Thanks to unrelenting human-caused global warming, and with a little push from El Niño, last month continued 2023's heat streak, coming in as the warmest January on record. Three independent analyses have come to this conclusion, the most recent released by NOAA on Feb. 14. According to the agency, January's global surface air temperature was 1.27 degrees C (2.29 degrees F) above the 20th-century average. That's very close to an assessment released by NASA a week prior. January's unusual global ...read more
Humans have loved exploration throughout history. Travel has endless opportunities for commerce, trade, culinary delights, cultural education, or even just a fresh start. The jet set lifestyle that is paraded on social media seems like pure bliss, from summering in Thailand one season and skiing in Switzerland the next. For many, this type of travel-fueled glamor appeals to the intrinsic human need for change, but for others, it could be a marker for mental health issues. Too much travel could e ...read more
Most adults require between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Sleep needs decrease with age, starting with 14-17 hours at birth and decreasing to around seven to eight hours after age 65. But in addition to age, research also shows that there are differences in the sleep requirements of men versus women, with women requiring more sleep.According to neurologist and sleep medicine physician Jeffrey Durmer, women tend to sleep longer than men, go to sleep earlier, and experience more deep sl ...read more
The Earth's crust has a dual personality. On one hand, there are the continents. Many times, the crust that makes up the continents can be very old, upwards of 3 to 4 billion years old! Yet, the oceanic crust that makes up a majority of the planet's surface doesn't get anywhere near as well. In fact, the oldest oceanic crust is only about 220 million years ago, or ~5% of the age of the Earth. We know we've had oceans and oceanic crust for billions of years, so where has it all gone?That's where ...read more
They might not come when you call them, but recent research reveals that cats recognize the voices of their caretakers — not thanks to their domestication, but thanks, instead, to their proximity to people.Published in PeerJ Life & Environment, the research found that captive, undomesticated cats respond to the voices of their caretakers much more quickly and much more intensely when their caretakers are more familiar. Felines as ferocious as tigers, cougars, and cheetahs could tell people ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine