The Myth of The 30 IQ Point “Communication Range”

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Earlier this week I tweeted a link to a Quora post which, I felt, was rather silly. The post was a response to the question “Are people with very high IQs generally happy?” and it answered in the negative: Let’s say high IQ is a blessing which comes with a terrible price. And each and every person with reading east from 135 has paid that price. HIgh IQ persons usually have also extremely vivid and wide spectrum of emotions and emotional life, and when they are happy, they are ...read more

Tiny Bat Shrugs Off Venom Of Deadly Scorpion

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

These tough bats can tussle with the deadliest scorpions in North America and win.Photo by Connor Long Pallid bats (Antrozous pallidus) are quirky little creatures, the sole species in their genus. Their long ears, which can equal half their body length, make them look quintessentially batty, but unlike most of their night hunting relatives, they prefer to tackle ground-dwelling dinners—a strategy called “gleaning.” Pallid bats glean as much as half their body w ...read more

12,000 Tons of Orange Peels Bring a Jungle Back to Life

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

(Credit: Horia Bogdan/Shutterstock) Twenty years ago, a pasture in Costa Rica was nearly barren farmland, choked by invasive grasses. Today, it blooms anew with a rich tangle of jungle plants. The magic ingredient for this resurgence? Oranges. In the mid-1990s, Del Oro, a newly established orange juice manufacturer in Costa Rica was looking for a way to get rid of the rinds and pulp left over after juice extraction. They planned on building an expensive processing plant, but two ecologist ...read more

Pikas Are Disappearing from California's Sierra Nevada Mountains

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Pikas are related to rabbits and live at high elevations in the mountains of North America. Climate change is shrinking the areas where they can live. (Credit: Alison Henry) According to a survey from Yale University’s Program on Climate Change Communication, 70 percent of Americans think global warming is happening, but only 40 percent believe it will harm them personally. But what if those same people who believe they are somehow immune from harm were told climate change is being blame ...read more