October is a month for giant gourds. For pumpkins, growers are testing the limits on just how giant these gourds can get. Growers everywhere spend their springs and summers prepping to grow a champion pumpkin. Scientific studies have yet to explain the best ways to grow the giant pumpkins. However, to push a pumpkin's limits, growers must consider the seed's genetics, soil health, beneficial insects, fertilizer, and concoctions of beneficial bacteria. So, how might the next record be broken? Wha ...read more
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin safely descended onto the moon in Apollo 11. It was a frightening moment, with alarms firing and gas lines freezing as the astronauts barreled toward another celestial body for the first time in human history.The astronauts landed on Mare Tranquillitatis, a dark bluish plain made of ancient lava, and for the next two hours, they explored the moon's surface, collecting rock samples and bouncing about. It was the first of six more manned journeys to ...read more
Theoreticians in the 1960s who were trying to wrap their heads around the principles of why and how animals on this planet age argued that senescence is "inevitable." As time goes by, organisms grow old, and their probability of dying increases, they said.But research into a wide range of organisms suggests this almost definitely isn't the case: there's a growing variety in how creatures grow old. On all branches of the evolutionary tree, some animals live fast and die young and those that are ...read more
Incredible speeds aside, cheetahs spend most of their days resting. They nap the hottest parts of the day away beneath the shade. They chirp and purr to one another but don’t roar. They’re introverts. However, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they’re also classified as one of over 40,000 species threatened with extinction, Specifically, the cheetah, or Acinonyx jubatus, is classified as a vulnerable species. Its global population is declining, and ...read more
As it turns out, humans aren't the only ones who appreciate the aroma of a fresh batch of beer. According to researchers at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center in Alsea, Oregon, the scent of ale is tempting to fish, too, and could successfully lure salmon back to their home hatcheries. Wild salmon are famous for their arduous migrations between the ocean and the rivers of their origins, where they return as adults after several years of ocean wandering to spawn. Relying on their finely tuned sen ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine