Magma Feeding the Eruption in Iceland Has a Complicated Past

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

It has been over 10 months since the on-again, off-again eruption near Grindavík in Iceland began. Since then, multiple eruptions have tapped a source of magma at the base of the crust under the island nation. That magma made its way to the surface to eruption as spectacular lava fountains and flows that have covered a significant area of real estate near the small fishing village and Blue Lagoon hydrothermal area.Thankfully, there has been only one death from a worker falling into a crack whil ...read more

How Evolutionary Traps Plague the Animal Kingdom

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

In a world so thoroughly reshaped by human hands, animals often bump into novel ecological conditions — problems evolution didn’t prepare them for. Plastic items look like food, but they’re indigestible; artificial lights look like stars, but they’re useless in navigation; dead logs look like prime real estate, but they’re often bound for the woodchipper. Natural selection couldn’t foresee all these deadly new surprises, known as “evolutionary traps,” and thus, animals lack the b ...read more

Bees have irrational biases when choosing which flowers to feed on − just like human shoppers do

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Just like people confronted with a sea of options at the grocery store, bees foraging in meadows encounter many different flowers at once. They must decide which ones to visit for food, but it isn’t always a straightforward choice.Flowers offer two types of food: nectar and pollen, which can vary in important ways. Nectar, for instance, can fluctuate in concentration, volume, refill rate, and accessibility. It also contains secondary metabolites, such as caffeine and nicotine, which can be eit ...read more

Here’s How to Maintain Healthy Smartphone Habits

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

What is the first thing you do in the morning after you awaken? Many people immediately check their phones for notifications of messages, alerts and social media updates by their social ties.Ninety-seven percent of U.S. adults report owning a cellphone, with 90% reporting that they own a smartphone.While some researchers and media outlets portray phone use as detrimental, the reality is that the effects of technology use, including phones, vary depending on multiple factors. These include the am ...read more

Stunning Satellite Images Reveal the Power and Immensity of Hurricane Helene

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Hurricane Helene has been rampaging through the southeastern United States today, causing catastrophic flooding and killing at least 40 people in four states. The death toll is likely to rise.The storm slammed ashore as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday evening with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. It also pushed up inundating storm surges. As I'm writing this on Friday afternoon, it has been downgraded to a tropical storm — but it still poses deadly dangers. "Historic, catastrophic and li ...read more

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