What are the odds of humanity emerging, well, anywhere? Conventional wisdom says that our emergence, evolution, and development on Earth were extremely improbable. But a new model says that humans gaining a foothold here wasn’t that difficult — and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that intelligent life could develop elsewhere in the universe, according to a paper in Science Advances.“This is a significant shift in how we think about the history of life,” Jennifer Macalady, a P ...read more
Hawaii is home to some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. Striking blue waters, lush jungles, and pristine beaches make it a paradise. It’s also home to other unique inhabitants, such as sea turtles, dolphins, and… plastics? According to a new study from the University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa, plastics are becoming the most prevalent form of pollution in the ocean, which can be detrimental to marine species and their habitat. However, researchers from UH discovered a fungus fro ...read more
Romance is in the air today — and also predicted to be in space tonight. The conditions are perfect for a Valentine’s Day date with the aurora borealis on February 14, 2025. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says a solar wind stream is heading toward Earth just in time for the star-crossed lovers to gaze upon it together.Northern Lights CreationAuroras occur when electrons from space enter Earth’s magnetic field and collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atm ...read more
The world’s biggest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), sits in a circular tunnel about one hundred meters beneath the Swiss French border near Geneva. It is huge—some 17 kilometers in circumference—and capable of accelerating sub-atomic particles to energies of 10^12 electronVolts (Tera eV or TeV), the highest ever achieved. Constructed in the 1990s and switched on in the noughties, the LHC is getting old and physicists now want to smash particles together at even highe ...read more
Ancient peoples didn't have the luxury of air-tight containers to keep insects out of food, screens to keep insects out of the house, or a local pest control specialist that could help keep your home pest-free. These menacing pests could cause much more than an inconvenience. They could spoil food stores or ruin crops. However, archeologists have found that ancient people had their own ways of coping with bugs, rodents, and other annoyances. Ancient people weren't about to let these pests ruin ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine