(Credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/Seán Doran/Ernie Mastroianni)
The first results from Juno’s brush with Jupiter reveal swarms of cyclones, massive ammonia plumes and complex interactions between a turbulent magnetic field and powerful streams of electrons. The findings are published today in Science and Geophysical Research Letters.
The Juno team is still sifting through the massive piles of data the probe is sending back from the gas giant. Since arriv ...read more
This is going to hurt. (Credit: Shutterstock)
Cowpea seed beetle sex is complicated.
During copulation, the male seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, uses his sharp, spiky penis to damage females’ reproductive tract while depositing sperm. All the while, the female vigorously kicks at her suitor—it hurts! As studies have shown, males with longer, harmful penis spikes enjoy more reproductive success, to the detriment of their partner’s health.
But the process of evolution ha ...read more
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. (Credit: Mari Tefre/Svalbard Globale frøhvelv)
Just nine years after its official opening, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway is undergoing renovations to protect it from climate change.
The work was prompted by accidental flooding that took place last week, as melting permafrost seeped into the vault’s access corridor. While the seeds were in no danger, the flooding is nevertheless a worrying sign at a facility meant to en ...read more
(Credit: Shutterstock/Daniel Prudek)
A trek to base camp at Mount Everest will leave you short of breath in a hurry.
A push to the summit begins in thin air, 17,000 feet above sea level — higher than any peak in the Rocky Mountains. Once you reach the “Death Zone,” above 26,000 feet, oxygen levels drop to a third of what they are at sea level. Few climbers reach the summit, which rises 29,029 feet above sea level, without bottled oxygen.
To acclimate their ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
