One-point-two kilograms per cubic meter. Why is this number significant? It’s the approximate average density, or mass per volume, of the air at sea level. As you might expect, this mass pales in comparison to that of water, which is roughly 800 times denser than the atmosphere above it. Despite this, air has enough heft to ensure that high-speed hurricane winds can lift whole houses clean off the ground. And when pushed through a jet engine, it can hold a 640-ton airplane aloft — no mean f ...read more
A good night’s sleep is becoming a rare treasure. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about one in three adults in the United States doesn’t get enough sleep, and an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic sleep disorders.Many people struggling to get enough sleep turn to nutritional supplements for help. Common sleep supplements are melatonin, valerian, and the currently trending ashwagandha, a plant used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient Indian syste ...read more
Equipped with the latest gear and a thirst for adventure, mountaineers embrace the perils that come with conquering the world’s highest peaks. Yet, even those who tread more cautiously at high altitude are not immune from the health hazards waiting in the thin air above.Altitude sickness, which most commonly refers to acute mountain sickness, presents a significant challenge to those traveling to and adventuring in high-altitude destinations. Its symptoms can range from mildly annoying to inca ...read more
Month by month, and season by season, global heating records continue to fall.After 2023 came in as warmest year (it wasn't even close), and 2024 started with record high temperatures, it should come as no surprise that February was weirdly warm too. The red line in the graph above shows the evolution of Earth's average surface air temperature for the year so far. The orange line shows the record for 2023, and the dashed one shows the average for 1991-2020. All years between 1940 and 2023 are de ...read more
(Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), Ben Johnson (CfA), Sandro Tacchella (Cambridge), Marcia Rieke (University of Arizona), Daniel Eisenstein (CfA))Since December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has unlocked various secrets of our universe. From providing newer images of galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to enlightening experts on supernova remnants and peering into the early universe, the spacecraft has already discovered so much.Below are the latest ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine