An Omen Of Doom And Other Myths Surrounding Solar Eclipses

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Humans have observed and tracked solar eclipses for millennia. In many cases, a solar eclipse brought on fear and foretold the end of the world or was a sign of great misfortune. To explain the causes of a solar eclipse, ancient humans would seek spiritual justifications and tell folkloric tales for why they occur. From these explanations, many myths and superstitions exist. Most of these are only myths and have since been disproven.Myth 1. Eclipses Are an Omen of MisfortuneMany of the beliefs t ...read more

Eruption in Iceland Going Strong After Almost Two Weeks

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

The funny thing about volcanic eruptions is that people (broadly speaking) pay attention when (1) a volcano that hasn't erupted recently erupts; (2) a volcano near people erupts and (3) a new eruption begins where a famous previous eruption occurred. The media descends and you can find volcanologists (like me!) being interviewed about the ramifications of this, that and the other volcanic thing. That's great (at first), because awareness of the volcanic activity on Earth means that people may be ...read more

4,000-Year-Old Bronze Age Teeth Chart The Changes In Human Diet Over Time

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Dental problems have tormented humans for ages, but the recent discovery and analysis of two 4,000-year-old teeth reveal how the bacteria populating our mouths have changed over time. The teeth, found in a limestone cave in Killuragh, County Limerick, Ireland, along with other skeletal remains, have helped researchers piece together a timeline of oral health. Their findings have been published in a new paper released in Molecular Biology and Evolution. Although fossilized teeth and their DNA ar ...read more

Practicing Yoga Can Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease; a figure experts project to double by the year 2050. Alzheimer’s is the seventh leading cause of death and the number one cause of dementia in the U.S.While lifestyle factors like eating brain-boosting foods and managing high blood pressure can help prevent it, many adults are still at high risk. However, recent research suggests another lifestyle habit — the ancient yet powerful practice of yoga — may be especially effecti ...read more

What You Need To Know Before Cataract Surgery

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Cataract surgery is one of the most popular and commonly performed procedures in the world. The vast majority of patients have excellent outcomes with few complications.Here are the numbers:As ophthalmologists who have performed thousands of these procedures, we know that many patients have misconceptions about both cataracts and the surgery. For example, some think a cataract is a growth on the eye’s surface.We like to compare a cataract with the frosted glass of a bathroom window, where ligh ...read more

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