African Wild Dogs Can't Take The Heat, Face Extinction From Climate Change

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

New study suggests African wild dogs may be doomed by climate change. Photo by Mathias Appel Things aren’t looking good for Africa’s iconic wildlife. Already, many species are threatened by human activities and habitat loss. Even species once thought to be resilient, like giraffes, are suddenly struggling. Just earlier this week, scientists reported that aardvarks, one of sub-saharan Africa’s most successful and adorable insect-eaters and essential ecosystem engineers—fa ...read more

The Soviet Rovers that Died on Mars

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

The Prop M rover. via NASA Before Curiosity took selfies and Opportunity rolled a marathon, rovers on Mars were more modest. Sojourner, NASA’s first rover, was a microwave-sized robot designed to last just seven days, and more than two decades earlier the Soviet Prop M rovers were tiny little squat boxes that reached the red planet for a ski vacation.  Mars 2 and Mars 3 were twin missions launched to the red planet in 1971,May 19 and May 28 respectively. Both were landers designed su ...read more

Here's How Much Plastic Humanity Has Produced

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

A landfill in Strambino, Italy. (Credit: MikeDotta/Shutterstock) I want to say just one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? Plastics. There was indeed a great future in plastics back in 1967 when “The Graduate” came out, and those words ring true even today as plastic production continues to soar. Try imagining toothbrushes, dashboards, pens, video game controllers, the ephemera of our daily lives, made from wood or metal — plastics are indispensable ...read more

First half of 2017 was 2nd warmest such period on record

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

The month of June by itself was third warmest in records dating back 138 years, according to NOAA The Mer de Glace, or “Sea of Ice,” is the best known part of the Mount Blanc Glacier in France. It has been receding rapidly for the past 30 years, now at a rate of about 15 feet each year. (Photo courtesy of Wendy Redal) The Earth has been cooling somewhat since the epic El Niño of 2015/2016. But even so, conditions are still plenty warm. The National Oceanic and Atmo ...read more