Imagine you’re driving home on an otherwise tranquil suburban road, when an unexpected neighbor pops in front of your headlights: a coyote. Most people think of coyotes as a nuisance at best , and a threat at worst — particularly when they’re spotted in residential areas.Despite our fears, and a growing number of coyotes in cities and suburbs, coyote attacks are extremely rare in the United States. From 1977 to 2015, there were 367 documented cases of coyotes attacking humans in the U.S. a ...read more
The Himalayas stand as Earth’s highest mountain range, possibly the highest ever. How did it form? Why is it so tall?You might think understanding big mountain ranges requires big measurements – perhaps satellite imaging over tens or hundreds of thousands of square miles. Although scientists certainly use satellite data, many of us, including me, study the biggest of mountain ranges by relying on the smallest of measurements in tiny minerals that grew as the mountain range formed.These miner ...read more
It’s a sad fact that dogs don’t live as long as we would like. The average dog lives around 8 to 15 years, with large breeds having shorter lifespans than smaller breeds. Our canine friends manage to pack a lot of love into those years, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were a way to keep them alive and healthy much longer? There soon may be.Scientists are working to develop drugs that could extend dogs’ lifespans and health spans. Late last year, Loyal, a San Francisco biotech compa ...read more
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that progresses relentlessly. It gradually impairs a person’s ability to function until they ultimately become immobile and often develop dementia. In the U.S. alone, over a million people are afflicted with Parkinson’s, and new cases and overall numbers are steadily increasing.There is currently no treatment to slow or halt Parkinson’s disease. Available drugs don’t slow disease progression and can treat only certain symptom ...read more
Bonobos have a reputation as lovers, not fighters. But the primate species — perhaps infamous for using sex as a conflict resolution tool — exhibits more complex behavior around mating than previously thought. Male bonobos actually act more aggressively than male chimpanzees, but the way the two species uses violence or the threat of it differs dramatically, according to a new study in Current Biology.“This study brings more complexity to the simple image of bonobo as the ‘make love not ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine