Can Humans Live in Space Without Going Crazy?

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

NASA astronaut Harrison Schmidt shaves during the Apollo 17 mission. (Credit: NASA) On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space when he piloted the Mercury capsule Freedom 7. His sub-orbital journey lasted 15 minutes. Like most children who grew up in the early era of space flight, I remember this moment well. The flight was extra special for me because my dad, Arthur L. Levine, worked for NASA. As a human resources administrator, he recruited John Glenn, who in 1962 became ...read more

Livestock Infected with Worms Belch and Fart 33% More Methane

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Scientists find that parasites dramatically alter how much methane a sheep emits. It’s estimated that 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, and a substantial portion of that is directly ’emitted’ by livestock. And just last year, climate scientists reported that we’ve actually been underestimating the extent to which the combined belches and flatulence of farmed animals contributes to climate change by 11%. Unsurprisingly, there& ...read more

Physicists finally explain why your earphones are always tangled.

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Photo: Flickr/Steven Guzzardi [Note from the authors of “Seriously, Science?”: After nine years with Discover, we’ve been informed that this will be our last month blogging on this platform. Despite being (usually) objective scientists, we have a sentimental streak, and we have spent the last few days reminiscing about the crazy, and often funny, science we have highlighted. Therefore, we have assembled a month-long feast of our favorite science papers. En ...read more