Almost half of all people in the world today speak an Indo-European language, one whose origins go back thousands of years to a single mother tongue. Languages as different as English, Russian, Hindustani, Latin and Sanskrit can all be traced back to this ancestral language.Over the last couple of hundred years, linguists have figured out a lot about that first Indo-European language, including many of the words it used and some of the grammatical rules that governed it. Along the way, they’ve ...read more
For centuries, life on Hestur, a small Faroese island located halfway between Scotland and Iceland in the northeast Atlantic, was isolated: Streymoy, the biggest of the 18 islands that comprise the Faroe Islands, is almost ironically close, within eyeshot, but powerful currents in the fjord dividing the two islands long made travel between them difficult.Today, a modern ferry connects Hestur and Streymoy, but across most of its history, Hestur’s inhabitants were left to care for themselves. Th ...read more
An ancient lizard fossil, renowned for its remarkable preservation and older than the dinosaurs, might be a partial forgery. The fossil, known as, Tridentinosaurus antiquus, was found in Italy in 1931, and was used to pinpoint evolution in early reptiles. However, an analysis published in Palaeontology found that the fossil’s preserved black outline is not skin, but paint.“The peculiar preservation of Tridentinosaurus had puzzled experts for decades. Now, it all makes sense. What it was ...read more
Harmful effects from supplements account for approximately 23,000 emergency room (ER) visits each year, while adverse medication reactions result in 1.3 million ER visits annually. And if supplements and certain medications are taken together, they can also cause a negative reactions. The side effects range widely from increasing or decreasing the medicinal effect or causing a toxic reaction. While it's always important to consult a doctor before using medication, here are some examples of suppl ...read more
On a warm July morning, Sasmit Roy was easing into his day at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital in Virginia. As a consulting nephrologist, Roy gets called in when patients have kidney issues the general hospital staff need help with. He was reviewing the patients on his caseload when he was alerted to a new patient, admitted the night before, in potential kidney distress.Jeanne’s face was turned toward the window when Roy walked into her room, but he could immediately tell she was worried: The ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine