Nature has some peculiar ways of creating molecules. Many molecules, such as DNA, proteins, and sugars, have a property called chirality. Basically, chiral molecules are molecules that are shaped such that they can’t be superimposed on their mirror image.Scientists refer to this property as “handedness,” and it’s a great analogy for helping the rest of us understand chirality. If you put your right hand on top of your left hand, both hands palm down, they don’t match up. No matter how ...read more
Although food nourishes us and provides fuel for our bodies, it is also strongly associated with mood and emotion. What we eat and how we eat can impact how we feel — and conversely, certain feelings, good or bad, can motivate our food choices. Our relationship with food can be complicated as certain foods and emotions surrounding them can have stigmas, which may, in turn, lead to disordered eating. However, understanding our moods and how food and society can impact us is a step towards a he ...read more
Rising water temperatures, acidification, and deoxygenation are disrupting marine ecosystems worldwide. These changes threaten culturally and economically significant species, ultimately endangering the livelihoods that depend on them. To manage marine species struggling with climate change, it is essential to identify the most vulnerable ecosystems and species.A study conducted by the University of California, Santa Cruz, aims to help Californian fisheries adapt by developing climate-ready mana ...read more
The finale of a star’s life has enthralled scientists for years, yet questions continue to surround the explosions of white dwarf stars — the most common path that stars take during the later stages of their evolution. New research, however, has shed light on the astounding variety of ways that a white dwarf star can explode, capturing almost 4,000 of these events scattered across the distant universe. The explosions were detailed in a dataset and a collection of 21 associated studies publi ...read more
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
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine