Australia’s Extinct Giant Marsupial “Lion”

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Multiple recently discovered specimens of Thylacoleo carnifex have allowed researchers to reconstruct the extinct animal's entire skeleton for the first time, revising what we know about how Australia's largest-ever carnivorous mammal moved. Spoiler alert: It appears that, despite weighing in excess of 200 pounds, the animal was an adept climber. Add that skill to the list of traits, including unique flesh-shearing teeth and a lethal thumb claw, that make Thylacoleo so fascinating. Nickna ...read more

Blinks Change How We Talk To Each Other

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

You probably didn’t notice but the last time you talked with a colleague or chatted with a friend, you blinked. A lot. Blinks are a conversational cue akin to nodding one's head, according to a new study published today in the journal PLOS One. As such, the unconscious reflex changes how people talk to each other. Even the subtlest non-verbal clues impact our conversations, the finding suggests. “Our findings indicate that even visually subtle behavior such as listener blinking is ...read more