When the 2020 pandemic sent everyone home to “shelter in place,” kids began online school and adults telecommuted using videoconferencing. Suddenly, people saw a constant reflection of themselves mirrored on the screen.There we were, side-by-side in little boxes next to our colleagues as we pretended to listen to a department meeting or a budget update. Our every move was mirrored back to us, and it gave many people a chance to scrutinize their appearance.Small smiles revealed previously unn ...read more
Earth’s largest mass extinction eliminated a lot of marine species. But it didn’t eliminate them all. According to a study in Science Advances, warm, oxygen-depleted waters may have helped select survivors of the end-Permian extinction in the aftermath of the event around 252 million years ago, allowing them to expand their ranges throughout Earth’s oceans. The results reveal how marine animals have recovered from past mass extinctions and how they could recover from mass extinctions in th ...read more
Spring brings warmer temperatures, fresh greenery, and the return of birdsong. Songbirds are known for performing species-specific tunes to attract mates and defend their territories. But how do birds learn these signature songs? Much like humans, it takes time and practice to master a skill.To understand the brain signals involved in birds’ intrinsic desire to learn their songs, a research team from Duke University, North Carolina, closely studied how zebra finches practice their songs until ...read more
A surprising observation from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a vestige of a galaxy that peeked through the early universe’s dense fog just 330 million years after the Big Bang. The recent sighting of ultraviolet light from this distant galaxy — called JADES-GS-z13-1 — has astonished researchers, shattering prior expectations of early galaxy formation. Shortly after the Big Bang, the developing universe was clouded by a thick fog of neutral hydrogen, blocking the l ...read more
Cold plunging has become all the rage. Whether in the ocean, rivers, lakes, or your own personal cold plunge bath, enthusiasts claim that the therapy has a host of benefits, both mentally and physically, from reducing anxiety to reducing brain fog and improving focus. It’s also been touted for improving athletic performance, reducing inflammation and joint pain, improving immunity, and increasing metabolism. But are any of these benefits backed by science?Shock the Body with Cold Water Plunge ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine