Almost four years to the day after an unexpected explosion at New Zealand's White Island killed 22 people, tragedy has struck another volcano that is frequented by climbers and tourists. Marapi (not to be confused with Merapi) in Indonesia experienced a small and unexpected explosion on Sunday. The aftermath of the blast appears to be at least 11 hikers dead and a dozen more missing. Sadly, we again have to discuss the dangers of tourism on a potentially active volcano.Much like Whakaari (White ...read more
The Science Near Me blog is a partnership between Discover magazine and ScienceNearMe.org.When Jake Baskin attends hands-on coding events in classrooms during Computer Science Week, he’s learned to expect a curious occurrence.“There's always at least one student who is really upset when the hour ends,” says Baskin, executive director of the Computer Science Teachers Association, an organization that supports computer science education across the country.Some of the kids his organization wo ...read more
We seem to have entered something of an alien renaissance. Public interest in extraterrestrial speculation soared this summer, as former intelligence officials testified to Congress that the U.S. government is in possession of materials from a spacecraft of “non-human origin.”For all its mystery and intrigue, though, this moment is only the latest surge in a century of extraterrestrial hype, and of claims to the existence of alien artifacts. So far none have held up to scrutiny, and it remai ...read more
We all want to forget about the grief and destruction caused by COVID-19. But, sadly, public health concerns such as major pandemics could be even more frequent in the future: A 2021 study analyzed data on previous disease outbreaks and found that the rate of novel pandemics breaking loose to infect humans is rising. What's more, the risk of outbreaks will increase three-fold over the coming decades. “One may erroneously presume that one can afford to wait another 100 years before experiencing ...read more
No matter how you feel about TikTok, you must admit it can get us thinking. #GirlMath (or #GirlMaths if you're Down Under or Across the Pond) went viral when it spoofed the ways women supposedly play mind games about spending. Why Did Girl Math Become a Trend? Girl Math is enough to make a feminist's blood curdle (to be clear, there's also Boy Math and even Corporate Math, although those memes don't focus so much on shopping). But Girl Math is also, well, funny. And it hit a nerve. The trend li ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine