In the qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup of 1970, Honduras won the first match in its capital Tegucigalpa, and El Salvador won the second in San Salvador. Violence broke out at both matches between the visiting and home fans, and thousands of Salvadorans left Honduras after their victory in the second match, avoiding persecution. At the time, there were historical tensions between Honduras and El Salvador that escalated within the matches.This soccer war isn’t the only example of an ex ...read more
In the diverse world of arachnids, black widow spiders, scientifically categorized in the genus Latrodectus, stand out for their distinct appearance and the notorious potency of their venom. But you could argue that the iconic black widow gets a bit of a bad rap.What Is a Black Widow Spider?(Credit: Mark Kostich/Shutterstock)Black widow spiders, known scientifically as Latrodectus, are instantly recognizable by their glossy black bodies and the iconic red hourglass marking on their abdomens (at ...read more
The great white shark is a formidable oceanic hunter. Its powerful jaws are capable of exerting over 4,000 pounds per square inch (PSI) of bite force — enough to shatter a human femur. But compared to the megalodon, a giant prehistoric shark that roamed the oceans from 15 million to 3.6 million years ago, the great white seems like a mere minnow. The megalodon had a sleek body estimated to exceed 60 feet in length, according to a 2024 paper published in Palaeontologia Electronica, dwarfing it ...read more
It is the most abundant metal in the universe. By mass, it is the most common element on our planet, making up much of Earth’s core and some of its crust.As minerals go, humans — indeed, most living things — can’t make it themselves and don’t need very much of it. But without even that little bit, we’d all be dead. That’s the irony of iron.What Is Iron?How hemoglobin works. (Credit: Designua/Shutterstock)Iron is one of several essential nutrients (meaning we have to get it from the ...read more
Heaps of dinosaurs had feathers. But only a handful developed those feathers for flight. In fact, determining which feathered dinos flew and which feathered dinos didn’t has historically posed a problem for paleontologists. A new study, however, suggests that the problem isn’t as tricky as previously thought.In the study, published in PNAS, a pair of paleontologists present an assortment of traits that they say all feathers built for flight share. Based on the feathers of the only surviving ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine